Jolie Blon's Bounce

Dave Robicheaux #12

by James Lee Burke

The Barnes & Noble Review

James Lee Burke's fiction is haunted, sometimes quite literally, by the ghosts of history, and by a bone-deep apprehension of the human capacity for violence and cruelty. A case in point is the author's latest Dave Robicheaux novel, Jolie Blon's Bounce, a contemporary account of murder and madness whose plot reflects the lingering aftereffects of the antebellum South.

The story begins with the shotgun murder of 16-year-old Amanda Boudreau and the subsequent arrest of Tee Bobby Hulin, a musically gifted young black man with a spiraling drug habit and a checkered criminal past. This initial murder is quickly followed by a second, the bludgeoning death of a prostitute with ties to the world of organized crime. The dual investigation that ensues leads Robicheaux -- together with his current partner, Helen Soileau, and his former partner in the New Orleans PD, Clete Purcell -- into the complex, interrelated histories of several New Iberia families, some rich, white, and powerful, some poor, black, and chronically underprivileged. The investigation puts Robicheaux in touch with the most vicious elements of Louisiana society, and with the darkest aspects of his own divided soul.

Like most of Burke's fiction, Jolie Blon's Bounce is a rambling, loosely plotted affair notable for its powerful set pieces, its precise, sensual evocation of the Louisiana bayou country, and its flamboyant sense of character. Among the novel's most vivid creations are a sexually voracious defense attorney descended from a wealthy slaveholding family, a traveling Bible salesman with a penchant for violence, a former Mafia hit man with a tragic personal history, and a predatory, not-quite-human killer who goes by the name of Legion. Legion, a deliberate, over-the-top embodiment of absolute evil, is one of Burke's most remarkable creations. His presence, together with the corollary presence of a mad, possibly angelic figure known as Sal Angelo, lends this novel the faint, unmistakable aura of the supernatural that has characterized so much of Burke's recent fiction.

As always, though, it is Dave Robicheaux himself -- a decent, violent, angry, loving, and deeply conflicted man -- who dominates the narrative. Robicheaux's distinctive character and his voice -- with its mournful power, its clean, rolling cadences, and its frequent flights of unforced poetry -- elevate this novel at every turn. Like the best of its predecessors (The Neon Rain, A Morning for Flamingos, Purple Cane Road), Jolie Blon's Bounce is bruising, moving, and beautifully composed -- an example of American crime fiction at its best and most highly evolved. (Bill Sheehan)

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Detective, Audiobook

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 4, 2002

About the author

James Lee Burke is an American author best known for his mysteries, particularly the Dave Robicheaux series. He has twice received the Edgar Award for Best Novel, for Black Cherry Blues in 1990 and Cimarron Rose in 1998.

Burke was born in Houston, Texas, but grew up on the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast. He attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of Missouri, receiving a BA and MA from the latter. He has worked at a wide variety of jobs over the years, including working in the oil industry, as a reporter, and as a social worker. He was Writer in Residence at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, succeeding his good friend and posthumous Pulitzer Prize winner John Kennedy Toole, and preceding Ernest Gaines in the position. Shortly before his move to Montana, he taught for several years in the Creative Writing program at Wichita State University in the 1980s.

Burke and his wife, Pearl, split their time between Lolo, Montana, and New Iberia, Louisiana. Their daughter, Alafair Burke, is also a mystery novelist.

The book that has influenced his life the most is the 1929 family tragedy "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Lee Burke is probably one of the best authors out there when it comes to ability to describe people, places, and things. He is a master of his craft. The reader is transported to the setting of the story. In the Dave Robicheaux series this is usually in and around New Iberia and New Orleans in Louisiana. You will find yourself in the city tasting the food and listending to the music or on a boat in the bayou. His characters are vivid and colorful. It is good vs evil and there are reflections of the lingering aftereffects of the antebellum South.

In Jolie Blon's Bounce the story opens with the brutal rape and murder of Amanda Boudreau, a beautiful teenage girl. The suspect is Tee Bobby Hulin, a young black man who is musically gifted but has a drug addiction and criminal history. Soon after there is another murder. This time a prostitute whose father, Joe Zeroski, is a member of organized crime. Among the other characters in this story are Legion Guidry, an embodiment of absolute evil and Marvin Oates, a mysterious Bible salesman who may not be the simple good ole boy that he appears to be. Clete Purcell, Robicheaux's former partner in the New Orleans PD, is in the story and still a train wreck waiting to happen. Dave is a recovering alcoholic and still struggles with his addiction. In this story he will have to take on painkillers after a severe beating at the hands of Legion. Dave must deal with not only the physical beating but the mental beating he puts himself through. Legion left him with scars that run deep and threaten his recovery.

