Loading...
7th out of 96 books
—
66 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Black Cherry Blues (Dave Robicheaux #3)
Ex-cop Dave Robicheaux: His wife had been murdered ... Now they're after his little girl...
From the Louisiana bayou to Montana's tribal lands, he's running front the bottle, a homicide rap, aprofessional killer ... and the demons of his past.
Mass Market Paperback, 366 pages
Published
December 28th 1990
by Avon Books
(first published August 25th 1989)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,834)
Finally, a modern author who isn't afraid to take his time and use language as it is meant to be used in a novel! Patterson tells a hell of a story...but Burke makes the read wholly worthwhile and rewarding.
"I believe every...man remembers the girl he thinks he should have married. She reappears to him in his lonely moments, or he sees her in the face of a young girl in the park, buying a snowball under an oak tree by the baseball diamond. But she belongs to back there, to someb...more
"I believe every...man remembers the girl he thinks he should have married. She reappears to him in his lonely moments, or he sees her in the face of a young girl in the park, buying a snowball under an oak tree by the baseball diamond. But she belongs to back there, to someb...more
I can't quite decide whether to give this book 4 stars or 5. 4.5, maybe. I love Burke's writing. This is some high class sh*t here, folks.
Even though this is a crime/mystery/thriller type of book, it remains thoughtful and contemplative throughout. Several violent events do happen throughout the book, but most of them happen off screen. This is a book that focuses more on Dave's interior experience than on the events surrounding him.
This is also a book full of obliquene...more
Even though this is a crime/mystery/thriller type of book, it remains thoughtful and contemplative throughout. Several violent events do happen throughout the book, but most of them happen off screen. This is a book that focuses more on Dave's interior experience than on the events surrounding him.
This is also a book full of obliquene...more
view 2 comments
I had a little trouble getting going with this one. Like a lot of detective novels, it started out a little slow. The story starts down in Lousiana, then moves north to Missoula, the Flathead, and the Front Range. I really started to enjoy it once they got up north, not just because of the locale, but because Dave Robicheaux, the main character, really started messing with people's heads once he got to Montana. BCB has all the trappings of a classic detective story: a former alcoholic, ex-cop wh...more
Wow! This is the first time I've read James Lee Burke but have wanted to a long time since this book won the Edgar Award. I like to follow those books which are nominated and/or receive an Edgar.
Must check it out but thought this was the first in the series, and I hope so because just read something which said, 'it just keep getting better.' That's quite a compliment since this book was a great read with all the elements I, personally, love in a book.
The characters wer...more
Must check it out but thought this was the first in the series, and I hope so because just read something which said, 'it just keep getting better.' That's quite a compliment since this book was a great read with all the elements I, personally, love in a book.
The characters wer...more
Black Cherry Blues, by James Lee Burke, A. produced by American Printing House for the Blind, and borrowed from National Library Services for the Blind.
Burke won an Edgar for this book, and deservedly so. This is one of the earlier books. It appears to be the third in the Dave Robicheau series. In this book, he is mourning the death of his wife, who was murdered. He is left to raise their adopted daughter, Allafair, alone. His old college roommate, who had flunked out, suddenly...more
Burke won an Edgar for this book, and deservedly so. This is one of the earlier books. It appears to be the third in the Dave Robicheau series. In this book, he is mourning the death of his wife, who was murdered. He is left to raise their adopted daughter, Allafair, alone. His old college roommate, who had flunked out, suddenly...more
Nikki
rated it
This Edgar Best Novel winner is set partially in Louisiana (the locale for most of Burke's Dave Robicheaux series) and partly in Montana. Dave Robicheaux is a former cop who now runs a bait shop and fishing boat rental business. He has been horrifically widowed in a previous book and now shares his life with a six-year-old Salvadoran orphan girl whom he rescued and has named Alafair.
