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Swan Peak (Dave Robicheaux #17)
TAKING A MUCH-NEEDED BREAK from the gritty, hurricane-ravaged landscape of their Louisiana home, lawman Dave Robicheaux, his wife, and his buddy Clete Purcel head to a friend’s Montana ranch, where they hope to spend their days fishing and relaxing. But a storm of trouble descends on their wilderness retreat when two college students are found brutally murdered, and t...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
July 8th 2008
by Pocket
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At the Peak of His Powers
Sometimes you uncover treasures in the most unlikely places.
Nearly fifteen years ago, in the dusty back corner of a convenience store, I happened upon a VHS cassette of Heaven’s Prisoners.
Renting the bulky black tape and returning home to watch it on a small television beside my bed, careful not to wake my sleeping family—which included a newborn who wasn’t much for night sleeping anyway—changed my life.
The movie, starring Alec Baldwin,...more
Sometimes you uncover treasures in the most unlikely places.
Nearly fifteen years ago, in the dusty back corner of a convenience store, I happened upon a VHS cassette of Heaven’s Prisoners.
Renting the bulky black tape and returning home to watch it on a small television beside my bed, careful not to wake my sleeping family—which included a newborn who wasn’t much for night sleeping anyway—changed my life.
The movie, starring Alec Baldwin,...more
3.75 stars. It's always pleasant to listen to Will Patton's Southern accents, and he does a bang up job with Clete. Can you believe this one had a happy ending? Burke is a good writer, but this one went over the top a little with its descriptions of rape and mayhem. And maybe I'm getting a little tired of the formula. There's another wealthy family for Dave to hate, plenty of beautiful female victims, tons of rage from Dave, who still hasn't lost his desire to drink after all these years. ...more
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I have been a JLB fan since Black Cherry Blues in the 80s. I haven't been keeping up in the last few years, but picked this up. It was like running into an old friend after quite a few years. Burke has aged like fine wine, and this love poem to the west is a perfect example of why people can't get enough of Burke's writing. Style: poetic, smooth, like riding a horse with a sweet rocking-chair gait through country both known and new. Content: a rip-snorting story, complete with more than enough r...more
The latest Dave Robicheaux mystery. If you enjoy novels about middle-aged, reformed alcoholic, Catholic guilt-plagued, Cajun detectives who live with more ghosts than you can count and who periodically relive their Viet Nam nightmares - and whose PI (i.e. private investigator AND politically incorrect) best friend is even more troubled - and trouble - then this is for you.
This was a great read, but definitely the darkest of the Dave Robicheaux novels. I am looking forward to see how this series progresses. This series wouldn't be as good without the awesome narration of actor Will Patton.
Publisher's Summary
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, hopi...more
Publisher's Summary
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, hopi...more
"Swan Peak" is the sixteenth novel by James Lee Burke that features Dave Robicheaux. This, in itself, should give you an idea of the popularity of both the author and the character.
This book not only brings back Robicheaux, but also two other characters that are a great influence on the books. Clete Purcel, who has been a lifelong friend of Robicheaux and runs around in the books as a loose canno, and Robicheaux's wife, Molly, who is an ex-nun and provides a stabilizing i...more
This book not only brings back Robicheaux, but also two other characters that are a great influence on the books. Clete Purcel, who has been a lifelong friend of Robicheaux and runs around in the books as a loose canno, and Robicheaux's wife, Molly, who is an ex-nun and provides a stabilizing i...more
I enjoyed it, as I have all the books in Burke's Dave Robicheaux series. He's, what, 15 books in now, and I hate to say it, but the Robicheaux/Clete Purcel dynamic is becoming a bit formulaic. My other complaint (minor, really, when you look at the scope of this novel) is that Burke has several characters using phrases and conversational tics long employed by Robicheaux. Not everybody talks like that. Hell, nobody talks like that.
Ultimately, I think Burke falls back a little bit on t...more
Ultimately, I think Burke falls back a little bit on t...more
I've been reading Dave Roubicheaux books by James Lee Burke since he began writing them (and other Burke books, too), but this one left me uncharacteristically cold. Set in and around Missoula (including my own Idaho Panhandle town, which he managed to misspell), Swan Peak felt like a book written around an idea. For anyone who misses it in the intervening 395 pages, he spells it out: "... if there is a greater lesson ... it's probably the simple fact that the real gladiators of the world a...more
c 2008. My first thoughts when recapping this book is that it contains far more philosophy than usual. There are also a few POVs which I don't recall having been so aware of in other books in the series. Happily, none of Robicheaux's family members are in trouble this time. The descriptions are hauntingly beautiful although bits of the book are way more depressing than normal. This is far more than just another who dunit and although, uniquely, the culprits are more self evident than in previous...more
It would be rude to suggest that Burke wanted to write off a trip to Montana on his taxes so based this story there - but there doesn't seem to be any other explanation - unless this is the Robicheaux swan song.