This story brings to the forefront the differences between the haves and the have not. Blacks are usually poor, uneducated, and descendants of slaves. Then there are the whites who are well to do, educated, and descendants of plantation owners. A haunting reminder of the antebellum South. There are other supernatural aspects in this story. Legion who appears to be the devil himself or in pact with the devil. A homeless man that Dave tries to help out who may, or may not, have been a medic in Vietnam and saved Dave when he was wounded. Like In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead and Dixie City Jam the supernatural is a key undercurrent throughout the story but it does not detract. Rather it seems to remind us that sometimes there are forces in play we may not understand.

[Johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the second book I read this week with an unexpected near-supernatural element to it. Jolie Blon's Bounce has to be one of the most disturbing books I've ever read. Talk about palpable evil? The text of this book should be hyperlinked to that phrase ("palpable evil") every time it's used. James Lee Burke is a master at reaching into the dark forces that shaped one's past and illuminating those demons--whether of alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual perversion, or violence. And all four of those demonic forces invade the reader's comfort zone in Jolie Blon's Bounce along with the racism and violent atrocities associated with Louisiana's past. There is even a powerful metaphor in the battle-scarred Confederate flag owned by one of the characters and displayed prominently in a glass case.

The plot is simple. A young white girl is brutally raped and murdered. A young black male has plenty of circumstantial evidence pointed his way. Dave Robicheaux is not convinced of the perp's guilt, so he sets out to prove it either way. That quick synopsis is probably as ambivalent as the suspect himself. On the way hand, he seems to be a no-good dope addict and on the other hand, he seems to be a phenomenally talented zydeco musician. This gives Burke a chance to drop names like Clifton Chenier into the mix and remind people like me of some music I really enjoy that seems like a cross between blues and rock-a-billy.

Cajun culture and tradition is highlighted throughout the story. I didn't realize that there was a grammatical construction similar to that in many languages where they use separable and inseparable pronouns. For example, in Latin, the pronoun is part of the verb. "Amo" means "I love." Sometimes, you read, "Ego te amo." Technically, that would be "I, I love you!" In some languages, the double pronoun is used for emphasis. Apparently, in Cajun, there are phrases that sound like "I will do this, me!" or "You better be going, you!" I didn't know that. I also didn't know about the game of bouree, a trick-taking card game where the trumps are determined randomly, that was mentioned twice.

There is an antagonist in the book that I will never forget. His name is Legion Guidry and he is described as, "Legion Guidry comes from someplace the rest of us don't. That's a theological statement." (p. 230) A former prison guard and plantation slave overseer, this mass of pus and evil has supernatural strength and that kind of negative charisma that freezes almost everyone who comes into contact with him. Even presented by text on a page, this guy is scarier than the villain in a chain-saw movie. You find yourself wishing for the most horrible and disgusting violent acts to be perpetrated on him. What Robicheaux does is incredible and I won't spoil it.

There is a potential suspect in the book. Almost a caricature of the Bible salesman in Paper Moon, you know there is something wrong with Marvin Oates from the time you meet him. But you just can't quite figure out where he fits in the situation. Like Guidry, he seems to have power beyond his person. You don't want to believe all those hymns and scriptural references he makes, but you just aren't sure, sometimes.

There is also the benevolent black grandma, a victim of the plantation days. She makes a statement early on that the seed of whatever happened occurred long before, but she was unwilling to elaborate. That failure to speak almost wreaks ugly havoc in far too many lives.

And what am I supposed to make of a mysterious figure named Sal Angelo, an Italian and fellow soldier from Dave's past. Is HE for real or does he represent something quite akin to his name (both of them, since it would be Salvatore Angelo)? It's another area where you might be on the verge of the supernatural. Burke doesn't go over the line in these areas, but he sure makes you wonder.

My favorite line from the book was also the most haunting, "I was bothered by the nagging speculation that has troubled me since I became a police officer, namely, that no matter how heinous the crime or evil the deed, human beings feel at the time they commit the act that they are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing." (p. 447) That was as sobering as some of the most frightening descriptions of atrocities I've read in my life.

