Crusader's Cross

A serial killer's loose in Baton Rouge, someone's trying to kill Dave Robicheaux, and Dave is the prime suspect in a murder. James Lee Burke's characters blend light and shadow, good and evil, and Will Patton's shaded delivery makes them all believable. Patton's dreamy Louisiana drawl draws listeners into a complex story winding back into Robicheaux's past. When Dave, a recovering alcoholic, ruins years of sobriety, Patton's performance captures the guilt and remorse of a good, if flawed, man. The abridgment sacrifices the sultry bayou atmosphere that comes from Burke's graceful lyricism, but the story is intriguing, the characters are unique, and the no-frills narration offers an appealing performance by Patton. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine


It's easy to see why Will Patton's voice is synonymous with the Dave Robicheaux series. There is a soft, soothing sound in Patton's Louisiana accent that's perfect for the atmospheric imagery and poetic details. There's also a darker timbre in Patton's voice that reveals the weight placed on our hero's shoulders and, when required, describes the evil that the characters mete out to each other. This riveting tale, built around ancient memories--a 1950s romance with a New Orleans prostitute and a dying cop's memory of a blood-stained hotel room--is a study in revisionism, how and why we romanticize, sanitize, or destroy the past in order to survive in the present. R.W.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine