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.

Such a great writer.

James Lee Burke writes so well you can ignore some of the weaknesses of his stories, and this story's few weaknesses are made up for by the emotional payoffs and the human insights he offers. I like WIll Patton's reading, but think some reviewers go overboard in its praise. It's well read, and Patton appreciates Burke's prose, but he gets melodramatic at times, or tries too hard to illustrate with his voice the majesty of Burke's writings. I also hate the way he reads Clete Purcell--my family is from the Irish Channel, and Patton's reading of Clete doesn't sound like anything I can place there. It sounds like farce more than a serious attempt at the character. But it works okay, and Patton makes up for it with Robicheaux's voice--the accent is wrong, but the tone and attitude are so perfect I'd love to see Patton play him in a movie. He's a good reader, it's just not the perfection some people claim.

The story is the usual high quality Burke is known for. The characters are interesting, dark, troubled, brutal, yet still oddly sympathetic. Burke has gotten better at creating complex characters with realistic actions, and he's gotten better at creating scenes and creating realistic, detailed sequences, and this book benefits from all that. And he has always had a smart insight into the psychological makeup of people, from the sociopaths to the cowards to the heroes. This book is Burke at the top of his form.

It also contains the worst elements of Burke. Purcell's latest romance is just flat unbelievable in any possible way. Sex scenes are terrible. Burke's dialogue uses too many stock phrases, and he puts them in the mouths of people where they sound unnatural. And some of his insights and musings are becoming stock, too. None of those are fatal, though.

Great novel, even if you don't know the series. Great place to jump into Burke's world if you aren't in it already.

Southeast Louisiana Detective finds evil in the

I love the character of Dave Robicheaux - Dark, masculine, sensitive and filled with character flaws and demons. Clint Purcell is my hero! Burke's prose is candy for the ears.

Wonderful ~

Burke at his best - wonderful ~

Best narration of best story teller ever

There's nothing like this series. James Lee Burke is one of the most unique writers I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

His ability to describe scenes and make situations seem real is fantastic. You can smell the scenes. You can feel the scenes.

In addition, the narration is incredible. Frequently, I select Will Patton narrated books because his ability to read a story is consistent and accurate to the intent.

Great read.

Well-crafted story, fantastic narration

Burke's writing, as always, is brilliant; Will Patton's narration breathes such life into every character!

Wonderful

Just what I needed in these dark times – the good guys win and the bad guys get locked away.

And Will Patton, the narrator, is the best there is.

Dynamic Duo

The dynamic duo is James Lee Burke and Will Patton. I have not seen an author and narrator so suited to each other. Any Burke novel with Patton narrating is a five star work. I wish all his other novels could be reread by Patton. I am sure they would get raves too. This latest book takes place not in New Orleans but in the big sky country. It does not matter though, because Robacheux, I cant spell that, is the same tough cop. I want more.

Can read this one out of order

I have listened to most of this series, and this is easily one you can read out of sequence. While the other novels take place in Louisiana, this is set in Montana. All the characters are the same, but the different setting makes it a novel that can stand by itself. Like most of the books you are sure that Dave and Clete will meet their end, but they manage to escape at the last moment again. The cast of evil characters is good, but other than one slight hint the most evil character almost appears out of nowhere at the end. I could say more that would give away the ending. As usual, the book is extremely violent, with the actions od Clete and Dave being not much better than the criminals. You always have to wonder how they escape being sent to jail themselves.

One of the best aspects of this series is the narration by Will Patton. He switches between voices effortlessly, and the voices are consistent among the books.

Swan Peak (Unabridged)

Outstanding descriptive narrative. The reader is perfect for all the characters. I highly recommend this book and any others written by Burke.

another masterpiece

another masterpiece by James Lee Burke and expertly read by Will Patton all of these books in the dairy robicheaux series are must-reads in my opinion