The characters were out of place, the story rambled and I skipped entire chapters without missing a thing. The premise is actually a good one and I liked many of the characters but book didn't hold together. There were too many side trips into each character's psyche. Burke...more
The characters were out of place, the story rambled and I skipped entire chapters without missing a thing. The premise is actually a good one and I liked many of the characters but book didn't hold together. There were too many side trips into each character's psyche. Burke...more
Most series built around the same character eventually run out of steam and either jump the shark and simply get tired. Burke's series featuring Dave Robicheaux falls into the latter category. Set this time in Montana (instead of Louisiana), Dave and his buddy Clete Purcel are, once again, taking on evil guys. Swan Peak has an unusually high number of suspicious characters and subplots, all of which come together in the climax. Also rare for Burke, one of the bad guys actually becomes a g...more
Although Dave Robicheaux has (temporarily) left his beloved New Orleans, fans will not be disappointed in this fast-moving, taut, and riveting thriller. Critics noted James Lee Burke's somewhat lighter tone and brighter mood since his last novel, The Tin Roof Blowdown (2006), a furious reaction to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, though the Miami Herald felt that Swan Peak didn't measure up to the former novel's ferocity and immediacy. Burke's lyrical language and eye for detail are well suit
...more
"Swan Peak" is a novel that displays James Lee Burke's rich character portrayals, detailed descriptions of the natural surroundings in western Montana and the author's ability to write a suspenseful story.
Dave Robicheaux, wife Molly, and friend Clete Purcel are vacationing in Montana after going through the devastation of hurricanes Rita and Katrina in New Orleans.
When two double murders take place, the local sheriff is overwhelmed and Dave and Clete offer their...more
Dave Robicheaux, wife Molly, and friend Clete Purcel are vacationing in Montana after going through the devastation of hurricanes Rita and Katrina in New Orleans.
When two double murders take place, the local sheriff is overwhelmed and Dave and Clete offer their...more
I think I've read all of James Lee Burke's Robicheaux novels and this is one of the best of the later ones.
First reading Heaven's Prisoners and The Neon Rain in the early 'nineties it was the fact that this was a very literary detective fiction that grabbed me. It felt like the great American literary tradion turning its hand to crime fiction. It was somewhere around book five that they started feeling like a franchise and I started skimming the author's descriptive prose (particula...more
First reading Heaven's Prisoners and The Neon Rain in the early 'nineties it was the fact that this was a very literary detective fiction that grabbed me. It felt like the great American literary tradion turning its hand to crime fiction. It was somewhere around book five that they started feeling like a franchise and I started skimming the author's descriptive prose (particula...more
Kathleen Hagen
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2008-mysteries-suspense,
2008-audio-books
Swan Peak, by James Lee Burke. A-minus. Narrated by Will Patton, produced by Simon and Schuster Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
This is Burke’s first look at Dave Robicheau and friends since Katrina. Dave Robicheau, his wife, and his buddy, Clete Purcell, have retreated to stay at an old friend's ranch in rural pristine Montana, hoping to spend their days fishing and enjoying their
distance from the harsh, gritty landscape of Louisiana post-Katrina. But the serenity is soo...more
This is Burke’s first look at Dave Robicheau and friends since Katrina. Dave Robicheau, his wife, and his buddy, Clete Purcell, have retreated to stay at an old friend's ranch in rural pristine Montana, hoping to spend their days fishing and enjoying their
distance from the harsh, gritty landscape of Louisiana post-Katrina. But the serenity is soo...more
Bluedaizy
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Bluedaizy by:
favorite author
Shelves:
fiction,
new-orleans
James Lee Burke is a KING! Most authors tend to get a bit tired after six or seven novels, but not Burke. He knocked this one out of the ball park! I read it waaaaay too fast and now I'm afraid I'm going to have to wait another year for the next one. heavy, heavy, getting depressed, sigh....
"Swan Peak" is James Lee Burke's 17th novel to feature his Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux. In this one, Robicheaux, his wife, and best friend, Clete Purcel, are on vacation visiting a friend in Montana. The slow, hot and sticky world of Iberia Parrish has been replaced with the cool, blue sky world of the Montana countryside, but the danger is the same. A lot of stuff is going on in this novel, which is no different from the typical Burke novel. Burke is good at creating numerous ...more
James Lee Burke is one of my favorite writers, and Dave Robicheaux is one of my favorite series. The writing is always superb, and the descriptions are as vivid as a painting. For me, Swan Peak was less intense than some of his previous books, and even the bad guys were in some ways sympathetic. It also had the closest to a happy ending that I can recall in the series.
Dave and Clete working together is always a treat, and both were present throughout this book. These guys are getting...more
Dave and Clete working together is always a treat, and both were present throughout this book. These guys are getting...more
I am a Burke fan. He's so good, how could I not be?
But I gave this book a three. In short, that's because it's a very nasty story, with very nasty people and little if any cathartic 'good over evil' ending. I'd call it noir, but Robicheaux has to much intellectual and moral clarity (and the inherent conflicts) for a noir character.
It is a 'good read'. The prose is pure Burke, fast and deceptively simple. The scenery is gorgeous - he's in the Rockies fishing in this one - and the...more
But I gave this book a three. In short, that's because it's a very nasty story, with very nasty people and little if any cathartic 'good over evil' ending. I'd call it noir, but Robicheaux has to much intellectual and moral clarity (and the inherent conflicts) for a noir character.
