Creole Belle - James Lee Burke

Creole Belle

By James Lee Burke

  • Release Date: 2012-07-17
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 551 Ratings

Description

Dave Robicheaux investigates the disappearance of a young Creole woman, while an oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico threatens to destroy the cherished beauty of the Louisiana bayous in this gripping thriller.

Set against the events of the Gulf Coast oil spill, rife with “the menaces of greed and violence and man-made horror” (The Christian Science Monitor), Creole Belle finds Dave Robicheaux languishing in a New Orleans recovery unit since surviving a bayou shoot-out. The detective’s body is healing; it’s his morphine-addled mind that conjures spectral visions of Tee Jolie Melton, a young woman who in reality has gone missing. An iPod with an old blues song left by his bedside turns Robicheaux into a man obsessed… And as oil companies assign blame after an epic disaster threatens the Gulf’s very existence, Robicheaux unearths connections between tragedies both global and personal—and faces down forces that can corrupt and destroy the best of men.

“A work of dark and radiant brilliance” (Richmond Times-Dispatch), Creole Belle is “a novel that shows how the sins of the fathers poison the ground their children walk on” (The New York Times Book Review).

Reviews

  • Excellent

    5
    By Moses Belle
    GREAZt STORY great believable and likable characters.Great writing, I can feel and smell the BAYOU. Do purchase this book and enjoy the ride. LADY PEPPER ROSE
  • Horrible

    1
    By Gary43
    Read 75% then gave up. Too much superfluous narrative and philosophizing that has nothing to do with the plot. The last Burke book that I'll ever read.
  • Too Political

    3
    By Jrsponder
    This was a terrific story, like all the others I've read in the Robicheaux series. What I found incredibly annoying was the author's use of the book as a platform for political ranting. If he feels the need to pontificate he should use an appropriate medium.
  • Another Offering from a Master

    4
    By PLStepp
    Not Burke's best or most poetic, but beautiful nonetheless. The plot falls apart toward the end--or is the chaotic nature if the narrative just a reflection of the chaos around Robicheaux, the narrator? Regardless: the prose is gorgeous & sweet.
  • James Burke has done it again!

    5
    By Mazzro
    Creole Belle is a hard- hitting, no-holds-barred adventure that is a signature for Burke fans. I stayed up all night because I could not put it down. It's especially interesting that Clete's daughter appears. The characters are very well developed and the plot develops in a realistic way. You can almost smell the rain and the camellias.
  • Creole Belle

    5
    By Yellerhead
    An excellent read!! This book will keep you guessing and definitely hold your interest until the last word! Highly recommend it.
  • Mesmerizing

    5
    By iPad catarina
    James Lee Burke is truly a magical writer. In one instance he can be in the midst of a rip roaring gunfight and then break into the most beautiful and lyrical prose I have ever read. His characters are full developed and demonstrate an amazing degree of self analysis and fully accept the consequences of their actions. The Bobsey twins are back in the saddle for another soul searing and soul searching opus which will leave the reader enthralled to the very last word.
  • Creole Belle

    4
    By Muhls
    Hard to believe JL Burke can wring yet another can't-stop-reading epic out of the backwaters of Louisiana, but in Creole Belle he has indeed. Clete Purcel's illegitimate daughter adds a taser jolt of electricity as a terrific new character and Dave Robicheaux pulls in his own family to a precarious new degree. JLB is a bit long-winded at times in his mind-reading/philosophic excursions, but this is one of his best novels.
  • Burke's Benediction

    5
    By Sommersboy
    If one wishes, negative things can be said about this book. It's too long; it's preachy; parts of it stretch believability. I don't choose to do that. One word sums up Mr. Burke's story. That word is "Awesome!". James Lee Burke's love for people, ordinary people trying to live their lives in peace, his love for the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, and his value of friendship and family all come hurtling across the pages. This may Mr. Burke's last book. If so, it's one to be treasured. Oh, and the story is a great thriller, too. Yay!!!
  • Creole belle

    4
    By Beachside traveler
    Soooo have never read this author before reading this literary delight of a thriller mystery. Will read more of the these two New Orleans detectives deeds and misdeeds! I did have difficulty following the dialogue, as I did not know the authors style yet. Also complicated characters, but interestingly different.