One day, Robicheaux runs into an old classmate -- sort of a Jerry Lee Lewis type who's been through some...more
One day, Robicheaux runs into an old classmate -- sort of a Jerry Lee Lewis type who's been through some...more
This is the third in the Dave Robicheaux series and I love reading about the American South and Robicheaux's criminal world. Burke really knows how to tell a story - a wonderful writer.
Back Cover Blurb:
Personal tragedy has left Dave Robicheaux close to the edge. Battling against his old addiction to alcohol and haunted nightly by vivid dreams and visitations, Dave finds his only tranquility at home with his young ward Alafair. But even this fragile peace is shattered by the ...more
Back Cover Blurb:
Personal tragedy has left Dave Robicheaux close to the edge. Battling against his old addiction to alcohol and haunted nightly by vivid dreams and visitations, Dave finds his only tranquility at home with his young ward Alafair. But even this fragile peace is shattered by the ...more
This is good storytelling. Even if it's a bit confused and slow to start Burke's storytelling is miles above the rest. Robicheaux is still swimming through the lost tragic and traumatic lost of his wife Annie, his past comes back to bite him in the behind and he might, just might have stepped into a bit of a mess that will put him in jail and much worst unless he finds a way to make sense of it all. Not all black, definitely no white knight, Robicheaux lives in a world of grey and where the choi...more
After so many strong recommendations for titles by James Lee Burke, I finally picked up Black Cherry Blues , the 3rd in the Dave Robicheaux series. What a great mystery! This book won the Edgar award in 1990 for best mystery novel. Normally when I read a mystery, I am completely focused on the plot. But, listening to this book, I couldn't help but appreciate the excellent writing and well developed characters. I loved how the 'bad guys' were the scum of the earth and the good guys weren't much b...more
This is number three in the Dave Robicheaux series and it won the Edgar Award in 1990.
The book opens with Dave having a flashback about the viscous murder of his wife Annie in the previous book. She and his father appear to him throughout the book. This book is more of a straight detective novel than some of Burke's later books in the series.
Dave runs into an old friend of his from college, Dixie Lee Pugh. Dixie was a rock and roller until he went to prison for a DWI homicide and then ...more
The book opens with Dave having a flashback about the viscous murder of his wife Annie in the previous book. She and his father appear to him throughout the book. This book is more of a straight detective novel than some of Burke's later books in the series.
Dave runs into an old friend of his from college, Dixie Lee Pugh. Dixie was a rock and roller until he went to prison for a DWI homicide and then ...more
Julie Davis
rated it
This is the third in the Dave Robicheaux series and the subject of this week's discussion at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast. It is the reason I read Neon Rain and Heaven's Prisoners. We see Dave's story arc continue as he continues to deal with the personal repercussions of the events in Heaven's Prisoners. He is still running his bait shop and when trouble rears its head this time he has learned to keep his head down (more or less). However, when he is involved in an old friend's trouble ...more
My Three-Star rating to this Robicheaux probably doesn't give the proper credit to this book. I'm an avid fan of Mr. Burke so I have read each of his novels as they have been released over the last few years so I'm probably a little burned out with the character.
However, having spent several months in the Missoula, Bonner, Flathead Lake areas of Montana quite a few years ago, I enjoyed reliving my experiences through Mr. Burke's descriptions of the area. Also, when I've finished th...more
However, having spent several months in the Missoula, Bonner, Flathead Lake areas of Montana quite a few years ago, I enjoyed reliving my experiences through Mr. Burke's descriptions of the area. Also, when I've finished th...more
There is really no doubt that James Lee Burke is one the better contemporary writers working today. His use of language is at times sublime. Burke has an amazing sense of place in his work, the South Louisiana Bayou spreads across your eyes like warm butter. Even with 'Black Cherry Blues' mostly set up north in Montana, Burke really brings the flat barren poverty ridden landscape to life.