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stuff, no doubt. Containing the wonderfully evocative writing I've come to expect from Burke, it built a world of mud and heat I could just about sink my toes into. Yet despite all the elements that make it a prototypical Robicheaux novel--as noted by Nanosynergy in their pointed review--it lacked a certain spice to really pull it together into exceptional.

The story begins with a young girl brutally raped and murdered, and what seems to be an obvious suspect, a young black musician who had been dating the girl and whose prints were found on a can of beer nearby. Dave Robicheaux has doubts after the kid tries to suicide and a pillar of the community decides to represent him. Before long, a prostitute is found savagely beaten to death, and it starts to look like a serial killer. The woman, Linda, is connected to a crime family, and now her father is on the warpath. However, it isn't long before both cases are sidetracked as Dave follows the age-old private eye premise of harassing various people in hopes of seeing what shakes out. Mostly what shakes out are a lot of threats, but occasionally some beatings as well.

Perhaps because I've been reading more police-type procedurals (as long as Ben Aaronovitch counts), but it surprised me that there wasn't more straight-up detecting, particularly as Robicheaux has official status. Robicheaux also feels aggressive when he meets various people connected with the case(s), which surprises me a bit from the charming Cajun I thought he was. Then again, I suppose this is book 8, so some things must have happened between book three and this one. Still, I found the general repetitiveness of the (lack of) plotting a little tiresome. Not enough to skip, but enough to put it down and wander away.

Characters are interesting, particularly the renegade Clete, inarguably Dave's best friend and general wild card. Although Dave's wife and daughter make brief appearances, they seem to be more of an afterthought in this book. Dave's pseudo-addiction is a little tiresome, both from a plotting standpoint and from a psychological perspective. I'm definitely ambivalent about the reason for the addiction in this book, and if anyone wants to discuss, please let me know!

Narrative is mostly from Dave's point of view, but there are a few others included. It's a little strange when stories of the past--both immediate and distant--are told as Burke moves the scene back in time and tells it from an omniscient point of view, including that of women being abused. It's very evocative, but leaves the mystery to head into literary fiction-land.

Overall, not a bad read, just one that had me wishing for a bit more of actual detecting and less from the bar-brawler.

Three and a half stars, rounding down to even out the average 4 stars rating.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts out with a bang and never lets up. First time I’ve picked up a Dave Robicheaux book in a while and I’ve really missed them. My favorite character is here also, Clete Purcell; man, I love that guy he’s truly a piece of work. As usual a fairly complicated story that runs all over the place and has you trying to figure out which of the many bad people we meet are the real antagonists that are at the heart of the story. Dave and Clete are always in the middle of their own demons throughout the book.

[Wayne Zurl · Rating 5 out of 5]

JOLIE BLON’S BOUNCE
I read this book almost ten years ago, but recently listened to the unabridged audio book, read by actor Will Patton.

Looking at this book from a writer’s viewpoint, I must stand in awe of James Lee Burke. The plot is complicated and imaginative. It’s full of allegory and biblical references the average person may not understand (I didn’t) but thanks to main character and narrator, Dave Robicheaux, you’ll get a quick theology lesson, improve your knowledge of the bible a little, and see the parallel Burke uses to tell a story of (among other things) good and evil.

I’ve always said James Lee Burke has few equals in his poetic ability to describe people, places and events. JOLIE BLON’S BOUNCE provides him with plenty of ground to do that over and over again and also exercise his talent for getting a reader into the heads of the assorted miscreants and psychos that litter the pages of all his books. He always provides you with a good lesson in abnormal psychology as it relates to his characters.

And I love his characters. Whether they’re good guys or bad guys, they’re all train wrecks just waiting to roll over some spot in southern Louisiana. I doubt you’ll ever forget them.

Will I enjoy the book, you ask? Kinda depends on what you like. This is NOT a light read. This is NOT a cozy mystery. What entertains you? This IS a dark, extremely well written police procedural. I generally do not afford a civilian writer much slack with their interpretation of how cops work, but Burke does a fine job dealing with the procedures and interpersonal machinations of the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Department. Everything is uncomplicated and realistic. He also pulls off an authentic representation of an alcoholic, and has uncanny success when giving life to the sociopaths and nut-jobs that walk through each day Robicheaux is on the job.

I’d highly recommend any of James Lee Burke’s books and especially this one. 5 stars.

