Creole Belle

A Dave Robicheaux Novel, Book 19

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Will Patton

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.

©2012 James Lee Burke (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

“This tale plays out much like The Glass Rainbow—intimations of mortality; melancholic musing on the pillaging of once-Edenic South Louisiana; cathartic, guns-blazing climax—but, as always, Burke brings something new to the table...Dave and Clete may still be unbowed, but they are certainly broken—and all the more interesting for it.” ( Booklist)

“Another stunner from a modern master.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“Great news for readers who feared that Burke had left Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Dave Robicheaux dying at the end of The Glass Rainbow (2010); Dave and his old friend Clete Purcel are back for an even more heaven-storming round of homicide, New Orleans–style.... A darkly magnificent treat for Dave’s legion of admirers.” ( Kirkus Reviews)

Flowed like honey, Carrying me off to New Orleans

WI/NWI--5 WI means worth it! This book, as a wine taster would say, has a full body. It melts off the reader’s tongue like syrup and the images are so well portrayed that I recognized a song by its description. History rich, full of friends and foes. Great book all around.

Plot--5 The plot stems from deep New Orleans history and the characters themselves. It flows and tumbles and ends naturally.

Characterization --5 The deeply drawn, real, lovable, questionable people stumble through the story like we all do through life. If you know the series, you’ll be glad to spend time with these folks again, and meeting them for the 1st time is completely possible without the rest of the series.

Violence--5 Lots of violence, but it emerges naturally from the story, and fits.

Grossness --2 Not too bad. A dog dies, which is always bad, but its used to set scene and mood. The violence isn't described in a yucky kind of way.

Sex--0 No sex, but a lot of passion.

Supernatural Elements--4 Though not a main part of the story, the ghost paddle boat and the New Orleans dead shadow and affect the entire story. Treated as a fact of life. Really well done.

Crossing the Line--2 (Lower number is better.) To me, crossing the line is the brutal murdering animals (especially dogs), or children. Stephen King is the worst offender. A dog dies here rather horribly, but serves to set the tone and mood. But I could do without the picture I now carry in my head.

Setting--5 The setting flowed from the speakers and carried me back to New Orleans, deep in the south, and made me a native, not a tourist. For these precious hours, I lived among bayous and plantations, Zydeco and alligators. Wouldn’t have missed this vacation for the world.

Prose--5 Like one long poem. Beautifully written, words create a place I call home, because the characters call it home. True literature.

Deeper Message--5 The story is set in the greater set of the BP oil spill, and how it affects all life, and New Orleans.

Performance--5 James Lee Burke is Dave Robicheaux, and reads the other characters well, too. His accent and his tone of voice makes every word important. Wonderful, poignant performance.

another winner

Listening to a James Lee Burke novel with Will Patton narrating and Dave Robicheaux as the lead character is like visiting an old friend. You know you are going to have a great time and Creole Belle didn't disappoint. Patton's narration is great and he really brings the characters to life. The story gives you a good feel of what life in southern Louisiana must be like, although without all the crime and seedy characters maybe, but who knows? Burke is great at character development and I love his insights into human beings and life in general. And, Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell are two characters unlike any others. I'll look forward to the next Burke novel, be it set in Louisiana or Texas. And, when the author decides to hang it up, it'll be a sad day.

Dave Robicheau is as good as ever.

First, to repeat myself for the thousandth time, I’d read almost anything Will Patton recorded, including the telephone book. James Lee Burke’s writing and Will Patton’s narration do not disappoint in this latest Dave Robicheaux book. Dave is in a recovery unit in New Orleans after his injuries from the last book, The Glass Rainbow. He’s been getting morphine and having weird dreams, so when a creole girl he knows shows up in his room and leaves him an Ipod with a blues song, “Creole Belle” recorded on it, no one believes him. Especially since the girl and her sister have both disappeared. But the girl, Tee Jollie Melton, keeps calling him even when he’s at home, still unbelieved, and keeps telling him about a horrible place where she is being held, but not able to tell him where that place is. Then her sister, Blue, turns up dead in the river in a block of ice. This book finds Dave and Clete involved with a group of mercenaries connected to a big oil spill. Clete’s daughter, Gretchen, shows up although she doesn’t know for a while that she’s Clete’s daughter. She and Allafair become friends. Dave is unhappy about the friendship as Gretchen seems to have connections to the mob, while Clete is very protective of his daughter. Again, this is a wonderful book which builds to a teeth-grinding climax. Very good as usual.

