Sunset Limited [Hardcover]

James Lee Burke (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 309 pages
• Publisher: DOUBLEDAY; 1st edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00168GZFY
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,451,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Start Here, May 13, 2001

By 

AntiochAndy "antiochandy" (Antioch, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sunset Limited (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Sunset Limited" is my first book by Burke. In many ways, it is excellent. Burke has the ability to make you feel like you're in the middle of the scenes he describes. He conjures up mist rising from a Louisiana bayou so that you not only see it, you smell it and feel it as well. His characters come alive in a very human way. There are manipulators and pawns, perpetrators and victims. Innocents sometimes pay a heavy price for the misdeeds of others, but even a killer like Swede Boxleiter has redeeming qualities. And Burke's story never has a dull moment. Tension is constant and there is plenty of action.

With all these strengths brought to bear,"Sunset Limited" has a lot going for it, but it also has some shortcomings. This is the 16th Dave Robicheaux novel. A consequence of this is that some things are taken for granted, like the nickname "Streak". Several characters use it on Robicheaux, but if you're unfamiliar with the series, its significance is lost on you. This isn't a big deal, but it is symptomatic of the fact that terms and local expressions abound in this book. To the extent that it can sometimes be difficult for the uninitiated to follow the meaning. Another thing that struck me was that there are a lot of characters in the story, and some just seem to fade in or out without adequate introduction or resolution. For example, "Cool Breeze" Broussard is a pivotal character early in the story, but he just seems to disappear about midway through and you never see any more of him. In the end, the story itself seems to fade away almost like "Cool Breeze". I felt that a lot was left unresolved when the book was done, and it left me with a vaguely unsatisfied feeling. Real life is often like this,a nd some readers may like it this way, but I don't read fiction to get reality. I like stories with all the loose ends tied up.

When I got "Sunset Limited", I was not aware that the Dave Robicheaux character had such a lengthy history. In retrospect, this book was probably not the best place to make his acquaintance. The story is fast-paced and I enjoyed it, but I felt that a lot of loose ends remained when I finished the book, and I probably would have gotten more from it if I had read other books in this series before this one. This is a good book, and I think fans of this series will certainly enjoy it. If you're a newcomer to the Robicheaux novels, however, I suggest that you start with an earlier one. For myself, some earlier Robicheaux books are definitely on the agenda.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but don't expect a happy ending, May 20, 1998

By 

Derek Parker (Melbourne, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sunset Limited (Hardcover)

'Sunset Limited' is pretty good - not great, but pretty good. Burke has moved even further than his previous novels into the realm of atmosphere and psychological context, sacrificing narrative coherence along the way (whether this is a worthwhile exchange depends on your point of view).

This is the sixteenth book centering on Burke's increasingly battered hero, Dave Robicheaux; he is still haunted by old demons, although generally he seems to have found a way to live with most of them. His sometime-friend, Clete Purcel, is still half-heroic, half-pathetic.

The plot centres around a series of decades-old crimes, particularly the grisly murder of a union activist. This leads the book into a series of narrative strands, but sometimes Burke seems to be straining to connect them: there are more than a few unlikely coincidences, and some incidents seem to go nowhere. It is characteristic of the book that the initial reason for Robicheaux's involvement - to locate and perhaps clear a petty crim called Cool Breeze Broussard (Burke has not lost his talent for wonderfully appropriate names) - fades away at the book's half-way point.

But there are villains aplenty: in fact, there are few sympathetic characters here. Some of the bad guys are rich and clever, some are poor and stupid, and some of the worst carry a badge. You can't trust anyone these days, and justice prevails only occasionally.

All this darkness of spirit would be somewhat suffocating, except that Burke has a knack of inserting passages of striking beauty. He has a remarkable feel for the social and physical texture of Louisiana, and a grasp of detail which is almost Chandleresque. Neither has he lost his ear for dialogue: each character has a noticeably different way of speaking, or even of being silent.

'Sunset Limited' - the title is symbolic of a journey into a painful past - is not as good as Burke's 'Black Cherry Blues', 'The Lost Get-Back Boogie' or even 'Heaven's Prisoners', but most readers will find the journey worth the pri! ce of the ticket.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Is it really you, Dave?, August 11, 1999

By 

P. Connors "Colonialpara" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sunset Limited (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was different than the other installments in the Dave Robicheaux series. I actually had some trouble getting into SUNSET LIMITED and that was immediately after finishing JLB's CIMARRON ROSE. When I first opened the book, I was glad to be back in New Iberia. It was reassuring to know that Dave was back and so were Clete, Helen, the Sheriff, Batist, and Alafair and Bootsie (although in much diminished supporting roles). JLB has a beautiful way of describing his characters, especially the ones who drag Dave into their sordid little lives. SUNSET LIMITED is no different in that regard and in this book, I really started to be worried (and frightened) for Clete. Clete's violence is relentless and frightening in its scope. JLB just doesn't let us off easily when Clete goes on the warpath. What I did like and what James Lee is also a master of is his description of the bond that binds Dave to Clete and vice versa. The loyalty, the affection and the caring are all well written. I've had a couple of friends like Clete (and a couple like Dave, too) and in these books, they're well constructed. My problem with "S-L" was that for some reason it didn't grab me from the get-go. Could it have been because I had just finished Cimarron Rose and there just wasn't enough difference between Dave and Billy Bob Holland? Could it be that I'm JLB'd out? Or, did I just not like Megan Flynn and her brother (who ended up with more character and integrity than I first thought)? That was a surprise.

The JLB mastery of place and description is still there and I think it might even be better developed than in some of the earlier installments. It's just that this book didn't get hold of me as early on as his others did. Toward the end, when things began to fall apart for Clete, it picked up again and I finished the book quickly.

There was a somewhat disturbing side note to all of this for me. While it wasn't one of JLB's best efforts, I didn't hate it, either. However, I am now caught up on all of his work (except for the just released BILLY BOB HOLLAND sequel and I think I'm going to put Mr. Burke on back-burner for a time while I read other authors.

There's an old saying in the military that goes, "familiarity breeds contempt..." Well, maybe I've just grown a little too familiar with Dave Robicheaux and James Lee Burke. I look forward to more of his books, it's just that I'll put off reading them for a while.