Cadillac Jukebox: A Dave Robicheaux Novel, Book 9

In "Wolfgang" the Emperor criticizes a Mozart performance, "Too many notes!"

In this book Dave Robicheaux's challenged with too much plot, or too many characters. Most readers don't study, they read. Well, maybe study's a subset of reading, but so's entertainment. Burke demands more of the reader than usual this time… and those demands aren't of the intellectual or emotional sort, just memory. Since I listen to books in disjointed segments,well, this time it was hard to access all the character details and their relationships that Burke requests.

I like to work out puzzles, ideas, and emotions. But Im bored, bordering on irritated, when an author's complexity is created by the cast… Dunno, like a song with too many notes? As a Mark Hammer fanboy, and a committed Burke fan, well this was still worth the effort, but it was the wrong sort of effort.

I like all Dave Robicheux books by James lee burk I had a hard time getting used to hearing its narration by mark hammer but only because I am partial to Will Pattern, I finally gave Hammer a chance and listening to a different narrator became easier. I still Pattern but I can now listen to more books by Hammer.

I love this series but I'm struggling to get through this one. Just not happy with the narration. Think if Patton had narrated this one it'd be a great as the rest.

I'm not feeling the characters on this one...

Growing up in as insular a region as he did, Dave Robicheaux knew both Buford and Karyn LaRose at least from their college days. Buford has managed to use his inherited wealth and his book on the Crown case to promote himself in his run to become Governor of the state of Louisiana, but Karyn seems intent on reawakening a relationship with Dave he'd much rather let lie thirty years in the past.

Did Aaron Crown kill an NAACP worker twenty years ago, and if so, what was his motive? That is the question nagging Dave. But now a mob hitman appears to have a particular vendetta against Dave and all close to him, and it's a question as to who will and who won't survive the LaRose campaign.

As is common in this series, those who inherited their wealth are far from worthy of their fortunes, and the females are at least as deadly as any mob button man.

The fact that he can properly pronounce landmarks in Louisiana. He needs to learn that the fish "bream" is pronounced "brim" and not "breem"

Heartwood. I have listened or read almost ALL of James Lee Burke's books. I am from the area in which Dave Robicheaux lives, so it is a bit like home. Mark Hammer and Will Patton are fantastic. But in Heartwood, the narrator is so dramatic and unreal. He drags out the words. Being a cajun living in Texas, I cannot relate at all to his reading.

The description of the area and the sights and smells are very realistic.

Swamp Justice!