Synopses & Reviews
Languishing in a recovery unit on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, Dave Robicheaux is fighting an enemy more insidious than the one who put a bullet in his back a month earlier in a shootout on Bayou Teche. The morphine meant to dull his pain is steadily gnawing away at his resolve, playing tricks on his mind, and luring him back into the addict mentality that once threatened to destroy his life and family. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;With the soporific Indian summer air wafting through the louvered shutters of his hospital room, and the demons fighting for space in his head, Dave canand#8217;t be sure whether his latest visitor is flesh and blood or a spectral reminder of his Louisiana youth. Tee Jolie Melton, a young woman with a troubled past, glides to his bedside and leaves him with an iPod that plays the old country blues song and#8220;My Creole Belle.and#8221; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;What Dave doesnand#8217;t know is that Tee Jolie disappeared weeks ago, and no one believes she reappeared to comfort an old man with a bullet wound. Dave becomes obsessed with the song and the vivid memory of Tee Jolie, and when he learns that her sister has turned up dead inside a block of ice floating in the Gulf, he believes that putting the evils of the past to rest is more urgent than ever before. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Meanwhile, an oil spill in the Gulf brings back intense feelings for Dave of losing his father to a rig explosion years ago. As the oil companies continue to risk human lives in pursuit of wealth and power, Dave begins to see links to the Melton sisters, even when no one else shares his suspicions. Daveand#8217;s expartner Clete Purcel helps him search for Tee Jolie, though Clete fears for his friendand#8217;s mental health and safety. But Clete has his own troubles, too; heand#8217;s discovered an illegitimate daughter who may be working as a contract killerand#8212;and may have set her sights on someone he loves. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Creole Belle andlt;/Iandgt;is a resurrection story for the ages, with James Lee Burke at the peak of his masterful career and Dave Robicheaux facing his most intense and personal battle yet, against the known and unknown forces that corrupt and destroy even the best of men.
Review
and#8220;This tale plays out much like andlt;iandgt;The Glass Rainbowand#8212;andlt;/iandgt;intimations of mortality; melancholic musing on the pillaging of once-Edenic South Louisiana; cathartic, guns-blazing climaxand#8212;but, as always, Burke brings something new to the table . . . Dave and Clete may still be unbowed, but they are certainly brokenand#8212;and all the more interesting for it.and#8221;andlt;bandgt;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;Booklistandlt;/iandgt; (starred review)andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Another stunner from a modern master."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
and#8220;Burke is the reigning champ of nostalgia noir. . . . To be sure, the destruction of a pristine natural environment is a thematic staple of the regional crime novel, but nobody can touch Burke in the lyrical expression of howling grief. . . . [andlt;iandgt;Creole Belleandlt;/iandgt; is] a novel that shows how the sins of the fathers poison the ground their children walk on.and#8221;and#8212;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;The New York Times Book Reviewandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Gripping."--People Magazine
Review
and#8220;I think [James Lee] Burke is the best fiction writer in the country.and#8221;andlt;bandgt;and#8212;Bill Oand#8217;Reillyandlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;Burke weaves a rich example of his trademark bayou noir. Filled with cruelty and valor, greed and sacrifice, and surprises of the worst and best kind, andlt;iandgt;Creole Belleandlt;/iandgt; is a dark but irresistible cruise.and#8221;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;andlt;bandgt;Tampa Bay Timesandlt;/bandgt;andlt;/iandgt;
Review
and#8220;Reading James Lee Burke is a religious experience. and#8230;andlt;iandgt;Creole Belleandlt;/iandgt; may be one of Burke's best; it is certainly one of his most complex. . . . Intense doesn't begin to describe a Burke story . . . Biblical . . . now that about does it.and#8221;and#8212;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;San Antonio Expressandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;The plot is fast-moving and thriller-tough, the bodies mount quickly, and the writing is lyrical and evocative . . . as laced with complications as the canals crosscutting Robicheaux's beloved, threatened wetlands.and#8221;and#8212;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;New Orleans Times-Picayuneandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;All the characters . . . are superbly drawn, and the plot is heart-pounding . . . sure to be embraced by author James Lee Burke's fans.and#8221;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;andlt;bandgt;The Washington Postandlt;/bandgt;andlt;/iandgt;
Review
and#8220;As a crime novel, andlt;Iandgt;Creole Belle andlt;/Iandgt;delivers everything fans of the genre crave, and more: a masterful tale of good, evil, organized crime and the corporate-led destruction of the once-idyllic land of the Gulf Coast.andlt;Bandgt; andlt;/Bandgt;Burke muses along at a steady pace, never hurrying, never stalling. He uses the modern crime novel the way a master chef uses local, organic foods to create a gastronomic feastand#8212;in this case, a classical tragedy with all the fixinand#8217;s.and#8221;and#8212;andlt;b andgt;ShelfAwareness.comandlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Like its 18 predecessors in Burke's series, Creole Belle is a work of dark and radiant brilliance."--Richmond Times-Dispatch
Review
and#8220;[andlt;iandgt;Creole Belleandlt;/iandgt;] is a wild ride of a novel, but the true joys of Burkeand#8217;s novels are the exquisitely fine writing and his characterand#8217;s familiarity with great thinkers and theologians. . . . It is fair to say that Burke truly stands with Chandler and Hammett in the pantheon of great American crime fiction novelists.and#8221;and#8212;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;Asbury Park Pressandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;Burke, 75, creates lyrical mysteries with what can only be described as deceptive ease. Whether itand#8217;s Robicheaux, stand-alone novels, or separate series starring andlt;a shape="rect" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Texas" target="_self" shape="rect"andgt;Texasandlt;/aandgt; cousins Billy Bob and Hackberry Holland, the themes remain constant. Every novel Burke writes delves into moral ambiguity, the menaces of greed and violence, the degradation of people and land, the juxtaposition of natural beauty and man-made horror and, finally, the sublime joy of human love and loyalty.and#8221;andlt;bandgt;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;The Christian Science Monitorandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;Burke never goes wrong with his exquisite gift for taking us into the heart of Louisiana, its wetlands, small towns, the glory of old New Orleans and, as always, its checkered history. Combined with some of the finest characters ever to grace a page, that makes any Robicheaux novel a joy to read.and#8221;
Review
"If all novelists were as thoughtful and nuanced as James Lee Burke, we could finally put to rest those groundless prejudices against genre fiction . . . the [Dave Robicheaux] books are works of dark art. At their unflinching best, they examine the cost of violence, even when it's performed in the name of justice, and the haunted worlds inhabited by those resigned to limping through life with a blood-soaked conscience."
Review
and#8220;Great news for readers who feared that Burke had left Iberia Parish Sheriffand#8217;s Deputy Dave Robicheaux dying at the end of andlt;iandgt;The Glass Rainbowandlt;/iandgt; (2010); Dave and his old friend Clete Purcel are back for an even more heaven-storming round of homicide, New Orleansand#8211;style. . . . A darkly magnificent treat for Daveand#8217;s legion of admirers.and#8221;andlt;bandgt;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;Kirkus Reviewsandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;One of the masters, James Lee Burke, has a new Dave Robicheaux novel just out, andlt;iandgt;Creole Belleandlt;/iandgt;. Elmore Leonard famously advises all writers to never write about and#8216;boring stuffand#8217; like the weather, but Burkeand#8217;s catalog is a direct contradiction to that advice. He writes about Louisiana and the Gulf with such sensual detail about sights, smells, and yesand#8212;the weatherand#8212;that you can skip paying Delta for that flight to the Big Easy.and#8221;andlt;bandgt;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;Detroit Newsandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;/iandgt;
Review
and#8220;Fortunately for us, we can luxuriate in the 500-plus pages of Burkeand#8217;s sinuous tale before we can decipher this complex puzzle.and#8221;andlt;bandgt;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;Dayton Daily Newsandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Burke's fascinatingly conflicted Cajun anti-hero Dave Robicheaux returns."--Dallas Morning News
Review
"Burke has a knack for giving the reader atmosphere through descriptions of architecture, the sights and sounds of overheated New Orleans and southern Louisiana's quirky folks."
