Last Car To Elysian Fields (Dave Robicheaux)

Last Car To Elysian Fields (Dave Robicheaux)

by JamesLeeBurke (Author)

Synopsis

James Lee Burke is in top form in this page-turner steeped in the lush, unsettling atmosphere that his readers have come to expect.

This time, Burke's renowned Louisana cop returns to the Big Easy in a spellbinding tale of conspiracy, passion, and murder. A rainy late-summer night finds Robicheaux in a New Orleans bar, about to confront the man who may have savagely assaulted his friend, Father Jimmie Dolan, a Catholic priest who's always at the centre of controversy. But things in a Burke novel are rarely what they seem, and soon Robicheaux is back in New Iberia, probing a car crash that killed three teenage girls. A grief-crazed father and a maniacal, conflicted assassin are just a few of the characters Robicheaux meets as he is drawn deeper into a viper's nest of sordid secrets and escalating violence that sets him up for a confrontation that echoes down the lonely corridors of his own unresolved past.

A masterful exploration of the troubled side of human nature and the dark corners of the heart, and peopled by familiar characters such as P.I. Clete Purcel and Robicheaux's old flame, the now-married Theodosia LeJeune, LAST CAR TO ELYSIAN FIELDS is vintage Burke - a moody, hard-hitting novel that goes the limit in its provocative blend of human drama and relentless noir suspense.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Orion
Published: 09 Oct 2003

ISBN 10: 0752856529
ISBN 13: 9780752856520
Book Overview: Burke's previous Robicheaux novel, JOLIE BLON'S BOUNCE, was nominated for the CWA Gold Dagger and has been nominated for the Edgar Award Burke has won the Gold Dagger once and the Edgar Award twice Burke receives reviews that most literary authors would kill for, and is acknowledged to be America's finest crime writer James Lee Burke's sales are on an upward curve in trade and paperback

Media Reviews
James Lee Burke is the heavyweight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed. * Michael Connelly *
A gorgeous prose stylist. * Stephen King *
Richly deserves to be described now as one of the finest crime writers America has ever produced. * Daily Mail *
The gentle giant of US crime writers, Burke always ensures that his Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux grapples with hot topics as much as with his own inner demons. * i newspaper *
There are not many crime writers about whom one might invoke the name of Zola for comparison, but Burke is very much in that territory. His stamping ground is the Gulf coast, and one of the great strengths of his work has always been the atmospheric background of New Orleans and the bayous. His big, baggy novels are always about much more than the mechanics of the detective plot; his real subject, like the French master, is the human condition, seen in every situation of society. * Independent *
The king of Southern noir. * Daily Mirror *
His lyrical prose, his deep understanding of what makes people behave as they do, and his control of plot and pace are masterly. * Sunday Telegraph *
One of the finest American writers. * Guardian *
When it comes to literate, pungently characterised American crime writing, James Lee Burke has few peers. * Daily Express *
James Lee Burke has been knocking out consistently excellent Deep South thrillers for almost 40 years, and shows no sign of toning down the grit ... You'll get paper cuts from turning the pages so fast to find out what happens next. * JACK magazine *
Increasingly, his novels have become vehicles for a talent which is changing, still growing. Look carefully at what's on offer. What we are seeing is a good writer becoming a great one. -- Philip Oakes * LITERARY REVIEW *
Robicheaux's return explores the dark side of human nature, including his own. Vintage Burke * DAILY MIRROR *
Burke's great strength is that he makes you want to spend as much time with Robicheaux and his other characters as possible. -- Peter Guttridge * THE OBSERVER *
This is a good, solid, gritty, forlorn cop story. As usual, Burke is at his most lyrical when describing landscapes and the natural world. * DAILY TELEGRAPH *
As always BUrke's lyrical prose confirms his status as one of America's finest writers in any genre. -- Susanna Yager * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *
James Lee Burke's prose... has a muscularity and richness that is entirely appropriate to its Louisiana setting .... this is Burke back at his bayou best. -- John Harvey * THE INDEPENDENT *
There is no denying the sheer power of the writing which at times is beautifully poetic. There is a master craftsman at work here, and Burke's novels are an amazing achievement. -- Mike Ripley * BIRMINGHAM POST *
Passionate, angry and lyrical, Last Car to Elysian Fields reminds us what a great thriller should be. This is Burke at the peak of his form and that, really, should be all the recommendation anyone needs. -- Simon Hynde * DAILY EXPRESS *
This book demands to be read not simply for the gripping story ingredients but for the muscular poetry of its style and it overpowering sense of place. -- Gerald Kaufman * THE SCOTSMAN *
Author Bio
James Lee Burke is the author of many previous novels, several featuring Detective Dave Robicheaux. He won the EDGAR AWARD in 1998 for CIMARRON ROSE, while BLACK CHERRY BLUES won the EDGAR in 1990 and SUNSET LIMITED was awarded the CWA GOLD DAGGER in 1998. He lives with his wife, Pearl, in Missoula, Montana and New Iberia, Louisiana.