Purple Cane Road

A Dave Robicheaux Novel, Book 11

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Nick Sullivan

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Dave Robicheaux has spent his life confronting the age-old adage that the sins of the father pass on to the son. But what was his mother's legacy? Dead to him since his youth, Mae Guillory has been shuttered away in the deep recesses of Robicheaux's mind. He's lived with the fact that he would never really know what happened to the woman who left him to the devices of a whiskey-driven father. But deep down, Dave still feels the loss of his mother and knows that the infinite series of disappointments in her life could not have come to a good end.

While helping out an old friend, Dave is stunned when a pimp looks at him sideways and asks if he is the son of Mae Guillory, the whore a bunch of cops murdered 30 years ago. Her body was dumped in the bayou bordering Purple Cane Road, and the cops who left her there are still on the job.

Dave's search for his mother's killers leads him to the darker places in his past, and solving this case teaches him what it means to be his mother's son. Purple Cane Road has the dimensions of a classic - passion, murder, and nearly heartbreaking poignancy - wrapped in a wonderfully executed plot that surprises from start to finish.

©2000 James Lee Burke (P)2012 Simon & Schuster Audio

Purple Cane Road

I have read just about everything Burke has written. sometimes his political views frustrate me. But I still think he is one of the very best story tellers out there.
I think this is probably his best story. Despite the characters voices seeming a little odd without the voice of Will Patton. I was sympathetic toward most of the characters at one point or other. And felt genuine sorrow for the sisters. Dave's thoughts about his parents hit pretty close to home with me. Although in my case it was nothing as dramatic. I enjoy Butke's descriptions of scenery and plants, flowers and such. It helps to visualize what is taking place. Burke's novels all seem to highlight the downtrodden and powerless. But I think he hit the right balance here with Purple Cane Road.

Story’s great but the narrator…..

Burke’s novel, like all of his books I’ve read, is suspenseful and well written. He places the action in south Louisiana: that area’s food, bayous, music, trees, and voices are beautifully done. It all takes a big hit however by narrator Nick Sullivan, whose reading is terrible, turning the book into a word salad unrecognizable as south Louisiana language.

Great story once the narrator choice is overcome

This is a really good book in the Dave Robicheaux series. In the beginning of the book the narrator thanks someone for their expertise in helping him with cajun accents and local pronunciations. I'm afraid the help stopped a bit short. The Narrator uses what sounds to my ear like a Jamaican accent as a standin for a Cajun one. It is really hard to listen to it in the several prominent female characters that are burdened with it.

Some Quibbles:
1.Every time the narrater pronounces the Parish "LaForsh" instead of LaFOOSH" it takes me right out of the story for a few seconds. It is probably said one hundred times in the book
2. that small cajun boat is a "PEEro"- there is no G in how it is pronounced by someone from SE Louisiana.
3. Metairie is pronounced "MEHtree" not a MET a ree

Nick Sullivan is obviously accomplished but this the book and narrator are mismatched. That said, I do not regret listening to it and would urge other listeners to avoid the temptation of skipping it and just know the narration is not up to the job we expect from Mssrs. Patton or Mr Hammer

Another great and gritty Dave Robichaux story by J

Good story ,great prose! Nick Sullivan is a good reader but doesn't sound like the Dave Robichaux we have grown to love.

Difficult to Listen to

If you could sum up Purple Cane Road in three words, what would they be?

Nick Sullivan - ouch !

Who was your favorite character and why?

Clete - of course.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Nick Sullivan?

almost anyone, but the two most familiar previous readers would have been fine.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

You killed my mama and now you must pay.....seriously, no tag line required. Good story

Any additional comments?

In this medium, these books live or die with the quality of the performance. James Lee Burke made a big mistake here picking Sullivan. Perhaps his usual picks demanded a bigger royality. None the less, Sullivan as Dave R. was comical at best.

Nice Jamaican accent! :)

Would you consider the audio edition of Purple Cane Road to be better than the print version?

I really try to stay positive on reviews. Couldn't resist though. Like how he thanks the New Iberia Parish Library for help with the accent.

Nick is a good voice...but not for Dave R.

I started this series listening to Patton and then to Hammer. took some getting used to the latter, but came to feel he was perfect for channeling Dave. Nick may be suited for other characters, but NOT for a Louisiana local. Good story. Good reading. Bad casting for Dave R.

Great novel, unfortunate narration

Another great Robicheaux novel. The narrator is unfortunately way off target with his accents. They are so inaccurate that they distract from the story and are the reason that I did not give this Burke novel 5 stars. Will Patton and Mark Hammer have done a great job with the other Robicheaux novels.

Narration irks

I’ve been listening to the Robicheaux books from Neon Rain. I was only able to endure about an hour of this one before I had to move on. Narration really misses the mark.

Wrong narrator

I was inspired to write this review because I am so disappointed in the choice of narrator. I liked both Patton and Hammer because I found them to be believable as the characters they presented. Nick Sullivan just doesn't fit the roles at all. The accents are awful. I probably won't listen to any more of this series if he is reading.

I generally enjoy all of the books in this series. It's light reading or listening, which isn't to say there aren't moments of beautiful writing. The stories carry me along, but I am often most captivated by Burke's descriptions of natural beauty, the weather on the Gulf Coast, and by his depictions of Southern Louisiana culture and food.