[Nanosynergy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might as well go out on a limb and say that this may be the definitive book of the Dave Robicheaux series (of course I have several more to read in the series). It has Dave Robicheaux's addiction/violence/anger issues; Clete Purcell in all his bumbling, destructive, womanizing glory; a creepy antagonist with an applicable name that I will remember; a cast of dysfunctional characters overshadowed by their past (the Southern plantation wealthy, the Southern 'white trash,' the possibly lesbian cop; etc.); unrelenting darkness and violence; issues of prejudice and race in the South; Vietnam War veterans; the swamps and bayous; fishing and boats; Cajun culture and music; the criminal, drug and prostitute underbelly of New Iberia and Louisiana; cops whose behavior should put them behind bars or off the force; the rich descriptive language that evokes the region; the supernatural/spiritual and portent dreams; and last, but not least, an albino character (not the first in this series).

For all this wrapped into one book, I'll give it 4 stars. (Although generally I knock off a star for an albino character. But as the albino is portrayed as clever and non-violent - although still a criminal - I am granting grace.)

[Aditya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burke's books carry an undeniable sense of deja vu in terms of plotting and I had overlooked it before but Jolie Blon's Bounce feels like a retread more than any other book that came before it. A series of brutal rapes and murders has an obvious suspect in the form of a young black man - Tee Bobby Hulin and less obvious ones in form of hellish Legion Gundry and mysterious bible salesman Marvin Oates. It is just the starting point of a sprawling narrative. The plot like all Burke books is a mishmash of disjointed fragments for the first ninety percent of the book till the last ten percent expertly reels in the denouements to complete a puzzle that fits perfectly.

The usual characters of any Robicheaux novels are present - the tragic young black man (Tee Bobby Hulin) forever carrying his skin color as stigmata, the scion to old white money (Perry Lasalle) whose politeness is a facade, an antagonist (Legion Gundry) who is equal parts insidious and dangerous. I am not going to repeat myself singing the praises of the writing and dialogue. I have done it numerous times before and suffice to say they remain top-notch. I will rather concentrate on what makes the book feel much more mediocre compared to other entries in the series.

Robicheaux was at his best place psychologically in books #9 and 10 (though as a character he was at his best at the start of the series - raw, alone and more fallible) and Burke ever since then is focused on bringing his world crashing down. It was done more organically in Purple Cane Road and Jolie Blon's Bounce's device to send him spiraling down further is questionable at best. Robicheaux while investigating the murders run afoul of Legion who is protecting ancient secrets of his own. Legion gives him a brutal beating, a manhandling that makes Robicheaux feel almost sexually violated. Robicheaux is tempted to revisit booze, the series had always afforded Robicheaux's sobriety the utmost respect and had not used it as a cheap storytelling device. It breaks that trend here but because Burke has used it so sparingly till now, I did not mind it.

However what I did mind is the path Burke takes to ensure Robicheaux reaches the tipping point. This series has seen some great villains (Julie Balboni in In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead and Jim Gable in Purple Cane Road) and they are at their most menacing when there is a veneer of civility to go with their obvious depravity. Legion does not possess that, he is a seventy four year old man with no ties to organized crime and whose address is known to Robicheaux. I just did not buy his threats, Robicheaux had faced much worse (even of the psychotic variety in Dixie City Jam) and not been so vulnerable. To sell Legion's threat Burke leans heavily on magical realism, Robicheaux and other characters consider him some form of demon. I hate magical realism in my crime stories and to further the motif of good vs evil, Robicheaux is even saddled with a mysterious guardian angel at the novel's climax. Another thing I did mind was Clete finding true love for the third time in last three novels and getting his heart broken every time. I don't mind overall tonal repetitions in plot but the same exact sub plot 3/3 times is too much.

Robicheaux books work much better when the man himself is not the victim of the violence. It really affects the realism because that well is running dry at this point. Read Cadillac Jukebox or Sunset Limited to get my point. They also work better when the mystical realism is not a plot contrivance but more of the subtle way point for the characters. Think Black Cherry Blues. those issues mean it ends up being an above average crime thriller but a below average installment to Robicheaux canon. Rating - 3/5

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great edition in the Robicheaux series.

I leaned back in my chair, my fingers laced behind my head, and wondered at the complexities and contradictions that must have existed in the earth's original clay when God first scooped it up in His palms.

This one follows Dave and Clete Purcell as they investigate the brutal rape and murder of Amanda Boudreau, a young woman who was attacked along with her boyfriend at a popular makeout spot. Her boyfriend stated that three men in ski masks tied him up with his own shirt, then took Amanda into the woods. Dave's bullshit meter indicates the boyfriend isn't telling him everything...