James rides again

If you could sum up Creole Belle in three words, what would they be?

Don't miss it

What other book might you compare Creole Belle to and why?

Rain Gods The scene where the bad guys get it are both unique, but similar.

Which scene was your favorite?

Where Clete creates a diversion.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Where Gretchen discovers her relationship to Clete.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait for another Dave Robicheux.

Never fails to deliver

Calling this another murder mystery is like calling the Mona Lisa another painting. Burke immerses you into his narrative and engages all your senses. He shows that good people often are very wounded and tortured souls but still have a very clear knowledge of the right thing to do, legally or not.
This is the first time I haven't rated Burke 5 stars and I think it's because the series may be getting a little long in the tooth, but I still look forward to the next one.
It's a little tough for me to tell just how good this novel is because Patton is truly amazing. He could read the dictionary and I would listen entranced for hours.
All in all, well worth your money.

nail biting

Would you listen to Creole Belle again? Why?

yes and no.... I don't do books more than once. But....if I did this would be one.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dave Robicheaux....He represents the good in people, with the ability to kick butt and take names...

What does Will Patton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His ability and voice are perfect for Louisiana.....

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When I felt the bobsy twins were gonna bite the bullet.

Any additional comments?

James Lee Burke is one of my favorite authors. His word use is great. His stories always seem to champion the little guy...Shows awareness and compassion...Hope he feels that way about real life issues..

Classic Burke

Although average by Burke standards - Creole Belle is damn good fun if you are a fan of Dave Robicheaux. As with all Robicheaux stories, this one is set in the bayou of Southern Louisiana. There are the usual bad guys (there seem to be a lot of them in Southern Lousiana) - the usual good guys (usually Robicheaux's family and a few good cops) - and the ambiguous characters that vascillate between good and evil (oddly this time, it was Dave's adopted daughter and Purcell's never before heard from daughter).

As is true for his last few books, Burke is not spending as much time developing an intricate story with surprising twists and turns. Instead, his recent stories are an excuse to take us down to the swamp of human evil one more time. Along the way, we learn a lot about human failings, addiction, the effects of trauma (in Dave's case - both as a vet and a cop), and psychopathy. As a forensic psychologist who deals with these issues in my work, I can say that Burke knows his material very well.

As a reader, of course, each of us must ask ourselves how much evil we want to take into our fantasies lives. Reader/listener beware, Burke books result in a lot of vicarious trauma.

The heart of this book - and any book he narrates - is Patton. What an outstanding job! His bayou-inflected voice is perfect for this book. He makes the case, in fact, that a good narrator makes an average book above average.

Narrator delivers great read.

What made the experience of listening to Creole Belle the most enjoyable?

An ever changing storyline and colorfull characters.

What did you like best about this story?

The two main characters are used, abused, hard core and loyal.

What does Will Patton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Everything! I love the way he rolls the words around, you really get a detailed look at each character and scene.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both, I will buy more Burke and Patton audios!

Will Patton is an Incomparable Narrator; The Best

The story was really good for the Robicheaux series, not great.

But Will Patton -- well, Will Patton is phenomenal as a narrator. You can feel the pain and every other emotion of the narrator and the other characters. He just keeps getting better. I cannot believe I would ever say this, but I would buy an audiobook because of the narrator -- a book I would have Never otherwise considered purchasing or reading.

I am hopeful he will narrate more good books as time goes by. I wish he could have narrated "The Twelve." Scott Brick adopts his Butthead voice for too many of a novel's characters: Dammit Beavis, you're a Brick! Patton should narrate the final book of the trilogy.

Best of the Best

This is by far one of the best. James Lee Burke never fails to satisfy. His writing is never gratuitous, using words to set the mood both inside the character's heart and mind and making the landscape it's own character as an integral part of the plot. Will Patton captures the the characters impeccably.