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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
2.5 stars. Not as good as the first book, but I'm going to read the next. Narrator wasn't great, too many characters sounded the same and it kind of blended together at times.
Burke’s Robicheaux series is so highly regarded and recommended in the detective genre that I am compelled to start from the beginning of this long series a see what the fuss is about. Heaven’s Prisoners is #2, and I found it hard to put down. Robicheaux is a complex character, wracked with guilt, remorse and depression, stemming from his Vietnam experiences, tough childhood and ongoing battle with alcoholism. Try as he might, he can’t find tranquility, even after retiring from the NOLA force, taking a wife and moving into the bayou to run a bait shop. When a small plane crashes in his swamp, Robicheaux dives to the wreck and saves a young girl, but also finds trouble; loads of trouble that gets him knee deep in quicksand with the DEA, INS, and a host of really bad local people. The thing to do is keep his nose out of it, but he can’t, and that becomes a central point in this story. Burke injects heavy doses of philosophy and introspection on the nature of good and evil, good guys and bad guys and the struggles of the victims in this tough world.
I would say that Burke totters on the edge of overdoing it in this regard, but manages to balance the whole story with enough action, atmosphere and poetic descriptions of the bayou country to keep things interesting. If I can read literally non-stop on a 2-1/2 hour flight, the writing must be good, and Burke is a great writer.
I recently read a book review of A Confederacy of Dunces (a book I just read and found underwhelming) that said it was the quintessential New Orleans book. Hogwash. Although he may dwell on the seedy underbelly of the bayou, I can’t imagine anyone painting a better picture in words of NOLA than Burke. He gets a little repetitive in his descriptions (lavender skies streaked with orange, smells of shrimp and boudin, bream popping on the surface…etc.) but that’s a minor gripe. I wish Burke would pay a little more attention to some of the plot details and less on the poetic descriptions. In this book, the plot threads involving the government agencies are pretty thin.
I'm curious to see if Burke can hold my interest over such a long series. On to Black Cherry Blues!
I would say that Burke totters on the edge of overdoing it in this regard, but manages to balance the whole story with enough action, atmosphere and poetic descriptions of the bayou country to keep things interesting. If I can read literally non-stop on a 2-1/2 hour flight, the writing must be good, and Burke is a great writer.
I recently read a book review of A Confederacy of Dunces (a book I just read and found underwhelming) that said it was the quintessential New Orleans book. Hogwash. Although he may dwell on the seedy underbelly of the bayou, I can’t imagine anyone painting a better picture in words of NOLA than Burke. He gets a little repetitive in his descriptions (lavender skies streaked with orange, smells of shrimp and boudin, bream popping on the surface…etc.) but that’s a minor gripe. I wish Burke would pay a little more attention to some of the plot details and less on the poetic descriptions. In this book, the plot threads involving the government agencies are pretty thin.
I'm curious to see if Burke can hold my interest over such a long series. On to Black Cherry Blues!
I liked the first Dave Robicheaux novel more, and I wish he did more for Annie and Alafair in this book but glad it ended the way it did. The Louisiana scenery and landscape are described so beautifully in all of Burke’s books, it’s my favorite part!
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
I love the Dave Robicheaux series. This one is no exception, but there are some heavy parts that are difficult to get through; definitely not for the faint of heart.
Burke’s description of the settings is excellent; you really feel as though you have been transported to wherever he is describing.
Burke’s description of the settings is excellent; you really feel as though you have been transported to wherever he is describing.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This the second book in this wonderful, gritty series is even more tense then the first book was. When the book opens we see Dave and his lovely wife Annie living on the Bayou. Things are going good for Dave. He has a Bait and Tackle business that does well, and a beautiful wife to help him. Then, one day, a plane crashes into the water close to Dave and Annie's house. Things rapidly go downhill. Dave dives down to the wreckage to find four dead people, and a little girl who is alive. Dave saves her from the wreckage and he and Annie take over the care of this little Mexican girl who doesn't speak English and who has lost everything. This one act of courage places Dave in grave danger with some heavyweight crooks in the New Orleans area, and he's trying to maneuver his way around the sinkhole he's found himself in and without the aid of of his police badge. Old enemies and new come out of the woodwork, and while Dave is trying to slay these dragons, tragedy strikes which sends Dave down the road of dark despair and vengeance. I love this series. It is gritty and real, and the characters are believablel. We spend a lot of time in Dave's head as we read these books, and we get a glimpse of what he is going through and the thought processes that his stupendous brain goes through. You bet I'm going to continue to read this series until I get to the very end.
James Lee Burke is an incredible writer!! His turn of phrase is beautiful! Love Dave Robicheaux!!
James Lee Burke's bayou-noir series with on-again/off-again detective Dave Robicheaux is still going strong with 21 books as of 2018. I was attracted early to the series with the debut [b:The Neon Rain|55022|The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, #1)|James Lee Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386748162s/55022.jpg|1916440] and this follow-up due to Burke's often lyrical descriptions of the Louisiana bayous and countryside and people and his ear for writing colloquial dialogue. Eventually the sameness did wear me out and I gave up on the series after about 11 books in. Still, I have a strong positive memory of them.
Saying goodbye to several dozen books due to a water damage incident and I thought I'd write at least a little memorial to each of them and about why I kept them around.
Saying goodbye to several dozen books due to a water damage incident and I thought I'd write at least a little memorial to each of them and about why I kept them around.
It is a mystery, telling too much will give it away. Bad people do very bad things and Dave Robicheaux goes after them. In this story we find out how his daughter Alafair came to be part of his family. Heaven's prisoners is #2 in the series.
Love this series! I am re-reading to get back on track and catch up to the newest one!