Review
and#8220;When something terrible happens in Louisiana, the only consolation might be that James Lee Burke is inspired to write another Dave Robicheaux novel about it.and#8221;and#8212;andlt;b andgt;andlt;i andgt;Houston Chronicleandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Gripping."--andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;Peopleandlt;/iandgt; Magazineandlt;/bandgt;andlt;/divandgt;
Review
and#8220;Like its 18 predecessors in Burkeand#8217;s series, andlt;iandgt;Creole Belleandlt;/iandgt; is a work of dark and radiant brilliance.and#8221;andlt;bandgt;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;Richmond Times-Dispatchandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;iandgt;andlt;/iandgt;
Review
and#8220;Another stunner from a modern master.and#8221;andlt;bandgt;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/iandgt; (starred review)andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;Gripping.and#8221;and#8212;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;Peopleandlt;/iandgt; Magazineandlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;Burkeand#8217;s fascinatingly conflicted Cajun anti-hero Dave Robicheaux returns.and#8221;andlt;bandgt;and#8212;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;Dallas Morning Newsandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Synopsis
"America's best novelist" James Lee Burke returns with another New York Times bestselling entry in the Dave Robicheaux thriller series (The Denver Post).
Set against the events of the Gulf Coast oil spill, rife with "the menaces of greed and violence and man-made horror" (The Christian Science Monitor), Creole Belle finds Dave Robicheaux languishing in a New Orleans recovery unit since surviving a bayou shoot-out. The detective's body is healing; it's his morphine-addled mind that conjures spectral visions of Tee Jolie Melton, a young woman who in reality has gone missing. An iPod with an old blues song left by his bedside turns Robicheaux into a man obsessed...And as oil companies assign blame after an epic disaster threatens the Gulf's very existence, Robicheaux unearths connections between tragedies both global and personal--and faces down forces that can corrupt and destroy the best of men.
Synopsis
Dave Robicheaux is back, in a gorgeously written, visceral thriller by James Lee Burke, “the heavy weight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed” (Michael Connelly).Creole Belle begins where the last book in the Dave Robicheaux series, The Glass Rainbow, ended. Dave is in a recovery unit in New Orleans, where a Creole girl named Tee Jolie Melton visits him and leaves him an iPod with the country blues song “Creole Belle” on it. Then she disappears. Dave becomes obsessed with the song and the memory of Tee Jolie and goes in search of her sister, who later turns up inside a block of ice floating in the Gulf. Meanwhile, there has been an oil well blowout on the Gulf, threatening the cherished environs of the bayous.
Creole Belle is James Lee Burke at his very best, with beloved series hero Dave Robicheaux leading the charge against the destruction of both the land and the people he has sworn to protect.
Synopsis
and#8220;Americaand#8217;s best novelistand#8221; James Lee Burke returns with another andlt;I andgt;New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; bestselling entry in the Dave Robicheaux thriller series (andlt;I andgt;The Denver Postandlt;/Iandgt;).andlt;brandgt;andlt;brandgt;Set against the events of the Gulf Coast oil spill, rife with and#8220;the menaces of greed and violence and man-made horrorand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;The Christian Science Monitorandlt;/Iandgt;), andlt;Iandgt;Creole Belleandlt;/Iandgt; finds Dave Robicheaux languishing in a New Orleans recovery unit since surviving a bayou shoot-out. The detectiveand#8217;s body is healing; itand#8217;s his morphine-addled mind that conjures spectral visions of Tee Jolie Melton, a young woman who in reality has gone missing. An iPod with an old blues song left by his bedside turns Robicheaux into a man obsessedand#8230;And as oil companies assign blame after an epic disaster threatens the Gulfand#8217;s very existence, Robicheaux unearths connections between tragedies both global and personaland#8212;and faces down forces that can corrupt and destroy the best of men.
About the Author
James Lee Burke, a rare winner of two Edgar Awards, and named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America,andnbsp;is the authorandnbsp;ofandnbsp;more thanandnbsp;thirtyandnbsp;previous novels andandnbsp;two collections of short stories, including such andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; bestsellers as andlt;iandgt;Light of the Worldandlt;/iandgt;,andnbsp;andlt;iandgt;Creole Belleandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Swan Peakandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;The Tin Roof Blowdownandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;Feast Day of Foolsandlt;/iandgt;.andnbsp;He lives in Missoula, Montana.