Plot wise, Burke can also creates magic with his pen, though 'Black Cherry Blues' is a little ...more
Plot wise, Burke can also creates magic with his pen, though 'Black Cherry Blues' is a little ...more
This, the third in the Dave Robicheaux series, is the first totally deserving of five stars. The first two books are great, but here all the elements of plot, character, setting, and truly inspired storytelling come together to create a fantastic page-turner. Burke is a master, and his writing will delight while his plots hold you on the edge of your seat.
It seems that every book in this genre has to be part of a series, often with very inconsistent results. If you want to write a gr...more
It seems that every book in this genre has to be part of a series, often with very inconsistent results. If you want to write a gr...more
James Lee Burke is one of the best crime fiction writers alive. His Dave Robicheaux character is best in his bas in Louisiana cajun country or New Orleans. This book would have been a 4 star rating but the character splits his time in Montana chasing bad guys and trying to exonerate himself as a trial comes closer for a crime he did not commit. The portion of the story in the decadent Louisiana locales are riveting.
A good read.
A good read.
As always, I am enthralled by JLB's prose; it's just a rich gumbo of metaphor and style. Robicheaux and Clete are such fulfilling characters, a pair that Cervantes would have loved. Many of Burke's books have a certain hook, and there are similarities of tone that reoccur, but all in all, I'd rather read a book like this one over and over than a lot of stuff that passes for mystery/suspense writing.
3rd in Dave Robicheaux series. This one almost had Dave go to Angola for killing a man. He did go to Montana to figure out what had happened and did take Alafair with him. The conversations between Dave and Alifair are great. Annie and his dad came back to help him find things in this one. But I am not sure they will be back. I think this was the best so far that I have read by him.
Christy
added it
I listened to this book. The Narrator is convincing and able to convey many voices. The story is rich and multidimensional. Burke paints each scene with beautiful descriptive clarity so the book becomes more than just a detective story than one rushes through to discover the outcome. My one complaint is the ending comes fast and pat (like many mysteries/detective stories seem to do).
Like so many of Burke's novels, really enjoyable not just because of all the action but because of his penchant for colorful and humorous language, some great descriptions of Louisiana and Montana, and characters galore, like the recurring and remarkable Clete Purcel. This was a lot of fun to read, with occasional flashes of AA wisdom from the lead character, Dave Robicheaux.
James Lee Burke - I've read other books by him and enjoyed them. This one was good as well.
I especially like his description of the countryside - both in Louisiana, Idaho and Nevada. His weaving of the story with the terrain is a lesson in how the country-side affects out lives. Mobsters, Native Americans, a foster child and old friends and colleagues make this is story that is down to earth and capitvating. Great author! One of my favorites.
I especially like his description of the countryside - both in Louisiana, Idaho and Nevada. His weaving of the story with the terrain is a lesson in how the country-side affects out lives. Mobsters, Native Americans, a foster child and old friends and colleagues make this is story that is down to earth and capitvating. Great author! One of my favorites.
Thanks to Paul Gandel, I carried this book to Australia. I have seen Burke 1000 times on the shelves and for whatever reason, never took the plunge. Not only is this book atmospheric -- but Burke is a beautiful writer - poetic, in fact. Some of his passages demanded to be read again and again. I cannot think of too many pulp mysteries that brought that out.
I've heard great things about James Lee Burke... we shall see.
I was not disappointed. The writing was a bit colorful, almost too much at times, but it was good and I am spoiled with a lot of the trash I read lately so I'm not knocking the writing at all. It was definitely impossible for your inner voice to speak without a Cajun accent after reading this one a while.
This was the third story featuring Dave Robicheaux but it was the first for me. There were a ...more
I was not disappointed. The writing was a bit colorful, almost too much at times, but it was good and I am spoiled with a lot of the trash I read lately so I'm not knocking the writing at all. It was definitely impossible for your inner voice to speak without a Cajun accent after reading this one a while.