One of the main suspects is Tee Bobby Hulin, an incredibly gifted musician whose future dimmed once he got a taste for shooting up. Digging into his life brings our heroes into the orbit of a man known as Legion, who always seems to know which sin is a person's weakness. Finally there's Marvin Oates, a door-to-door salesman whose aw shucks demeanor doesn't shake him from suspicion.

Jolie Blon's Bounce includes a touch of the supernatural - nothing overt, just hinted at. Some folks are turned off by that, but for me it adds the perfect extra seasoning. Next in the series will be Last Car to Elysian Fields.

This was not an ordinary AA group. The failed, the aberrant, the doubly addicted, and the totally brain-fried whose neurosis didn't even have a name found their way to the Work the Steps or Die, Motherfucker meeting: strippers from the Quarter, psychotic street people, twenty-dollar hookers, peckerwood fundamentalists, leather-clad, born-again bikers, women who breast-fed their infants in a sea of cigarette smoke, a couple of cops who had done federal time, male prostitutes dying of AIDS, parolees with a lean, hungry look who sought only a signature on an attendance slip for their P.O.'s, methheads who drank from fire extinguishers in the joint, and Vietnam vets who wore their military tattoos and black- or olive-colored 1st Cav. and airborne T-shirts and still heard the thropping of helicopter blades in their sleep.

[Colin Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the best of the series so far. As usual Dave Robicheaux rushes headlong into the fight when a young girl is raped and shot to death. He digs up old animosities in the local community stemming from the plantation days and an overseer who was a sexual predator.

Dave struggles with the demons of his days as a marine in Vietnam and then the dark world of alcoholism. His friend Cletus Purcell is guarding his back as well as earning the wrath of the New Iberia sheriff. Good fast moving action and at times you can feel yourself casting a line into the bayou. There didn't seem to be some much jargon/slang in this story.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is the best I've ever read. That being said, this was a little bit more violent than I enjoy reading but it still didn't take away from how much I really enjoyed it. James Lee Burke is the best!

[Rebecca I · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows the formulary for most of the Robicheaux books. I hadn't read one in a while and had forgotten how violent they are. There are some mystical overtones in this one.

[Jim]

One of my friends who also really likes the Harry Bosch books told me this is another favorite series. My library doesn't have many in audio, so when I saw this I was thrilled. Not so much after listening to it for an hour. I think I need to read the series from the start & this might be in paper. The narrator's voice irritated me & even at 1.5x, it was slow.

[Nancy Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books in this series are not the easiest to read. They tend to be darker with plenty of violence and evil characters, yet they always have a redeeming feature that makes them totally worth reading. You also can't help but feel sympathetic towards Robicheaux. This story has an extra dose of violence, almost to the point that I was unable to continue with it, but again, Burke's writing is so amazing, you just don't want to stop reading. I don't know how Robicheaux and Purcel got out of this book alive, other than the fact they're fictional characters! Whew.....what a ride! And yes, I'll definitely be back for more!

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only Robicheaux I haven't read three times. Not sure how I missed it. In any event, Dave and Clete may be up against Lucifer's incarnate himself, Legion Guidry, an extraordinary older man with quite a jaded past. Or could Guidry be a bionic older man, damn near a freakin' terminator. Arnold old boy, what do you think? Answer: "He'll be back!"
Next, a gimpy, oddball door-to-door bible and magazine salesman, next enter a former mobster who is quite likable, all types of women and pimps are the primary characters in this one.
As usual for any JLB novel, gritty and evilicious, and of course a good read nonetheless....

[Ubik 2.0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Questa è la Louisiana, Dave. Il Guatemala del nord. Smettila di pensare di vivere negli Stati Uniti e la vita avrà molto più senso”

Pur avendo letto nel corso degli anni molti romanzi di Burke, non sono mai riuscito ad individuare i motivi profondi per cui alcuni episodi, questo “Jolie Blond’s Bounce” ad esempio, risultino così riusciti, magici, affascinanti ed altri (pochi per la verità) deludano nonostante il fatto che lo schema narrativo sia sostanzialmente omogeneo.

Forse il segreto risiede nel grado di fusione della trama poliziesca sottostante con la descrizione dell’ambiente della Louisiana, inteso non solo come paesaggio, flora e fauna, luci e colori, ma anche e soprattutto come stato d’animo, personaggi, storia, musica, peso del passato sul presente.

