Jolie Blon's Bounce

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Mark Hammer

When a beautiful teenage girl is killed, the victim of a particularly savage rape, New Iberia, Louisiana police detective Dave Robicheaux senses from the very start of the investigation that the most likely suspect - Tee Bobby Hulin - is not the actual killer. Though a drug addict and general ne'er-do-well, Hulin doesn't fit the profile for this brutal crime. But when another body turns up - a drugged-out prostitute who is the daughter of a local mafia bigwig - all clues point to Tee Bobby Hulin. The dead girl's father sets out to find - and punish - the killer.

Before Robicheaux can bring the killer or killers to justice, he battles a painkiller addiction, a habit brought on by a humiliating beating he suffers at the hands of a diabolical character known only as Legion. Once the overseer on a local sugarcane plantation, Legion scrapes by through doing odd jobs. In temperament, he's still the malevolent bully, seemingly possessed with supernatural skills of survival.

When Robicheaux's longtime buddy Clete Purcel drops by New Iberia for a visit, he is quickly drawn into the struggle between evil forces - including Jimmy Dean Styles, a black man intent on maintaining his empire of corruption; Joe Zeroski, a trailer park mafioso with palatial aspirations; and Legion Guidry, in whom Robicheaux faces an enemy unlike any he has ever known. And soon, what began as a duel of wits turns into a dance of death.

Gothic, dense, brutal, touching, and always compelling, Jolie Blon's Bounce is classic storytelling from a writer who has been dubbed "the Faulkner of crime fiction."

©2002 James Lee Burke, All Rights Reserved (P)2002 Recorded Books Inc., All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

Audie Award Winner, Mystery, Fiction, 2003

"To read a Burke novel is to enter a timeless, parallel universe of violent emotions and lush, brooding landscapes." (Publishers Weekly)

"Listening to Mark Hammer reading Burke's twelfth novel about Cajun cop Dave Robicheaux, it's easy to imagine you're on the shore of Bayou Teche, hearing a weathered cop tell of past adventures.... With a deliberate pace, Hammer pulls us in, capturing Robicheaux's spiritual exhaustion yet compelling us to hang on his every word." (AudioFile)

"Dave Robicheaux...[is] easily one of the most complex and compelling protagonists in mystery fiction. This is classic James Lee Burke, the master stylist, writing at the top of his game." (Amazon.com)

Needs a different Narrator.

I am enjoying the story, but I am having a hard time understanding what the narrator is saying. I often have to rewind and replay. Mark Hammer's voice is very monotone and his speech is very hard to understand.

Love Mark Hammer's Narration Style

I've read a few reviews where Hammer's narration style is criticised heavily. I couldn't disagree more - Hammer takes an already great story and adds his style to create genuine syngergy. Fabulous complex story, and narrated equally fabulously. I liked Hammer's style so much I'm struggling to enjoy those Burke books read by Patton. Narrator changes are a pain with character based novels.

I'd rate my enjoyment of JB's Bounce up right up there with other Audible books like Memoirs of a Geisha, The Human Stain, and Tis/Angela's Ashes - all great stories enhanced by great narrators.

Great

This was my first Burke novel though not my last. Atmospheric is the only word that comes to mind when describing this novel, since the reader is gently transported to the south. A marvelous mystery with a very real hero and a host of intriguing characters, I recommend Jolie Blon to the novice or seasoned Burke reader, since it pressed this particular novice get on her way to the seasoned group.

Outsatnding

What made the experience of listening to Jolie Blon's Bounce the most enjoyable?

I have listened to a lot of James Lee Burke's books. This one is the best. So descriptive that I often would rewind because I know I would hear something that I did not hear in the first place..The start of Chapter 2 where he explains why Cops, Street Reporters, Hard Core Case case workers usually hang around with like minded people hit the nail on the head. His details and description of everyday life is so real it is outstanding..

What did you like best about this story?

The story lines and characters and the blending of them all.

Have you listened to any of Mark Hammer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Mark Hammer is the best. I returned two of Burke's latest books because I was disappointed in the narrator.
Hammer and Burke are a perfect match.

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

Neither I spent 26 years as a cop in NYC

Narrator spoiled the story.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The book was fine.

Would you recommend Jolie Blon's Bounce to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend the Book, NOT, the audible. The narrator did not capture the characters. I am spoiled by Will Patton. Will really makes the Robichaux characters come to life.

How could the performance have been better?

Absolutely

Do you think Jolie Blon's Bounce needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, I don't believe the characters were that interesting other than Dave and Clete.

12 hours not enough

This is rich in characters and has many good story lines going at one time which culminate in an effortless and reasonable conclusion.

My favorite so far

I have listened to all of James Lee Burke's books on audio in sequence and this is my favorite so far. Burke has such a wonderful way of making you feel like you are truly "there" each step of the way. As far as the narrator Mark Hammer, I love him! The first book was with Will Patton and I love him too but I've not had a problem with Mark's reading. On to the next book...

One of the better Robicheaux's but...

This was a good Robicheaux novel, full of complicated characters and a central mystery that is too twisted to be easily guessed. And it has James Lee Burke's usual high quality of writing, metaphor, and insight into the human spirit. Quite a good story.

Unlike some, I love the narrator. The late Mark Hammer read the way Burke writes, and I honestly can't understand how someone can like Burke's writing and not like Hammer's languid, melancholy reading. To me it matches the book perfectly, even when he messes up local names or accents.


Burke's novels have become increasingly supernatural in some ways, and that is my one gripe. It's almost enough to turn me off to his writing, but so far it's not fatal.

Repetitive

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The story line was too similar to previous books. Although I had no idea of how the story would play out or would end it was too similar.

Would you be willing to try another book from James Lee Burke? Why or why not?

No, I think I have finally had enough. I have listened to many of Burke’s books. The last several have been heavy on a repetitive theme: southern aristocracy that previously wronged the blacks and have continued to do so. Throw in some gangsters trying to move into the parish and have the descendants of the aristocracy working with the gang. Now a big touch of the supernatural and you have the last several books. I think I have overdosed.

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

Hammer does a good job. He does seem to bring the characters to life more than if I was reading the print.

Was Jolie Blon's Bounce worth the listening time?

Not really. As mentioned above it was a repetitive story.

Any additional comments?

I love Purcell! He adds so much to the books!

what's the haps, Noble mon?

wanted it to go on, for many more chapters!

way to go, Robicheaux!

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