THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN

TIN ROOF is a stunning elegy to New Orleans and the physical and cultural losses suffered by all of south Louisiana from the devastations of Katrina. Burke’s novels read by Will Patton, as nearly a dozen have been, are perfect partnerships. Patton exquisitely captures the visceral and vivid prose style. He makes the crooks and psychopaths menacing and utterly frightening, and the descriptions of the bayou and the pecan trees lyrical and dazzling. It’s part accent, part pace and inflection, but also a sure grasp of the razor-edged slang from characters like bail-skip locator Clete Purcell. This well-crafted abridgment focuses on Dave Robicheaux’s assignment in New Orleans to investigate the murder of a looter, whose death is inevitably tangled with other remarkable characters. Listeners can wholly enjoy the short form or delight in seeking out the full version of this Burke–Patton success. R.F.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]