Rating: 
Summary: Terrible at best
Review: I read "Heaven's Prisoners" and liked it, a lot. I was expecting this one to be good as well, but alas, no. It is one of those books with a plot so contrived and meandering that if someone were to ask me to summarize the book, I'd just shrug and shake my head.I was also very disappointed with the character. I like detective stories. REAL detective stories, stories where the main character does actualy investigative work. Dave Robicheaux doesn't investigate--he stumbles around from place to place, threatening and making harsh accusations without any evidence of wrongdoing. The only time he ever really learns new information is when suspects come to him for some reason and give him info, without him really making an effort to figure out more. This novel's only saving grace is the author's beautiful and vivid description of southern Louisiana. However, even this gets old, as the reader is treated to a constant reminder of the climate and temperature every time the main character so much as steps outside to walk to his car. And I really don't like novels that waste time with mundane details like what the protagonist has for lunch every day, and a step-by-step update on how he prepares his Po' boy sandwich.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible at best
Review: I read "Heaven's Prisoners" and liked it, a lot. I was expecting this one to be good as well, but alas, no. It is one of those books with a plot so contrived and meandering that if someone were to ask me to summarize the book, I'd just shrug and shake my head. I was also very disappointed with the character. I like detective stories. REAL detective stories, stories where the main character does actualy investigative work. Dave Robicheaux doesn't investigate--he stumbles around from place to place, threatening and making harsh accusations without any evidence of wrongdoing. The only time he ever really learns new information is when suspects come to him for some reason and give him info, without him really making an effort to figure out more. This novel's only saving grace is the author's beautiful and vivid description of southern Louisiana. However, even this gets old, as the reader is treated to a constant reminder of the climate and temperature every time the main character so much as steps outside to walk to his car. And I really don't like novels that waste time with mundane details like what the protagonist has for lunch every day, and a step-by-step update on how he prepares his Po' boy sandwich.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Disappointment from a Burke Fan
Review: I was very disappointed in this book, with its incoherent plot -- meanderings is a better term for it. It seems that JLB is getting bored with the Dave Robicheaux character; perhaps his publisher had him in a corner. The characters seem flat, almost prop-like, as if he pulled them out of a Louisiana studio. Although some are, of course, colorful and eccentric, they do not make up for the essential flaw of this book, which is that its plot is confusing and not engaging enough to keep the reader's interest. I am a JLB fan from way back and hope that he can recapture some of his great writing ability.
Rating: 
Summary: Robichieux Returns
Review: I'm a Burke/Robichieux junkie. When I read everything that existed up to four years ago, I found myself muddled down with minor leaguers waiting for Burke's next work. It's like having an old friend stop by unannounced after a year or two. This is one of his best. It's not the best one in terms of Bootsie and Alafair. Not the best one in terms of Batiste. Not the best one in terms of his old buddy, Clete Purcell - although Clete does pull off one of the best scenes with a frying pan. And it's not Burke's best at making me hungry for dirty rice. But, if you've read all of his previous works, all of this is set neatly between the lines. What he does the best this time is ponder the human condition better than he has in the past. Robichieux has this habit of waking up and finding wackos waiting for him at every turn. His moral compass is steady throughout, and his thoughts on why people end up the way they do are as insightful as any "hi-brow" shrink could imagine. If one hasn't read any Robichieux, they should start at the beginning with Neon Rain. Each work seems to build upon previous ones, and they make a lot more sense. Welcome back, Robichieux!
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't want it to end...at least not that way!
Review: I'm biased, being a dyed-in-the-wool Burke fanatic. I only discovered him a couple of years ago and since then I've devoured every book of his I could lay hands on. Sunset Limited is another Robicheaux novel in the same style as the previous tales--if you've read every one like me, you might find a few of the descriptions repetitive, especially Clete's freshly sun-burnt skin (after awhile he'd have to tan, wouldn't he?)...other than that, read it. Good writing is difficult to come by in the realm of popular fiction, and in my opinion Mr. Burke gives one a taste of the sublime; his characterizations and descriptions made it difficult to put the book down. I firmly promised myself not to read it all in one sitting--it will be awhile til the next one I suppose--but I couldn't help myself!
Rating:
Summary: VINTAGE ROBICHEAUX....