It is a 'good read'. The prose is pure Burke, fast and deceptively simple. The scenery is gorgeous - he's in the Rockies fishing in this one - and the...more
Can't wait for another Robicheaux, I swear that every time I read one I can smell the bayou. Burke is a master.
Not my thing. Author introduces lots of characters and story lines for the first two-thirds or more of the book. Reader has no idea how the characters interrelate or whether they're important somehow. Finally, at the very end of the book, things start coming together, but that was way too long to wait, for me anyway. I also didn't enjoy that all of the characters were so flawed. A bit of downer, all of the problems everyone had. Author did keep me guessing until the end, I did not have any clue ...more
Another installment in the Dave Robicheaux series. The one difference in this one is that it not only doesn't take place in New Orleans but not even in Louisiana. Dave and Clete are on vacation somewhere in rural Montana. Of course there are some murders and Dave and Clete can't help but get involved in trying to solve the mystery. This book gives some more insight into Clete's background and how his past has shaped the man he is today. Another good read from James Lee Burke. I've found his...more
Joel likes these so much more than I do--and this book is no exception to that rule. Dave Robicheaux is relocated in Montana, but the nature of the beast is the same--people are essentially bad to not very good--that includes bot sides of the law, and all people in any kind of power. Maybe he is right, but that is not the world that I live in (where I live about a third as many people are this kind of bad on a regular basis) and it is kind of exhausting to think this way, even for the length o...more
i will almost always give a book by james lee burke five stars because he is such a great author, and because i love to read what is happening with dave robicheaux and his outrageous buddy, clete purcel. these two get into trouble in every book, of course. that is to be expected. the setting for this one is montana, which is coincidentally, where james lee burke has a home. apparently there are scumsuckers all over. even among the bad guys, there doesn't seem to be a character for whom you ...more
Fran
rated it
Recommends it for:
really hard-core James Lee Burke fans
Recommended to Fran by:
saw it on a remainder shelf
Shelves:
mysteries,
suspense-thriller
This was perhaps my least favorite Dave Robicheaux book. What are the odds that Dave would leave Louisiana to get a little vacation in Montana and he would stumble on some of the baddies he remembers from a plane crash in his past? I couldn't get past that silly plot device, so I had a hard time enjoying this novel. I did like the two characters that seemed similar to characters in one of Burke's short story collections though. Of course, a bad James Lee Burke book is still better than dozens...more
Ed
rated it
Recommends it for:
Crime fiction fans,. Good writing fans.
Shelves:
crime-fiction,
reviewed
A masterpiece!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My biggest fear is that the epilogue presages the end of Dave Robicheaux stories.
In this episode, Dave, his wife Molly and his friend Clete Purvis take an extended vacation in Western Montana on the ranch of an old friend, Albert Hollister. Unfortunately for them but fortunately for the reader, they become entangled with the Wellstone family, wealthy immigrants from Texas, and are also asked to help the local sheriff with a double murder of a ...more
My biggest fear is that the epilogue presages the end of Dave Robicheaux stories.
In this episode, Dave, his wife Molly and his friend Clete Purvis take an extended vacation in Western Montana on the ranch of an old friend, Albert Hollister. Unfortunately for them but fortunately for the reader, they become entangled with the Wellstone family, wealthy immigrants from Texas, and are also asked to help the local sheriff with a double murder of a ...more
Louisiana police detective Dave Robicheaux and his friend, private investigator Clete Purcell need a break from post-Katrina southern Louisiana, so the decamp to a friend's cabin in the Montana wilderness to fish and rest. That rest is short lived however, when Purcell accidentally wades into a trout stream owned by a wealthy family, and stirs up a hornets nest of trouble. When two students from the local college are murdered behind their friends property, Robicheaux and Prucell are pulled even ...more
Read by Will Patton.
As I've said before, I'm sure, I really like Will Patton reading James Lee Burke's novels. This was an outstanding example,
Publisher's Summary
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 th...more
As I've said before, I'm sure, I really like Will Patton reading James Lee Burke's novels. This was an outstanding example,
Publisher's Summary
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 th...more
Burke, James Lee. SWAN PEAK. ****1/2. Robicheaux and his buddy Clete Purcell can’t seem to go on a simple fishing trip to Montana without managing to meet up with a gang of sociopaths and psychotic killers on the way. As usual, Burke manages to have both of his main characters stand up for peace, justice, and the American way – though in a manner that promises mayhem on almost every page. Two murdered teenagers are found behind a hill that abuts the ranch of the friend they are staying with...more
A dark novel peopled with characters of torment, each carrying some kind of horrific past event or time as a defining point to their persona. A novel of folks that drink too much, philosophize grandly, are sometimes violent, and—not surprisingly—at times seem to feel sorry for themselves. Or stop just short of feeling sorry for themselves, with the very fallible good guys managing to overcome both great external and internal odds to successfully deal with the very very fallible bad guys, who whi...more
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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
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