In questo senso La ballata di Jolie Blond presenta tutti gli ingredienti al posto giusto, non esiste figurante di questo romanzo, carnefice, testimone o vittima, che non affondi profondamente le proprie radici culturali e razziali nei drammi cruenti di un passato prossimo o remoto, fatto di bandiere confederate, musica cajun, piantagioni enormi, baracche di schiavi nello sconfinato labirinto dei canali del bayou e soprattutto storie, leggende, ballate che divagano dal presunto filo conduttore dell’indagine poliziesca, per dipingere caratteri estremi dalle tinte nette e contrastate come un tramonto sulla palude o il cielo di un uragano all’orizzonte.

Alla fine, al netto di una ricerca tanto ossessiva quanto rituale dei colpevoli dell’uno o dell’altro efferato crimine, resta questa atmosfera che solo Burke sa descrivere, forse ripetendosi un poco (quante volte abbiamo letto la scena di qualcuno che arriva in auto e scende al pontile per parlare con un Robicheaux intento alle attività routinarie nella baracca del negozio di esche?) ma sapendo comunque infondere alle pagine una malìa di origini misteriose come un incantesimo voodoo. E “Legion” infine è uno dei personaggi più maligni che Burke abbia mai creato, e quando il “vilain” funziona ne guadagna tutto il romanzo…

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I like about author James Lee Burke is that his bad guys are real life bad. Just when you thought that the human mind couldn’t conger crimes more horrendous then those you’ve already read about, James Lee Burke, like the artist he is with words, writes vile and gruesome images that makes you visualize them in color so vivid, they can evoke nightmares. James Lee Burke books will make you take second and third looks at relatives, neighbors, co-workers, strangers and acquaintances and, if you happen to be walking by yourself after the Sun has set, if you hear a noise, you’ll spend the rest of your walk looking over your shoulder. Author Burke descriptive images forces you to face that some humans claim to fame is how much pain they can inflict upon others before they murder them.

In Jolie Blon’s Bounce, Dave Robicheaux is in search of the murderer of a young girl who was raped while alive and then raped again after she had been beaten to death.

James Lee Burke writes in the same vein as Elmore Leonard writes in television program Justified. James Lee Burke’s books are not for readers who don’t want to or who can’t accept the dark side of their fellow humans. Mark Hammer understands the personalities of the characters and tells the story with so much imagery of the ugliness inflicted by one human upon another human that it’ll make you want to question your own ability to recognize the heartlessness in those who are sharing your environment.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

True to form, more of the same, a little less of this, a little more of that, but ... a solid installment in the Robicheaux story arc, and one that, for me, cruised along nicely, with the pages turning frequently and easily, all contributing to a late night (OK, well into the morning) session to see it through to the end.

It could be my imagination, but, overall, I felt like this one was ever-so-much lighter in the lyrical department, with less graphic, colorful, emotive imagery, but maybe I was just overly focused on the plot and the latest cast of characters.

If anything, I thought the denouement was too cute by half, but, otherwise, I thought it held together nicely. Dave's demons were compelling (and, to my mind, appropriately managed), but I'll be curious to see if the mystery character (no spoiler here) returns in a later installment or if it was shade of the Confederate Dead.

By my count, that's 16 JLB's for me, and I don't expect to stop anytime soon. If I continue to ration, I expect I'm still a few (or at least a couple) of years away from catching up to the author on Robicheaux...

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Dave Robicheaux book. This one had a lot of great characters and intertwining plots. Now that I have had a chance to visit New Iberia I love this setting even more. I know that Dave and Clete are fictional characters but while I was visiting there I kept imagining them in that setting. I only have 2 more Dave Robicheaux books to read and I will have read all 18 or them. I guess I will have to reread some of my favorite ones again.

[Tom S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from JLB.

[wally · Rating 3 out of 5]

finished this one today the 8th of august 2019 good read three stars i liked it. i pity burke, blind to his own bigotry and racism, his main man robicheaux uses the phrase "white trash" without apology or remorse. somewhat like that asshole f.b.i. agent who testified before the public, and before our congress, and who used with that evil smirk on his shithead face, words to do with "hillbilly" and "walmart" and the like.

if is ANY wonder that one of the latest "mass shooters" hit a walmart? nobody at cnn had a "take away " moment over the f.b.i. agent's words, nobody raised a fuss, much as they did not do during clinton's abuse of the white house when words like that were used frequently, with nobody saying word one about misogyny, the word that means hatred of men...not quite as fashionable as the other, racism, bigotry, blah blah blah.

