Swan Peak

A Dave Robicheaux Novel

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Will Patton

2009 Audie Award Finalist for Mystery

Beloved Louisiana lawman Dave Robicheaux returns—this time, traveling from New Iberia Parish to the wilds of Montana.

Dave Robicheaux, his wife, and his buddy Clete Purcell have retreated to 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.

Deftly weaving intricate, engaging plotlines and original, compelling characters with his graceful prose, Burke transcends genre yet again.©2008 James Lee Burke; (P)2008 Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Murder and Mayhem Out West

Dave and Molly and their friend Clete are visiting their friend Albert Hollister when two college students are brutally murdered in an area above Hollister's ranch. Another couple is murdered at a nearby truck stop. Meanwhile, the wealthy owners of a neighboring ranch have taken a malevolent interest in Clete. The wife of one of these men has taken a "different" interest in Clete, and problems begin to escalate.

The number of ne'er-do-wells and evil folks keeps growing as an escaped convict and musician finds work at Hollister's place. Why here? Well, he just happens to be the former lover of the wife of one of those wealthy men. Trailing this escapee is the prison guard who brutally abused his prisoner, was stabbed by him, and now is seeking revenge.

But the wealthy oilmen/ranchers have secrets - who are they really? The FBI is in town and seems to have suspicions about them as well as about Clete. Are they here to see if Clete arranged the plane crash of mobster Sally Dio? Or is Dio still alive?

The events and characters get very confusing. The evil and ugliness is through the roof. Will the Bobbsy Twins from homicide live to return to New Orleans, or is this the end of an era?

It gets pretty crazy trying to keep up with everything that goes on here, and the brutality is uncomfortable, but this is a great book. As always, Will Patton IS Dave Robicheaux, and the best voice for this series.

Swan Peak, James Lee Burke

Listening to this audio of James Lee Burke's Swan Peak allowed me to appreciate his wonderful, descriptive, action-filled writing immensely. Burke is one of my favorite authors. Listening to a talented reader present Burke's work is, in some ways, the best way to appreciate it fully. When reading a Burke novel, I often find that the excitement generated by the plot causes me to race through, neglecting to savor fully the richness of his prose and the power of his observations about life, human nature, and politics. Listening to an audio book presentation requires me to give this writer the attention he is due. This is one of the best audio books to which I have had the pleasure of listening. I reccommend it highly!

Two masters at their best!!

James Lee Burke and Will Patton are by far the finest pairing of author and narrator that I have every listened to. Burke's writing gets better with each book. In Swan Peak he continued to keep Dave and Clet their usual "hell raising" selves, while also introducing new and complex characters. This book was just as great as Pegasus Descending and The Tin Roof Blow Down, my favorite JLB works. Patton is so perfectly suited to read the Robicueax novels that it was truly difficult for me to listen to any of the older books in the series because they were performed by a different narrator. I wish that he could start at the beginning and reread every title in the series.

Way too descriptive.

Story line is interesting but too much time spent describing a characters surroundings. How many plants can be listed every time the characters visited a new location, it felt like a biology class in local fauna. It also felt like the author was using the "word-of-the week" at times. Both just seemed to get in the way of the story. If I'd been reading instead of listening I would have skipped some of the more mundane prose. It's too bad you can't speed read an audio book, they are too expensive to trash. I'm not sure I'll try another one of Burke's books.

Swan Peak (Unabridged

James Lee Burke has done it again. You can't help but root for Clete and hope he finds happiness at some point. The characters seem so real, the violence all too real and the writing beautiful. Burke is a master storyteller.