Review: I'm not saying I didn't enjoy Burke's newest Dave Robicheaux novel, but some of his early works were a little better. It seems to me that the characters have lacked growth in the last few novels, and there was much too little about Dave's relationships with Bootsie and Alafair in "Sunset Limited". I think it would be great to touch more upon Robicheaux's trying to cope with his daughter as she enters adolesence and maybe inject some events into his life which put his convictions to a stern test. The last few book's plots have been too much in the cookie cutter mold: I had a pretty good idea who was gonna be left standing at the end of the book. On a positive note, I was happy there wasn't alot of the metaphysical mumbojumbo like conversations with dead people or having the locations of missing bodies being pointed out in dreams. All in all mediocre Burke is better than about 99% of the stuff out there.
Rating:
Summary: Which side are you on?
Review: In the Grapes of Wrath, Tom Joad found a moment of innocence when he danced with his mother in California and sang Red River Valley. Streak's mom left him at the train depot as she took the Sunset Limited to Hollywood. No song and dance for this boy. He's been searching for that moment all his life. Republicans will not like this book. Union Activist Joe Flynn died for our sins...and we clearly are not wasting his efforts. James Lee Burke has written one of his most literate novels since "..Confederate Mist.." Streak is a modern day Woody Guthrie telling the stories nobody wants to hear, about the people nobody wants to meet. Critics should remember that Burke writes novels that happen to take place in New Iberia. Each novel stands alone with a strong message and should not be treated like a serial. This novel might have been even better if Burke had not been tied to the restraints of Streak and his disciples..but I'm grateful he is. Amen.
Rating:
Summary: character resonance
Review: It's funny that many readers thought this was one of Burke's worst books. I thought it was his best. The "villains" in the story were inspired, beginning with the loyal psychopath Swede Boxleiter, who retains amusing habits from his days as an abused orphan (walking on his hands, acrobatics on tree limbs). Harpo Scruggs was an oily redneck assassin who was despicable yet still garnered pity. And the two latter misanthropes--Ruben Esteban and a Canadian bounty hunter--were memorable as well. Does Burke use mugshots when he thinks up his psychopaths? Many of these characters seem vaguely familiar. It's as if I've seen them on the periphery of my own life. The beauty of Burke's writing lies in his expert characterizations. He gives even the most demented sociopaths redeeming qualities that erase the fine line between black and white. And the scene with Clete Purcell chasing Ricky Scarlotti after using a plumber's helper on him was classic, both rousing and sobering, with an unexpected complication. James Lee Burke excels at brevity, knowing just when to end the action to leave the reader breathless. The climax of Sunset Limited is a poignant tribute to "Casablanca". It really doesn't matter how original the plot is, Burke's vivid characters make it seem new and interesting. And I enjoy the way he finds evil in the least anticipated setting, sitting with affluent neighbors on a patio enjoying a glass of lemonade...
Rating: 
Summary: a series winds down
Review: James Lee Burke at his worst is better than most mystery writers at their best. This is probably the least compelling of the Robicheaux series, but it's still enough to keep you turning the pages. I couldn't help feeling that I'd read all this before, though. The haunting descriptions of light and water and Louisiana weather and love-making -- they all bear a slight hint of boilerplate now, stuff pulled from a bag of literary material and bolted on where necessary. Also, the plotting here seems a bit more careless, with at least a couple bits of deus ex machina toward the end that a struggling writer would not dare to use. I can recommend "Sunset Limited" for the atmosphere and the characters, but would urge those new to the series to start with the earlier titles -- "Neon Rain" comes to mind as one of the best. JLB has had a great run with Robicheaux, but maybe now it's time to give him and New Iberia a little R&R.
Rating:
Summary: Fast paced on the bayou thriller by one of the genre's best.
Review: James Lee Burkes alter ego, Dave Robicheaux, is at it again in the latest installment of the bayou detective's adventures. No one captures the raw untamed settings of Louisiana better than Burke. Dickensian in his characterization, Burke challenges the typical roles of the perfect hero in his all-but-too-flawed Robicheaux. The gritty, tough recovering alcoholic disregards the man made rules and goes on his gut instinct in trying to solve a decade old racially motivated murder in New Iberia. The trash has been dumped in his town and Robicheaux takes it out. I recommend this book to anyone who likes heart-pounding action and unusual twists at every turn. This book is not for the weak of heart of the non-adventurist.
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