Rain Gods

James Lee Burke and narrator Will Patton are a brilliant duo. Burke writes a tale of evil and redemption, and Patton vividly embodies the succession of bad guys and innocents caught in the sights of greed and violence. The setting is poverty-laced West Texas, where a mass murder of Asian women is discovered by an aging sheriff who hopes to leave his own past behind. The searing detail of evil is offset by elegant, elegiac descriptions of the natural landscape. Patton knows exactly how to get maximum effect from both facets. Listeners may cringe from the violence but are soon calmed and delighted by descriptions of the hills and sunsets. The natural landscape soothes the story's boiling venom and hopelessness. Patton plays each emotion, creating a listening powerhouse. R.F.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

July 13, 2009
Burke returns with a masterfully told, high-octane thriller in which a young Iraqi war veteran and his girlfriend find themselves on the run after a series of brutal murders in the Deep South. Fortunately, Sheriff Hack Holland is on the case and back in a world he'd tried to leave behind so long ago. While there are familiar aspects to this story, Burke's writing never fails to captivate nor does Will Patton's narration disappoint. As Sheriff Holland, Patton is gritty and intense, but subtly heartbroken and grieving over the death of his wife. As war veteran Pete Flores, Patton creates a relatable character who is at once terrified and exposed while still as heroic as one can possibly be. "A Simon & Schuster hardcover (Reviews, June 1). (July)" .