Cadillac Jukebox [Paperback]

James Lee Burke (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Harpercollins (August 1, 1997)
• ASIN: B001I1JHVS
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)

More About the Author

James Lee Burke, a rare winner of two Edgar Awards, is the author of twenty-three previous novels, including such New York Times bestsellers as Bitterroot, Purple Cane Road, Cimarron Rose, Jolie Blon's Bounce, and Dixie City Jam. He lives in Missoula, Montana, and New Iberia, Louisiana.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Burke is all over the place; not up to his usual standards, March 9, 2001

By 

Douglas A. Greenberg (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cadillac Jukebox (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Yes, James Lee Burke is a terrific wordsmith who can bring the Cajun backwoods and bayous alive for readers, but this particular work is quite simply, a sprawling, literary hodge-podge. The story is loosely woven to the point of being chaotic--Dave Robicheaux skitters here, there, and everywhere, including TWO almost gratuitous mini-jaunts to Mexico. The characters are "colorful," but in some cases, such as that of Aaron Crown, the eccentricity deteriorates into cartoon-like caricature. There are various smalltime gangsters who are hard to keep straight, there is a politician's wife who turns up periodically to strip off her clothes, taunt Robicheaux sexually, and then disappear in a cloud of vituperative hissing. And there are more than a few digressions and sidebars to the story that don't ever seem quite justified--it's all a bit much, methinks, and overall it makes for a story that never really hangs together adequately.

Still, Burke is a good enough writer that it's a hard book to put down once started. I think he has done better in others of his mysteries, however.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dave is a charmer..., February 2, 2001

By 

C. Cronk (Somewhere in New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cadillac Jukebox (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read just about everything James Lee Burke has written, but my favorite character by far is Dave Robicheaux. This was actually the first of the Burke books I "read" (this one I actually listened to in audio as it was a gift to me -- and that alone was wonderful as the narrator had a fabulous Louisiana accent that brought the words alive). JLB's style is poetic, and the scenes he sets for you bring you right there to the Bayou with his words. He is a master at setting the scene and making you see the characters and hear their voice. His ability to spin a crime story with twists and turns, while getting you into Dave's head, his history and his love of his family are unsurpassed. Best advice regarding the Dave series: try to read them in the order written -- it helps to get a sense of time in Dave's personal life -- there are changes that occur and I was blind sided by a couple of them because I read out of order.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HE'S A MAGIC MAN, MAMA!, May 15, 2000

By 

Marion "[e-mail]" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cadillac Jukebox (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I am madly, deeply in lust/love with Dave Robicheaux AND James Lee Burke. I've lived in the enchanting state of Louisiana my entire life and Burke makes me fall in love with it all over again each time I read one of his novels set here. He's a word magician and that's putting it mildly. For instance:

"Each morning after the sun rose out of the swamp and burned the fog away, the sky would harden to such a deep heart-wrenching blue that you felt you could reach up and fill your hand with it like bolls of stained cotton. The air was dry and cool, too, and the dust along the dirt road by the bayou seemed to rise into golden columns of smoke and light through the canopy of oaks overhead. ."

Hell, that's almost poetry! And he ain't just all purty words either! The plots are intriguing and compelling. I've read all of his books and feel totally lost when I've finished the latest Dave Robicheaux adventure. Keep 'em coming Mr. Burke!