This was the third story featuring Dave Robicheaux but it was the first for me. There were a ...more
Burke writes damaged people better than anyone, the flotsam and jetsam of humanity who nearly always have some redeeming feature. Not for Burke the black and white; only shades of gray. This, the third book in the series, introduces Dave's former partner, Clete Purcell, and a simply wonderful "loser" named Dixie Lee Pugh.
In this outing, Dave gets involved with the mob, oil lease scammers, Indian activists, a sociopath, and Clete's girlfriend, Darlene American Horse, and the...more
In this outing, Dave gets involved with the mob, oil lease scammers, Indian activists, a sociopath, and Clete's girlfriend, Darlene American Horse, and the...more
that seemed like it took forever to read, and it was totally not worth it. Still trying to figure out the appeal of Robicheaux to mystery readers. I appreciate the insights I'm getting to someone working the program (AA) and his relapses, etc. But just don't see the point in continuing to read the series ('tho I fully expect I'll read a few more)
Ok, this is good. Burke's descriptions are gold, and his prose can be heartbreakingly good. But, and this is a very big but, it was really hard to ignore the fact that the guy wrote this book in 1989, but apparently thought he was in 1959. I mean, honestly, the word Negro, capitalized or not, was not in general useage in the freakin 70s, let alone the 80s. Burke's racial politics are obviously kinda screwy too - he makes the old, crappy argument that white Southerners can't truly be racist becau...more
This was was the first James Lee Burke (Dave Robicheaux) book I read.
This was many years ago, and since then I have read just about everything he has written. These are not just detective novels. While I admit that I am drawn to detective novels, Burke's main characters fight their own demons - not just the bad guys.
This was many years ago, and since then I have read just about everything he has written. These are not just detective novels. While I admit that I am drawn to detective novels, Burke's main characters fight their own demons - not just the bad guys.
Another great novel from James Lee Burke, kept me turning the pages instead of getting a full night's sleep. His story moves between Louisiana & Montana with gritty grace and intense detail that blends very different American sensibilities with what most people associate easily for each region of the USA.
Read some good reviews about James Lee Burke so I thought I would try one of his books. Didn't really do a great deal for me. Maybe it was because I listened to this as an audiobook but the story never grabbed me. The descriptions of the Montana country-side were good but the story never pulled in.
To me, this is Burke at his best. Action, moral dilemma, nasty, nuanced bad guys, a supporting cast of beautifully written supporting characters from the swamps and Robicheaux,tough, strong, vulnerable and straight-up mean.
I guess you can see I'm a fan. Burke is a treasure.
I guess you can see I'm a fan. Burke is a treasure.
I'm slowly working my way through this author's books as I need something light and enjoyable to read (in e-book form) in airports and on planes.
Easy to pick up and put down, active plots, and vivid atmospheric descriptions of their Louisiana and Cajun locales.
Easy to pick up and put down, active plots, and vivid atmospheric descriptions of their Louisiana and Cajun locales.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
James Lee Burke is an American author best known for his mysteries, particularly the Dave Robicheaux series. He has twice received the Edgar Award for Best Novel, for Black Cherry Blues in 1990 and Cimarron Rose in 1998.
Burke was born in Houston, Texas, but grew up on the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast. He attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of Missouri, re...more
More about James Lee Burke...
Burke was born in Houston, Texas, but grew up on the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast. He attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of Missouri, re...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“I believe every...man remembers the girl he thinks he should have married. She reappears to him in his lonely moments, or he sees her in the face of a young girl in the park, buying a snowball under an oak tree by the baseball diamond. But she belongs to back there, to somebody else, and that thought sometimes rends your heart in a way that you never share with anyone else.”
—
4 people liked it
“. . . I had found the edge. The place where you unstrap all your fastenings to the earth, to what you are what you have been, where you flame out on the edge of the spheres, and the sun and moon become eclipsed and the world below is as dead and remote and without interest as if it were glazed with ice. ”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
