The Glass Rainbow

A Dave Robicheaux Novel

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

James Lee Burke’s eagerly awaited new novel finds Detective Dave Robicheaux back in New Iberia, Louisiana, and embroiled in the most harrowing and dangerous case of his career. Seven young women in neighboring Jefferson Davis Parish have been brutally murdered. While the crimes have all the telltale signs of a serial killer, the death of Bernadette Latiolais, a high-school honor student, doesn’t fit: she is not the kind of hapless and marginalized victim psychopaths usually prey upon. Robicheaux and his best friend, Clete Purcel, confront Herman Stanga, a notorious pimp and crack dealer whom both men despise. When Stanga turns up dead shortly after a fierce beating by Purcel, in front of numerous witnesses, the case takes a nasty turn, and Clete’s career and life are hanging by threads over the abyss.

Adding to Robicheaux’s troubles is the matter of his daughter, Alafair, on leave from Stanford Law to put the finishing touches on her novel. Her literary pursuit has led her into the arms of Kermit Abelard, celebrated novelist and scion of a once prominent Louisiana family whose fortunes are slowly sinking into the corruption of Louisiana’s subculture. Abelard’s association with best-selling ex-convict author Robert Weingart, a man who uses and discards people like Kleenex, causes Robicheaux to fear that Alafair might be destroyed by the man she loves. As his daughter seems to drift away from him, he wonders if he has become a victim of his own paranoia. But as usual, Robicheaux’s instincts are proven correct and he finds himself dealing with a level of evil that is greater than any enemy he has confronted in the past.

Set against the backdrop of an Edenic paradise threatened by pernicious forces, James Lee Burke’s The Glass Rainbow is already being hailed as perhaps the best novel in the Robicheaux series.

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

©2010 James Lee Burke (P)2010 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"MWA Grand Master Burke offers everything his readers expect - brilliant prose, prosaic situations that suddenly become mystic experiences, and a complex plot that repeatedly plumbs the depths of human depravity and the heights of nobility - in his superlative 18th novel featuring Iberia, La., deputy sheriff Dave Robicheaux." ( Publishers Weekly)

"[S]uperb suspense leading to a gripping, set-piece finale that is a masterpiece of texture and mood, with the high-energy climax in the foreground both contrasted against and supported by the intensely lyrical, heavily melancholic prose that swells and recedes underneath the action. Not to be missed by any follower of the landmark series." ( Booklist)

Another story in literary paradise

Mr Burke is unable to write a bad or mediocre story. Once again I was immersed in the Atchafalaya for hours, absorbing every word from Mr Butke's mind and narrated so perfectly as Mr Patton. You add joy and meaning to my life.

Master of the metaphor

James Lee Burke is one of the finest writers on the American scene. And his series on Dave Robicheaux are the very best. We listened to this on a 900 mile road trip, and the story kept us alert and added to the safety of the trip. His descriptions and metaphors are a joy to hear when read by Will Patton. Hopefully, we'll hear (read) more about Dave and Clete in the future- they are my favorite fictional characters. No narrater can come close to Will Patton's delivery- simply enthralling. This must rank as the best Burke book- he just gets better with each novel!

Great literature disguised as Crime genre

If this isn't the absolute best Dave Robicheaux novel, it is at least as good as any. I only make this caveat because every Robicheaux novel I read I think is the best one, until I read the next - so I may not be objective here. Not only is this an absolutely where-did-the-time-go page turner, it is great writing - thought provoking, delicious, and poetic. Mr. Burke is a philosopher of the bayou, a master of the Mississippi, the inspiration of Iberia Parish. All my friends are in this one too: Molly, Clete, Alafair, Helen, and Tripod.

I could barely wait for my credit to show up to buy the sequel - OMG there is a sequel to this, it isn't over! I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I saw there is a sequel.

The Glass Rainbow

This is one of Burkes best Robicheaux books. It keeps you on the edge of your seat right to the very end, and this is one I could not guess the ending. I am looking forward to the next installment of Dave.

Got to luv em!

You absolutely know what you are going to get with the Dave and Clete show -- the bad guys lose, the good guys win (not without a lot of blood and guts), a cold hard look at the underbelly of society, and an absolutely magical, poetic picture of bayou Louisiana. You can smell, feel and even taste the sights and sounds of this mystical place with all its haunting beauty. And Will Patton, well no one else could do justice to the brooding, complex character of Dave like he can. Yes, it was slightly predictable...but hey, that's why we love him. Don't give up on Dave and Clete ...in a literary world that is becoming increasingly commercialized, and novellsts offering up cookie cutter characters and flimsy plots, Burke never fails to deliver a profoundly well-written piece of work. One point -- do agree that Alafar is by far a bore as a character...totally unbelievable....with no real depth.

Good, but starts off slow

It took awhile to get into this one, but then the story took off and it was pretty good. There were very elaborate descriptions of details that didn't seem completely relevant to the story in the beginning and this was distracting for the first couple of chapters.Once the meat of the plot started to develop, the story became much more compelling and I was hooked!

James Lee Burke is outstanding

James Lee Burke is one of the best writers that I have ever read. Incredible vocabulary!

Maybe the best

I LOVE Burke read by Patton - and this one had to be at the top - pure poetry in crime drama, both in words and voice!!!

Unbeatable

Driving along the interstate while listening to the last few hours of "The Glass Rainbow," I never saw my exit. This book is one of the best combinations of writing and sound I've purchased from audible.com.

James Lee Burke's writing is phenomenal, a combination of gripping action and psychological introspection. Burke's language has the brilliance of the lightning in the stormy Louisiana nights and the smell of the bayou. The plot is complex, unpredictable and compelling. His character—protagonists and antagonists alike—are rich, tragically flawed, and believably human. It's my first of the Robicheaux series, but it won't be the last.

Will Patton's reading of the book was masterful. Many books are ruined with the wrong narrator. With Patton's unerring feel for language and the culture of southern Louisiana, I could feel the humidity from the Gulf of Mexico pour into my car even with the air conditioning on full blast.

No wonder I missed my exit.

A little long

I usually really enjoy Burke's novels with Robicheaux in them but this one just seemed to go on and on and on and on. Did I mention that it was too long? I was listening on my iPhone and finally set the speed to 1.5x and then 2x to get through it.