Crusader's Cross

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