Swan Peak: A Dave Robicheaux Novel
by James Lee Burke
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Book Summary Information
Author: James Lee BurkeEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-26
ISBN: 1416548548
Number of pages: 592
Publisher: Pocket
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9781416548546
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Book Reviews of Swan Peak: A Dave Robicheaux Novel
Book Review: Big Oil, Bad Religion
Summary: 4 Stars
You don't need to get further than the first paragraph's "uncontrolled decent into a basement where the gargoyles turned somersaults like circus midgets" to be reminded that James Lee Burke can twist a phrase as well the best contemporary writers of American fiction. And "Swan Peak" displays JLB at his lyrical best, taking the increasingly sullen Dave Robicheaux and wife Molly from Louisiana bayous and hurricanes to vacation among the mountains and rivers of Montana. Not that the perpetually uptight and introspective Robicheaux can really be expected to "vacation." And sure enough, almost before their first trout fly has hit the water, Dave and pal/human mayhem machine Clete Purcel find themselves up to their hip waders in the grisly murder of a pair of local college students.
Burke is at his best when recounting violent tales of revenge and frontier justice, with or without redemption, especially when Clete plays more than a cameo role. So by that standard, there is lots to like here - a long and multi-threaded but not tedious story with an equally long cast of damaged characters. From an escaped con with a big heart and his sadistic jailer to a once up-and-coming country music starlet to the aristocratic oil baron clan that has embraced her, Burke weaves another sordid tale of greed, depravity, and murder. Meanwhile, a deliciously oily evangelical preacher "Reverend Click" provides the perfect target for Robicheaux's indignant rage, while an unleashed Clete Purcel make Tiger Wood's sexual exploits look like a double bogie.
If there is weakness here, it is the author's seemingly endless harangue on the evils of capitalism, leading to some familiar and stereotyped fat cats who callously rape the earth for their profit while grinding the noble working class under the heels of their five-thousand dollar eel skin boots. One wonders if Burke has lost any sense of irony, lecturing about those who control other's lives just as Dave Robicheaux is shoving another guy's head into a flaming oven. But I quibble. If it feels like JLB is preaching more than the Reverend Click he so despises, it can be forgiven considering the power of Burke's prose combined with a good-old-fashioned thriller with not much mystery but ample action and suspense. While "Swan Peak" may not live up to the lofty standards of "Last Car to Elysian Fields" or "Jolie Blon's Bounce", this is a fast paced and entertaining installment of American crime fiction that will not disappoint.
Summary of Swan Peak: A Dave Robicheaux Novel
Trouble follows Dave Robicheaux.
James Lee Burke's new novel, Swan Peak, finds Detective Robicheaux far from his New Iberia roots, attempting to relax in the untouched wilderness of rural Montana. He, his wife, and his buddy Clete Purcell have retreated to stay at an old friend's ranch, hoping to spend their days fishing and enjoying their distance from the harsh, gritty landscape of Louisiana post-Katrina.
But the serenity is soon shattered when two college students are found brutally murdered in the hills behind where the Robicheauxs and Purcell are staying. They quickly find themselves involved in a twisted and dangerous mystery involving a wealthy, vicious oil tycoon, his deformed brother and beautiful wife, a sexually deviant minister, an escaped con and former country music star, and a vigilante Texas gunbull out for blood. At the center of the storm is Clete, who cannot shake the feeling that he is being haunted by the ghosts from his past -- namely Sally Dio, the mob boss he'd sabotaged and killed years before.
In this expertly drawn, gripping story, Burke deftly weaves intricate, engaging plotlines and original, compelling characters with his uniquely graceful prose. He transcends genre yet again in the latest thrilling addition to his New York Times bestselling series.
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