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The Tin Roof Blowdown (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries) | 
 enlarge | Author: James Lee Burke
Publisher: Pocket Books
Category: Book
List Price: £4.46
Buy New: £2.04
You Save: £2.42 (54%)
New (4) Used (7) from £2.04
Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 80839
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 528
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 1416548505
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781416548508
ASIN: 1416548505
Publication Date: June 17, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New - American Title. Expected UK delivery in 7 - 10 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 "I wasn't sure New Orleans would survive." September 22, 2008
Mary Whipple (New England)
(4.5 stars) James Lee Burke, whose Dave Robicheaux series epitomizes some of the cultural characteristics of New Orleans and its outlying parishes, reaches his peak in this novel set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Robicheaux is a detective with the New Iberia Parish, outside of New Orleans, and he and his acquaintances, many of them well known to fans of Burke's novels, have been dramatically impacted by Katrina--those that are still alive, that is.
Artfully combining real stories and details of the Hurricane Katrina disaster with fictional, but seemingly accurate, details of several plot lines evolving from the anarchy of Katrina's wake, Burke creates a chilling and compelling novel which crosses boundaries and throws together people from all levels of New Orleans society--well-to-do suburbanites whose wealth may not all be from legitimate sources, hardworking people who have secrets, "rednecks" who feel entitled to their sometimes ill-gotten gains, and those who live on the fringes of society and feel lucky to be able to know where their next meal is coming from.
In this novel, several predators steal a small boat from a parish priest trying to hack through the roof of a church to save his parishioners, who are in the attic trying to escape the rising floodwaters. The priest, suffering from cancer and addicted to pain-killing drugs, is a long-time friend of Robicheaux and Clete Purcell, his alcoholic friend, but he has vanished after his boat has been stolen. The boat, however, has been used later in a home invasion and robbery which has resulted in the shooting deaths of two of the perpetrators. The house belonged to a member of organized crime, and a stash of "blood diamonds," some cocaine, and a large amount of counterfeit money is missing. Several neighbors, who may have witnessed the shootings, have seen "nothing." One of them is the father of a girl who was probably raped earlier by some of the perpetrators. Eventually, the criminals threaten Alafair, Robicheaux's adopted daughter, and Molly, Robicheaux's wife.
As the mystery and the relationships among the various characters become more complex, the violence and the body count increase. Some of the characters, including one of the "perps," elicit significant sympathy, even as justice--and payback--play out satisfactorily. Burke, as always, creates vibrant, carefully rendered descriptions, often devastatingly bleak, of the environment in which his characters must operate. In the process, he makes the personal aspects of Katrina's aftermath come alive. Well organized and well integrated with the real Katrina disaster, this novel is one of Burke's best creations. n Mary Whipple
Swan Peak (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries)
In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead
A Morning for Flamingos (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries)
Heaven's Prisoners
Crusader's Cross: A Dave Robicheaux Novel (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries)
 in touch with the dark side September 12, 2008
L. Giovnilli (suffolk, uk)
I admit to having read all of JLB's novels, but this one was a real touch on his dark side again. I dealt with the reality of the hurricane (as an insurance adjuster) but his writing on the event was more frightning as it involved real people and a place that really meant something to him. The main character too, Dave, whilst sometimes you have to say no-one is THAT unlucky, actually as an alcoholic with an anger management problem - he is probably very lucky. Well apart from hearing/seeing dead people and attracting psychopaths to his family anyway.......
 Disappointed not to enjoy this book August 16, 2008
Janie U (England)
I was really looking forward to reading this book as it is very interesting to set a book around an event which is so recent that it can be remembered by anyone likely to read.
Having no direct links with New Orleans, so only a media view of the disaster, the novel gave me a version of the real events which was cleverly written as an integral part of the story and never felt like a factual account.
I've never read any of the books previously in this series and felt that was a big disadvantage as there was a lot of previous knowledge assumed. The main character appears to be much loved by his readers but I could not work out any sympathies for him.
I ended up not finishing the book, as half way through I had not been hooked in and decided that I was wasting my time. It did have a lot of promise and comes highly recommended so I will start now with the first book in the series and see if that works better.
Blown Away August 1, 2008
A reader (London)
Not normally a reader of crime fiction, I came to this novel after glimpsing numerous laudatory reviews of James Lee Burke's work - and I was not disappointed.
"The Tin Roof Blowdown" follows the author's serial anti-hero, Dave Robicheaux, through a criminal investigation taking place against the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans. It's a marvellously evocative device that creates tension in the plot, and many moments of vivid description from the author.
This is a very well written book that should provide stimulation for literary readers as well as for those who just want to get their teeth into a good mystery. The final paragraph is one of the most lyrical I've read in recent years, whether in literary or commercial fiction.
Soaked in atmosphere January 28, 2008
Benjamin (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Set in and around New Orleans during and following destructive hurricane Katrina, the Tin Roof Blowdown is a complex piece of crime fiction. Graphic descriptions of the terror and destruction wrought by Katrina, and frequent reminders of the ineptitude of the authorities in handling the tragedy, form the backdrop as the drama unfolds. Drama involving the disappearance of a young priest, the murder of a young black rapist and an innocent black teenager with the father of the rapist's victim being accused, and somehow the involvement of organised crime.
With the NOPD overwhelmed, Detective Dave Robicheaux is called in to investigate. As he works in the company of his old friend and ex-cop Clete Purcel, Robicheaux finds his own family comes under attack form a deranged .
Soaked in atmosphere and full of detailed description, and not fearing to make political comment, this is a thoroughly involving story. Part narrated by Robicheaux, and part related in the third person, a devise which while providing the full picture of events also provides a personal view on matters, we get a clear picture of the intricacies of the plot; and such is the skill of the writer that we not only see inside Robicheaux's mind, but we can actually hear his voice when he speaks.
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