Clete Audiobook By James Lee Burke cover art

Clete

A Dave Robicheaux Novel

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Clete

By: James Lee Burke
Narrated by: Will Patton
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In the latest installment in his famous Detective Dave Robicheaux series, New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke brings Dave’s partner and friend Clete Purcel to the forefront for the first time as Clete and Dave attempt to stop ruthless smugglers of a dangerous new drug.

Clete Purcel—private investigator, ex-member of the New Orleans Police Department, and war veteran with a hard shell and just a few soft spots—is Dave Robicheaux’s longtime friend and partner in detective work. But he has a troubled past. When Clete leaves his car at the local car wash, only to return to find it ransacked by a group of thugs tied to the drug trade from Mexican cartels to Louisiana, it feels personal—his grandniece died of a fentanyl overdose, and his fists curl when he thinks of the dealers who sold it.

Just as Clete starts to trail the culprits, Clara Bow, a woman with a dark past hires Clete as a detective to investigate her scheming, slippery ex-husband, and a string of brutal deaths all link back to a heavily tattooed man who seems to lurk around every corner. Clete is experiencing shockingly lifelike hallucinations and questioning Clara’s ulterior motives when he and Dave start to hear rumors of a dangerous substance with potentially catastrophic effects. The thugs who destroyed his car might have been pawns in a scheme far darker than they could’ve imagined.

Gripping, violent, yet interlaced with Clete’s humor and consistent drive to protect those he loves, Clete brings a fresh perspective to a truly iconic series. James Lee Burke proves yet again that he is the “heavyweight champ” and “great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed” (Michael Connelly). Crime Fiction Detective Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Police Procedurals Suspense Thriller & Suspense Witty Marriage
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Critic reviews

"...Patton’s gravelly intonation suits Clete; he brings the war veteran to life, capturing his emotional core. Every sentence and conversation is deliberate and captivating. The prose is gritty and unfiltered, and Patton’s narration carefully alternates between the humorous and the brutal. Fans of the series and newcomers alike will fall under Patton’s spell as he voices a gut punch of a mystery."
"...Patton’s gravelly intonation suits Clete; he brings the war veteran to life, capturing his emotional core. Every sentence and conversation is deliberate and captivating. The prose is gritty and unfiltered, and Patton’s narration carefully alternates between the humorous and the brutal. Fans of the series and newcomers alike will fall under Patton’s spell as he voices a gut punch of a mystery."

Continue the series
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I've listened to a number of the Robicheaux novels on Audible and I've always thought Clete Purcell's "sidekick" role was one of the high points. I may have even said "give us more Clete" in some reviews.

In this book, though, I think Burke went overboard. It's like a chef who thinks their roast needs a bit more seasoning slicing off a tiny piece of meat and dumping a bottle of pepper on it. Completely changes the flavor. That's what happened here, in my view. To make things worse, the story and supporting characters (of which Dave Robicheaux is one, rather than being in the main role) are a bit weaker than the previous few novels. I found it really difficult to gauge what time period this story happens in - Clete frequently refers to his time in Vietnam and acts like he's still a young man in this story, so that puts it in the 80's or 90's sometime. But there are cell phones and other modern conveniences so Clete must be in his 60's or even 70's. So it was hard to figure why he acts like he does. Dave appears only occasionally and strangely there's no mention at all of what's happening with Alafair.

Patten does a nice job of narration but it's all in Clete's voice, which is usually the "seasoning" on the roast. A bit too much in this case. Give us more Robicheaux ;-)

Clete: good for seasoning but not the main course

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Please Sir, I want some more. I love all the writings of Burk. His prose are poetry, and stories captivating. He always leaves me awaiting his next release.

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I absolutely loved it! James Lee Burke is one of the best writers on this planet!

Outstanding Performance by Will Patton!!

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Loved the whole thing. Much better than that Cloak story. Hated that. Burke is a great writer.

Joan of Ark

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Love the characters, and Will Patton is maybe the narrator ever. Give it listen. You won’t regret it.

Another great James Lee Burke story

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