.com Dave Robicheaux, the Louisiana cop who's easily one of the most complex and compelling protagonists in mystery fiction, confronts his own demons as well as a brutal adversary who might be the devil himself in this dark thriller. This is classic James Lee Burke, the master stylist, writing at the top of his game: "I wanted to drive deep into the Atchafalaya Swamp, past the confines of reason, into the past... on the tree-flooded alluvial rim of the world, where the tides and the course of the sun were the only measures of time (and) all you had to do was release yourself from the prison of restraint, just snip loose the stitches that sewed your skin to the hairshirt of normalcy." The plot hinges on a pair of murders that don't seem to be connected--a mobbed-up prostitute and a pretty young teenage girl--and the Cajun blues singer accused of both crimes. Robicheaux believes that Tee Bobby Hulin, the gifted musician whose original composition provides the title for this brilliantly realized Gothic crime novel, is innocent. Proving it puts him in the sights of a vicious old overseer named Legion, whose almost supernatural powers nearly drown Robicheaux in the swamp of his own addictions. The narrative proceeds slowly, but Burke's dedicated fans won't begrudge him one beautifully turned phrase, gloriously limned description, or insightful characterization: they just don't get any better than this one. --Jane AdamsFrom Publishers WeeklyTo read a Burke novel is to enter a timeless, parallel universe of violent emotions and lush, brooding landscapes, where class and racial distinctions and family histories mold society. This is the stunningly talented Burke's 21st book and his best until the next one. Dave Robicheaux, the psychologically scarred detective for the New Iberia, La., sheriff's department, investigates two brutal murders, one of a nave teenage girl, the other of a feckless drug-addled prostitute. The author provides a dense, richly imagined background for his characters, especially the sinister ones: malevolent Legion Guidry, a nightmarish figure from Robicheaux's boyhood; a power-hungry tavern owner; an arrogant lawyer; a combative female PI; the prostitute's Mafioso father; and Marvin Oates, an enigmatic Bible salesman who floats ominously through the narrative. Robicheaux doesn't believe the obvious suspect Tee Bobby Hulin, a drug-addicted musical genius is the murderer. Aided and disrupted by his obstreperous pal, Clete Purcel, Robicheaux runs into the usual trouble. Legion gives Robicheaux such a ferocious beating that he reverts to drinking and addictive painkillers. Though the search for the murderer moves the story, the novel is really an examination of the savage relationships of the characters and the palpable presence of the past. Burke offers a vivid social history of an inbred, corrupt place. As Clete so aptly tells his friend, "This is Louisiana, Dave. Guatemala North. Quit pretending it's the United States." Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From Library JournalMore Louisiana fare. Burke brings back Dave Robicheaux, who comes up against various squalid types while defending a sorry loser against an unjust murder charge. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. where can i find free pdf books Jolie Blon's Bounce
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. so-soBy Robert W. SchomackerNot quite up to the other James Lee Burke novels I have read.10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Moody and muddyBy Charlotte Vale-AllenThe plotting of this book is worth three stars; the quality of the writing (when it's on target) is worth four. When Burke's in peak form, he brings a lurid beauty to the inveitable violence and mayhem of the Robicheaux books. This book requires such an enormous suspension of disbelief that the reader would have to levitate to achieve it. There are several primary characters who suddenly speak in altered voices, who seem to be of another plane--possibly of the supernatural. One character like that (the odious Legion who is at the heart of Jolie Blon's Bounce) might fly; but several ... No. It doesn't work. What starts out as a compelling case of two murdered young women deteriorates into swampy soul-searching that becomes tiresome, as do a couple of overly graphic sexual scenes that are clearly intended to be cathartic for Robicheaux but are merely mechanical exercises of who is putting what where that might validate poor Dave's threatened manhood (after he's beaten to a pulp and kissed by old man Legion) but are not in the least uplifting for the reader.While the narrative has a compelling drive, the plot is spread so thin, over so many characters that, in the end, it fails to satisfy. Dave's old sidekick Clete is, as always, in trouble of some sort or another--this time, it's women and it gets old fast. Some of the secondary characters are well-drawn but the book creaks; it doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. And that is a pity. There are, however, some exquisite examples of what Burke can do with language--the most notable being his description of hearing Tee Bobby Hulin perform his composition "Jolie Blon's Bounce." Rarely has anyone written about music with such a comprehensive and insightful feel for its effect.The reader is expected to accept a lot of inexplicable behavior, too many satanic-type characters, and no actual resolution. The book ends on a philosophical note that doesn't ring true, given what the author has attempted to structure.Not his best work.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Sharon SI really liked this book. Loved the detailed writing and descriptions