and then...to highlight burke's blindness using his own words, burke here in this one, as he has in numerous others, laments america's involvement in vietnam..."victor charles" bravo zulu, they named it before it was over. here is burke: but the politicians who sent my friend the sergeant into that Third World village would never have to carry his burden, nor would any civil or military authority ever hold them accountable.

it wasn't that long ago that the big talking heads prime-time used the phrase "third world" without apology or remorse, without anyone calling them on their bigotry, racism. "third world" a signifier without a signified. burke laments that the politicians are not held to account...for sending the friendly sergeant into a "third world village".

heh! i love it.

that phrase has since fallen out of favor for the more palatable developing nation but the intent and meaning is the same...they are less than because they are "third world"...they are less than because they are "developing". columbus tripped over the continent on the way to find a shortcut to china, or so we're told, a shortcut to india. who the hell gets to decide what is one world new world old world or fookin third world? burke?

anyway he writes some interesting stories. half the time you wonder how any "case" gets solved as so much of the story revolves around the foibles of robicheaux and his buddy cletus.

and i don't even had to look at other reviews to know that nobody will call him on his inherent racism and bigotry, it is simply not fashionable, not today, maybe a hundred years from now. maybe some other time we'll be stardust, golden, if we ever were.

[Paul Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s official, James Lee Burke is my favourite crime writer.

‘I was arrested before I could get out of the parking lot. 10 minutes later, I was escorted in cuffs inside the St Martin parish jail, my shirt split down the back, and pushed inside the drunk tank. My skin felt dead to the touch, my muscles without texture or tone, as though I had just come off a two-day, whiskey drunk. The voices of the inmates around me seemed muffled, filtered through wet cotton, even though some of them appeared to know me and were speaking directly in my face. In my mind’s eye I saw a homeless man bent under a cross made of a rolled yellow tent stuffed with all his Earthly belongings, and I knew that for all of us who had been there the war would never be over and the real enemy was not Jimmy Sty but a violent creature who rose with me in the morning and lived quietly inside my skin, waiting for the proper moment to vent his rage upon the world.’

Dave Robicheaux is a deeply flawed hero with an unswerving focus on justice. He’s the author of most of his own troubles and still battles with alcoholism even though he’s been dry for years. That James Lee Burke can fill book after book with believable characters who have questionable morals, set in the romantically described Louisiana is an incredible feat of imagination without parallel.

‘A love affair with Louisiana is in some ways like falling in love with the biblical whore of Babylon. We try to smile at its carnival-like politics, its sweaty, whiskey-soaked demagogues, the ignorance bred by its poverty, and the insularity of its Cajun and Afro-Caribbean culture. But our self depreciating matter is a poor disguise for the realities that hover on the edge of one’s vision like dirty smudges on a family portrait.’

[Watchdogg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jolie Blon's Bounce (Dave Robicheaux #12) by James Lee Burke
First published June 4, 2002

Thumbnail -
Three men are present when Amanda Boudreau is raped and murdered, and small-time hustler Tee Bobby Hulin's prints are found at the crime scene. Dave Robicheaux reckons he's innocent, and Tee Bobby pleads so, then attempts suicide in his holding cell. Why? Tee Bobby is released on bail and soon after there is a second murder.

When lawyer Perry LaSalle takes on the defense of Tee Bobby, Dave knows his motives are fueled by guilt. For Tee Bobby's grandmother was seduced by Perry's grandfather, and Amanda Boudreau's death is related to events that happened long before Tee Bobby was born...



My thoughts -
This was my second or third time around reading this JLB novel since it was released just over two decades ago. I know my earlier thoughts about it focused on JLB's deft character development and poetic description of both southern Louisiana and his characters. However, this time I was struck by his portrayal of a recovering substance abuser (Robicheaux) clawing his way back to sobriety and sanity after a fall off the wagon following a brutal beating by a deranged psychopath. This portrayal was tremendously moving and really got into the psyche of a substance abuser and his contentious behavior involving his family and work environment.

Read this installment in the Dave Robicheaux series for any reason, but as you do so keep in mind how the author portrays the mind of a user seeking recovery. A strong 4-stars from whatever viewpoint you take.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Jolie Blon’s Bounce” by James Lee Burke, published by Simon & Schuster.

Category - Mystery/Thriller. Publication Date - 2002.

What can I say, this novel is another great read by Burke featuring the New Iberia detective, Dave Robicheaux.

Dave becomes invoked in a young girl’s rape and murder. All evidence points to Tee Bobby Hulin but Dave feels that Tee Bobby does not fit the profile. Making matters worse Tee Bobby is also accused of killing a prostitute. The prostitute happens to be the daughter of a Mafia Chieftain.

