Crusader's Cross

A Dave Robicheaux Novel

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Will Patton

Critically acclaimed and best-selling crime writer James Lee Burke returns to Louisiana where his ever-popular hero, Dave Robicheaux, sleuths his way through a hotbed of sin and uncertainty.

For Dave Robicheaux, life in Louisiana is filled with haunting memories of the past. In Crusader's Cross, a deathbed confession from an old schoolmate resurrects a story of injustice, the murder of a young woman, and a time in Robicheaux's life he has tried to forget.

Her name may or may not have been Ida Durbin. It was back in the innocent days of the 1950s when Robicheaux and his brother, Jimmie, met her on a Galveston beach. She was pretty, and Jimmie fell for her hard, not knowing she was a prostitute on infamous Post Office Street, with ties to the mob. Then Ida was abducted and never seen again.

Now, decades later, Robicheaux is asking questions about Ida Durbin, and a couple of redneck deputy sheriffs make it clear that asking questions is a dangerous game. With a series of horrifying murders and the sudden appearance of Valentine Chalons and his sister, Robicheaux is soon involved with the murderous energies of the New Orleans underworld.

©2005 James Lee Burke (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division.

Another delicious book from JLB

While listening to this book, I wanted to go to Cafe Du Monde and eat too many beignet. I heard jazz in the quarter and inhaled the scent and felt the sounds of the Atchafallya Basin. And along with me are Dave and Clete, my favorite imperfect good guys. I thought the inclusion of Alafair and her relationship to the antagonists made this story particularly interesting and suspense filled. And with each new book, I have come to love Clete more and more, with his warts and maybe because of. I didn't want this story to end.

Wonderful!

I just finished Crusader's Cross and I can't say enough about it. This was a thoroughly enjoyable listen. James Lee Burke's writing and the expert narration by Will Patton make you feel like you're in the Louisiana Bayou along side Dave Robicheaux. I'm adding this to my very short "listen to again" list.

Crusader's Cross

James Lee Burke does it again. This is not the narrator who usually does his books, and it took some getting used to.

Excellent story with an excellent narrator

Every book I have listened to or read by JAMES Lee Burke are well written and have a interesting and a well developed story to tell. The key to his audio books is the ability of the narrator to pu the subtleties of the Louisiana dialect. Will Patten is the best so far. Thank you for the experience

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Different, but....

enjoyed it as much as earlier books, in some ways more, hard to get used to a different narrator though: nothing against Will!

awesome

loved the voice of will patten, he can really give life & understanding to a book.
also loved the descriptions of the local.
book so good someday i'll listen to it again!!

Excellent Listen

Dave and Clete come alive with Will Patton narrating this story. Fascinating to listen.

SAME OLE', SAME OLE'

I realize that some may find my review offensive but this is just my humble opinion. It seems that every Dave Robicheaux Novel is the same. Dave gets hired back by Dept, Dave gets married, Dave goes on bender, Dave loses his temper, Dave feels bad, Dave solves murder at very end. This is all very entertaining sometimes but it gets redundant.
Will Patton does a wonderful job as always. I suppose I could go on but enough said. Thanks

Chaptering Failed To Work

Book was great but made difficult by the failure of the audible app or recording, I dont know which.

The best in the series in some ways

This is a good series, there are a lot of books in it so I do not write a review of them all, but on this occasion I have to point out that this is a stand out. The story is beautifully developed, the ending brought to an exciting conclusion and the language and description of events fabulous. I do have to add a bit to the narrator controversy, although I find Patton adequate, he butchers Cletus Purcell's voice, - but it does not take the audio out of the first rate category - it is just that he is not as good as the other prominent narrator for that character. There are times in this story when you have to find a way to keep the audio rolling, it is just so well written and compelling that there are simply not good places to pause. The villein is extremely well built and seems to have the upper hand although you are not sure who his surrounding cast is, there are great moments of suspense and surprise twists in the story.
Highly recommended