The Tin Roof Blowdown

A Dave Robicheaux Novel

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the 2008 Audie Award for Mystery

Dave Robicheaux returns in another Bayou adventure, this one more gruesome and gut-wrenching than any that have come before. Hurricane Katrina has ravaged New Orleans, leaving the streets and buildings flooded and the city awash with opportunists, looters, and vicious criminals. There is no order, no law. Police are shooting randomly at innocent people, prison guards have abandoned their posts, bodies float through the streets and hang from trees, and every drug dealer, murderer, and rapist is out taking advantage of the desperate lawlessness that holds the city captive.

In the midst of it all is Robicheaux, doing his best to help regulate the post-Katrina madness, all the while on a dogged search for a pair of dangerous fugitives, a dope-addicted, fallen priest, and a vigilante insurance salesman who takes his family's protection too far. This promises to be the most taxing and emotional case Robicheaux has had to work.

In his singular style, which defies genre, James Lee Burke has created a haunting picture of life in New Orleans after Katrina. Filled with complex characters and vivid descriptions of the destruction and death that gripped the Big Easy, The Tin Roof Blowdown is an action-packed crime thriller as well as a poignant story of what disaster and desperation can do to people.

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

©2007 James Lee Burke. All rights reserved (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Mystery, 2008

"Meticulously textured....dense, rich prose that draws the reader into a web of greed and violence." (Publishers Weekly)

Thoroughly Enjoyed

This was my 2nd James Lee Burke Novel and I am now on my 4th one. I like this one, however two out of the other three were almost as good. What I liked about this book was the authors editorial on New Orleans and Louisiana as the background or rather the primer to the story surrounding Katrina and life in Louisiana following that storm. While the author did not pull any punches concerning the nations response he was equally fair in his assessment of the local preparedness and reaction to the devastation. The story's pace was captivating and I have enjoyed "Glass" and "Swan" almost as much as this selection and after 40 audible selections Will Patton definitely stands out as one of the very best narrators.

Another hit for Burke

Where does The Tin Roof Blowdown rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

probably in the top 20. I do like sci-fi but Burke mixes that Cajun ambience with hard core reality that really paints the southern experience to a tee. I love the descriptions the most, you feel the bayou reaching out from the pages to grab you and pull you in.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dave as usual. Love the cadence the narrator gives to him and the force Dave exudes.

What about Will Patton’s performance did you like?

EVERYTHING. I don't think there is another narrator out there that could do these characters justice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, absolutely I sat in my driveway not wanting to turn it off.

Any additional comments?

If anyone who loves the southern experience has not read these novels, they need to dive in from book 1.

amazing

I cannot forget this book, and its brilliant narration. It's amazing -- and the descriptions that some reviews have complained about are so touching that the slow pace becomes one of the most wonderful things about the book. Better timing in general would be very hard to find.

Bravo.

An OK book. Some scenes do not depict reality

Will Paton is an extraordinary narrator. Hard to believe characters could move within N.O. so easily. Food places were not available for a long time after Katrina.

A great book, as usual

I downloaded this as soon as it came out and it is great like all of his Dave Robicheaux books. Will Hutton is a superb reader and really captures the Southern voice with all of the subtleties of Dave's character -- and Clete Purcell is always entertaining.
I have never been disappointed by a Burke book and this is no exception.

So real

I experienced Katrina firsthand, living on the north shore of Louisiana's Lake Maurepas which is just above New Orleans. James Lee Burke's descriptions of what happens both during and after Hurricane Katrina is so real, it was like having a flashback. Detective Dave Robicheaux, with the New Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office, and his sidekick, P.I. Clete Purcell, take us on a scary ride to New Orleans, tracking criminals and solving mysteries, during a time of darkness and chaos. We experience the drama of the fear and the courage it took to survive all of it. Burke also makes us aware that it took the efforts of many law enforcement agencies, medical personnel, and emergency power and clean-up crews to restore order to south Louisiana.

Not great, not bad

I downloaded this because it was listed as one of the best books and had so many positive reviews here...I wasn't entirely let down, but I also wasn't as thrilled as others. The narration was good and the characters voices seem to fit them well. Overall, just not a great, "must read" in my opinion. Something that passed the time well enough to deserve some praise, but not enough for anymore stars.

Trashy fun a guilty pleasure

This is not high art, but hard to put down.

Tin Roof Blowdown

Another wonderful book! I loved it. It really helps understand the destruction and desolation Katrina left in its wake for the city of New Orleans and it's people.

Essential Audible for me

Well written, well narrated. The book exposed me to the truths of Katrina that were previously unknown to me. Get it.