While solving these crimes Dave must fight off his own demons, both an alcoholic addiction and pain addiction.
Another great read from James Lee Burke.

[Jody Sperling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of this one, and enjoyed Burke's own voice in the forward. I'd never heard him speak before.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Lee Burke does it again.
Incredibly beautiful descriptive writing, a fascinating cast of characters and the fight between good and evil.
The character in this book that I won't soon forget is named Legion Guidry, is known as just "Legion" with all the inherent evil and darkness one would expect boilng out of him. But other characters are memorable too for their ability to seem like good guys while doing terrible things...
A typical Robichaux book with some mysticism thrown in for good measure.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another depressing novel. I don't really see why this series is so popular.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't have to have lived in Louisiana or elsewhere in the deep south to enjoy JLB's novels, but gosh it helps. I lived eight years in Georgia and one in Tennessee and visited New Orleans and Lafayette every chance I got, and he does a wonderful job evoking the look, mood, and feel of the country there, and the way history intertwines with climate and landscape to create emotional backdrops that are sometimes ominous, sometimes joyous, but never neutral or uninteresting. All of that is on display here, as are Burke's familiar cast of characters: Dave Robicheaux, Helen Soileau, Clete Purcel, Bootsie, Alafair, Batist, as are Burke's preoccupations with good and evil, moral ambiguity, race relations, violence and the dilemma of whether it is a necessary evil or just plain rotten, the struggle for sanity and sobriety, etc. All of this, plus Burke's amazing capacity for coming up with interesting story lines and twists, his ability to draw characters, and his love of a good turn of phrase or witty one-liner. So why didn't I give it five stars? Oddly enough, the most interesting and compellingly drawn new character, the demonic Legion Guidry, is also the one whose story, and particularly his demise, left this reader feeling a wee bit cheated. I have seen Burke reach deliberately for the deus ex machina device in another novel and I have to say I don't like it. That said, I still strongly recommend this novel to fans and newcomers alike. It's not his best, but it's very, very good indeed.

[R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I often struggle with JLB, most times I feel like I waited entirely too long to become a fan and sometimes I wonder if I would have really appreciated and understood his style at any earlier age. Jolie Blon's Bounce is the work that has really epitomized that internal dilemma.

In this book I realized that most of the Robicheaux series is constructed around a tight formula. Something occurs to set Dave into motion, and he of the eternal good heart bounces around off of the lives of the guilty and innocent alike, and irritating the sheriff in the process. His blunderbuss weapon of choice, Clete Purcell, wields mayhem and chaos while getting his heart broken by an unlikely cast of lovers. Dave and Clete take turns saving one another, and sometimes justice gets served to all. The thing is, I am ok with this formula. JLB writes the characters and the places so well, I want to experience them over and over again. JLB certainly delivers in this book.

In Jolie Blon's Bounce, JLB seems to have made an important transition though. Where previously he seemed to flirt with the supernatural in the battle between good and true evil (setting aside In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead), this time JLB seems to have openly embraced those things that roam the darkness beyond site and consciousness, by giving them worldly shapes. An interesting observation for an aging character, living in the minds of an aging writer.

[Jack Heath · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars. True confession, I couldn't finish. I listened on CD but found the accents difficult much of the time and incomprehensible too often. Six disks in, half-way, I gave up. I was losing the story in my effort to catch the latest phrase. For the voice of Louisiana Police Detective Dave Robicheaux, OK, but when narrator Mark Hammer switched to Tee Bobby and others, I was gone. A friend suggested James Lee Burke to me. I trust his judgment but recommend, for those of us far removed from the American Deep South, stick to the printed word. I did like the premise and the rambling style. Perhaps it's that style of writing which adds to my difficulty in the audio. Burke meanders in and out of the central theme of the novel, the brutal killings of two young women. One day Robicheaux is investigating the first killing, a shotgun murder; the next he's reminiscing about a friend who's peripheral to the story, and the third, he's selling bait at his marina. A book more easily allows you to ask yourself, "Remind me, who is that character?" and flip back. I'll return; I'm not giving up on my friend's advice. (July 2018)

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't been there physically, but James Lee Burke does a masterful job in placing you in the story. You can feel the heat while watching lightening flash across the night's sky. Your skin crawls with desperation of a depressed area. Your heart races with disgust as you are faced with one literature's most vile villains.
Very good read and very smooth prose.