Swan Peak

A Dave Robicheaux Novel

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

James Lee Burke's new novel, Swan Peak, finds Detective Robicheaux far from his New Iberia roots, attempting to relax in the untouched wilderness of rural Montana. He, his wife, and his buddy, Clete Purcell, have retreated to stay at an old friend's ranch, hoping to spend their days fishing and enjoying their distance from the harsh, gritty landscape of Louisiana post-Katrina.

But the serenity is soon shattered when two college students are found brutally murdered in the hills behind where the Robicheauxs and Purcell are staying. They quickly find themselves involved in a twisted and dangerous mystery involving a wealthy, vicious oil tycoon, his deformed brother and beautiful wife, a sexually deviant minister, an escaped con and former country-music star, and a vigilante Texas gunbull out for blood.

At the center of the storm is Clete, who cannot shake the feeling that he is being haunted by the ghosts from his past - namely Sally Dio, the mob boss he'd sabotaged and killed years before.

In this expertly drawn, gripping story, Burke deftly weaves intricate, engaging plotlines and original, compelling characters with his uniquely graceful prose. He transcends genre yet again in the latest thrilling addition to his New York Times best-selling series.

More mayhem? Listen to more of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux thrillers.

©2008 James Lee Burke (P)2008 Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Great Story Read by the Best Reader!

I am persuaded that Will Patton is far and away the best performer in the entire Audible Universe. James Lee Burke's writing is as eloquent as it is violent. I loved this book.

Not as strong as "Tin Roof Blowdown"

I was hypnotized by Will Patton's reading of Tin Roof Blowdown and hoped for more of the same from this book. In the end, the story lacked the atmospheric benefit of New Orleans or New Iberia by being situated in Montana. Patton does another great job voicing all the characters especially Clete Purcell. As far as Purcell is concerned, though, Burke makes an outsized effort to present him as a larger than life character which makes him more cartoonish than real. Several of the other characters seem like cut-outs rather than flesh and blood. As for Dave Robichaux, we probably don't get enough insight into his character as we did in Tin Roof, but he remains an interestingly complex individual. All in all, I was happy to spend the full length of time to get to the end of this book and was reasonably surprised by the way it ended. Not Burke's best effort, but fans will be pleased and will want more.

The Dirty Boogie in Montana

Swan Peak was a refreshing twist to this series and I really enjoyed it. Burke's rich descriptions make you feel like you are there, you can hear the Clark Fork Creek as he describes it. I loved this particular cast of characters and I loved the ending. It was fun to have other "good guys" in this story to mix it up with Clete and Dave.

My Favorite Pair

I have been an audible listener for a long time and have over 250 books I have listened to. I have to say that James Lee Burke books read by Will Patton are by far my favorite combination of writer and narrator. In my mind Will Patton is Dave Robicheaux.

I suggest everyone should start with Burke's early Dave Robicheaux books because the history of the character is very important.

Another smash hit. A walk-off grand slam.

Reader/reviewer Deborah from Shallotte, NC does such a perfect job on this book that I would defer to her. Anyone who wants to read brief literary criticism at its finest should not miss her review. I feel like I can hardly add to what she says, but I will say a bit that reflects my own views.
Mr. Burke wrote this book in 2008, ten years ago. In my view he was at his absolute peak at that time. A lot of the subsequent Montana/Texas books are noticeably inferior, IMHO, due to his increasing preoccupation with violence for its own sake, a little bit like Sam Peckinpah once did in the movies (if you know that name, have a cocktail on me). Burke still has his remarkable skills: describing the fine details of the location he is in with such beautiful, lush phrases that you can almost smell the surroundings. People have said that he is our greatest living novelist, and his work at this time fully justifies those laurels. The plots remain similar, and his preoccupation with evil in the human soul will never get extinguished. Dave and Clete's ferocious memories/flashbacks of Viet Nam and Cambodia are still as vivid for them as if the time were the 1960s. The nightmares, the drinking, Clete's explosive need to do violence and break laws, and other things, these traumas underlie the thoughts and feelings of both men almost constantly. It is just about the weirdest juxtaposition, between Viet Nam and the gorgeous location descriptions, that I just have to accept that that is what makes up the man. I do hope that Mr. Burke as a person is not troubled by alcoholism, or that he beat those demons decades ago. If that is true, then redemption is truly real, not a cheap Hollywood fantasy that they are continually selling.
The characters who fascinate him, like Troyce Nix and the satanic Wellstone brothers and Jimmy Dale, and Candace Sweeney? (I am losing their last names: seventy is just down the track): these people are so damaged by life that Burke shows us all the way through into their souls. He knows these people personally, even if they do arise from his astounding creative force. The suspense in this book is remarkable: at the end I really did, almost, think that they were going to go into the Wellstone's pit. Even though I knew that the good guys must reappear. The only thing that was a clang for me in the entire book was the idea that Clete and Alicia Rosenkrantz (again, I am losing the names) would get together. The two seem so galactically distant from each other that their coming together, so to speak, defies common sense. But, hey, at this point Mr. Burke can do any damn thing he wants to do. So, I salute and respect him. He is now eighty-one years old, and I hope he keeps writing for another decade. My hat is off.

Swan Peak

i have listen to all the Dave by this author. This one is my favorite so far. I did miss Helen and all the deatils of Louisana. The describtions he gives of the areas always make me feel like Im seeing it for myself. Would defiently recommend.

Outstanding Audiobook

An audiobook is a combination of literature and performance. As we all know, even an excellent book can be ruined by a poor narration. But in the best audiobooks, the underlying source material is excellent and the narrator takes that material and wrings every ounce from it. These James Lee Burke novels read by Will Patton are simply outstanding. Patton does different voices for the different characters and the voices capture the tone of the characters perfectly. The rich, descriptive & lyrical prose of Burke just blends perfectly with Patton's subtle and excellent narration. These are entertaining books written by a thoughtful, sophisticated guy - they take the genre crime novel up a notch. These are violent books for a mature audience - Burke doesn't shy away from the dark realities of his subject matter - but if you want a good, entertaining download, I'd start with Neon Rain and then work through this series.

The reviews are correct; truly outstanding

This was my first Robicheaux and second JLB. The Burke-Patton pairing is a true art form. I don't like to read series, but have gone pretty far with Jack Reacher. This is better than Reacher. The story begins with an outlandish storyline - Dave and Clete caught fishing and accidentally trespassing on the property of the family around which the story revolves, a family that just happens to connect to Clete's sordid past, but most of it is credible after that. More, it is intelligent, literate, heart-racing, twisting and turning, and multi-dimensional. At least multi-dimensional for those that aren't utterly evil.

Here is my question for those listening to this great story. Don't you agree that one of the very best parts, a part that captures some of the best of the JLB style, is at the end of the book, the little paragraph or two when three people go into the woods and only two come out? Don't worry - that's not a spoiler, and you can't really guess what that is about till you get there. But, as Clete or Dave would put it, that little event "puts a net around the whole thing" if talking about the JLB style.

Enjoy. A great book and a fabulous listen.

Totally Hooked

The characters are brought to life through the most amazing narration ever!!! My family and I are totally hooked on Dave Robicheaux!!

AWESOME

I loved this book. The narrator was so melodic and the descriptive prose so beautiful it was like listening to poetry. But of course it was a hard hitting, exciting thriller with flawed heroes and really scary bad guys! I know it sounds like the two don't go together but that is what makes James Lee Burke such a great writer. I didn't think it could get any better than The Tin Roof Blowdown but this is just as good! I hope Mr Burke has more in store for these great characters!