Crusader's Cross by James Lee Burke

Unabridged Audiobook

I listened to the unabridged audio version of the Crusader's Cross by James Lee Burke and read by actor, Will Patton. Total listening time for Crusader's Cross is approximately 12 hours.

Crusader's Cross is my second experience with anything written by James Lee Burke. Earlier this year, I listened to the audio version of Rain Gods by James Lee Burke and also narrated by Will Patton. I enjoyed listening to audio version of Rain Gods immensely, so was excited to listen to Crusader's Cross as well.

I find James Lee Burke's writing to be richly detailed and descriptive. He truly has a gift with words and storytelling that is layered, complex, dark and suspenseful. I also find that Will Patton's narration of James Lee Burke's work is spot on and adds another dimension to one's reading/listening experience. 

I found Crusader's Cross to be a bit on the dark side, but it kept me interested in learning what happened to Ida Durban. Plus, all the plot twists and turns and other deep dark secrets had me intrigued as to how it was all going to play out.

The following is a plot summary for the Crusader's Cross by James Lee Burke from Amazon:

Critically acclaimed and bestselling crime writer James Lee Burke returns to Louisiana where his ever-popular hero, Dave Robicheaux, sleuths his way through a hotbed of sin and uncertainty. 

For Dave Robicheaux, life in Louisiana is filled with haunting memories of the past -- images from Vietnam, the violent streets of New Orleans, and his own troubled youth. In Crusader's Cross, a deathbed confession from an old schoolmate resurrects a story of injustice, the murder of a young woman, and a time in Robicheaux's life he has tried to forget. 

Her name may or may not have been Ida Durbin. It was back in the innocent days of the 1950s when Robicheaux and his brother, Jimmie, met her on a Galveston beach. She was pretty and Jimmie fell for her hard -- not knowing she was a prostitute on infamous Post Office Street, with ties to the mob. Then Ida was abducted and never seen again. 
Now, decades later, Robicheaux is asking questions about Ida Durbin, and a couple of redneck deputy sheriffs make it clear that asking questions is a dangerous game. With a series of horrifying murders and the sudden appearance of Valentine Chalons and his sister, Honoria, a disturbed and deeply alluring woman, Robicheaux is soon involved not only with the Chalons family but with the murderous energies of the New Orleans underworld. Also, he meets and finds himself drawn into a scandalous relationship with a remarkable Catholic nun.

Brilliant, brooding, and filled with the author's signature lyricism, Jim Burke's latest novel is a darkly suspenseful work of literature.

I'm giving Crusader's Cross by James Lee Burke a rating of 8 stars out of 10 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!