The Neon Rain: A Dave Robicheaux Novel

Great title for a great book. This is my first James Lee Burke novel, won't be my last. This is the kind of mystery writer I like, the prose flows fast and furious, and it's tense but eloquent and persuasive. The pace is quick, the writing unpretentious and clear. Makes for a tidy storyline that never says in boring words what can be expressed gracefully and often startlingly with powerful and moving language--the opening sentence sets the tone of what is to follow. This type of mystery writer generates an overall tension in the book that keeps the pages turning far into the night. Burke sounds like a guy who knows of what he speaks. And, he turns Robicheaux into someone we care about, someone we'd be proud to call "partner." In fact, all of Burke's characters in this book have such a depth that we can imagine them in our mind's eye as though they truly walked the bayous of Burke's homeland. I started with this novel, even though it was written long ago and no longer available in the U.S. that I could find, because everyone advised to start here and then go on. Well, I will certainly go on, even though this novel finds Robicheaux retired and living in New Iberia, obviously that isn't gonna happen!I did find a lot of similarities between Burke and John Connolly's writing. In fact, New Orleans figures prominently in both of their work, even down to some of the same landmarks. And, Connolly and Burke both share the same tight, riveting, chilling style that makes them both great writers of thrillers with believable, likeable protagonists. But I digress. Burke's Neon Rain introduces us to a thrilling piece of fiction that reads like yesterday's headlines. The sense of place was also deeply engrained in this story. Burke renders the countryside of his homeland to the point I could smell the bayou and feel the dripping humidity, not to mention taste the café au lait and sense the powdered sugar on my chin from Café du Monde's beignets. Burke pours life into characters like Didi Gee, his brother Jimmie, his father, Clete Purcel, and Annie. Is Annie a strange fit for Dave or is she a simple midwestern country girl who believes that "one day Dave will have a quiet heart?" I love the way Burke inhabits his characters and makes you care about them. You'll hate them, love them, try to understand them, maybe even want to kill them; but you won't come away untouched. Also, he brings to life what it must feel like to go through alcoholic withdrawals and cravings for something you know will be poison to your soul.I have seldom read a gangster novel written with such elegance and finesse. Burke pumps out words like politicians puff out promises and everything goes down like smooth southern bourbon. Deep feelings are examined in minute detail by a rough and tumble Cajun cop and incessant rain, in all colors, figures prominently and poetically into this story. It's tough and violent writing and anyone who can remain untouched must not inhabit this world. You may wonder why some of his characters would take such outrageous chances or make such extreme choices or maybe you'd do the same, so you'll root for them to succeed. But, it's unlikely this book will leave you untouched. Highly recommended if you'd like to get your blood coursing through your body.

A lot of local flavor and improbable situations, but that’s OK. It just didn’t have a good rhythm of events. I was hoping to read a number of his novels, but they don’t get to my level of interest.

A police detective accidentally stumbles into the middle of a conspiracy between the New Orleans mob and unknown parties, when he pushes for an investigation of the death of a local prostitute. A whirlwind of violence surrounds him, and he is even attacked by the internal affairs department within the police. Stripped of his badge, old ghosts take over, and he must find his own path back to honor.

Have read almost all of Mr. Burke's books and loved every one! Dave Robicheau, with his flaws and wisdom, and just plain violence is all the almost hero you could ever want. Great series!

A couple of months ago I read and reviewed a great novel, "If You Were Here: A Novel of Suspense" by Alafair Burke. I was embarrassed when a couple of my cyber friends told me that Alafair is James Lee Burke's daughter--embarrassed because I had never heard of this famous and prolific author.Based on their recommendation, I decided to read Neon Rain, the first of nineteen books in Burke's Dave Robicheaux series and am so happy I did. What a treat!Burke's writing skills are first rate. He paints a vividly descriptive setting in this perfectly paced, poignant, realistic tale of a flawed Cajun New Orleans police Lieutenant who marches to his own cadence, does not trust authority and has a propensity for finding himself in dire circumstances of the worst kind.Lieutenant Dave "Streak" Robicheaux (pronounced ROW-BUH-SHOW) is a divorced alcoholic who has been on the wagon for four years. Like Dave, his partner Cletus Purcel has skeletons in his closet and is a magnet for trouble.Robicheaux's boss, Captain Guildry knows that Dave is the best results oriented investigator in his office, but advises him to steer clear from running interference for his hard drinking head-busting partner Clete's predicaments.Johnny Massina is guilty of murders, but not the one he is about to be electrocuted for at Angola penitentiary's Red Hat House when "Streak" visits to pay his final respects. It was there that Johnny warns Dave that an ex-con from New Orleans named L.J. Potts was bragging that his brother, Wesley is connected to Colombian mobsters who plan to murder Robicheaux.Two weeks earlier, while fishing on Bayou Lafourche Dave discovers the body of a young black woman, Lovelace Deshotels, who he strongly believes was a murder victim. To his dismay, the local sheriff from a parish that is known for its uniquely peculiar style of law enforcement does not request an autopsy.As usual, the Lieutenant meets his adversaries head on--the dirty cops in the sheriff's office as well as the low life, Wesley Potts who planned to kill him. From that point on the plot escalates to an even higher plane. Enter Mobster Boss Didoni "Didi Gee" Giacano and his competitors and their armies of ruthless killers.Robicheaux takes them all on, as well as Internal Affairs, fighting a losing battle in this 275-page spellbinding thriller while developing intriguing characters including Dave's growing love interest, social worker, Annie Ballard.If you are looking for an intriguing, fast-paced suspense thriller that is so descriptive that you will feel the storm building in the sea and salt spray of the ocean, struggle with the muggy humidity and torrential rains, marvel at the sunset, taste the Cajon delicacies, hear and anticipate natures creatures and the sounds of silence of the depths below Dave's houseboat, THIS IS IT!Enjoy!

I've been enjoyably dipping in and out of the gritty Dave Robicheaux novels for many years now. However, I haven't read them in any particular order. So, I thought I would make amends by starting at the beginning of this detective's journey, and then slowly work my way through the books in sequence - guess this is going to take me a while seeing as the author has recently published book 22 in the series!The Neon Rain is the first Robicheaux novel, which was published way back in 1987. As such, it may be considered by some to be not JLB's finest work, but its at least an excellent introduction to Dave Robicheaux, and gives the author the opportunity to flesh out the character, and give the reader a good insight to Robicheaux - in particular how his personality has been moulded by his experiences fighting in Vietnam and his subsequent drinking problem.This is crime writing at its best. Detective Dave Robicheaux is one of the good guys at heart, an officer that still believes in justice and the welfare of others, but he is also one really bad dude, and if he has to bend the laws a little to bring about justice you better not get in his way. Despite the violence depicted, this novel (like his others) is still peppered with a generous amount of almost poetic prose that is a joy to witness. The sense of atmosphere is almost dripping off the pages at times and really drew me into the New Orleans setting. This has certainly whetted my appetite for reading more of the novels featuring Dave Robicheaux, so it's 'Heaven's Prisoners' next - bring it on!

If I have the experience of reading a bad book I like to retreat to the comfort of a familiar author whose books I like .Jamie Lee Burke certainly comes into that category with his detective books set in the clammy heat of Louisiana ,it's waterways swamps cuisine and culture becoming very familiar to me through Burke's vivid writing.Luckily he has written so many that I can always find one I.haven't read. Neon Rain was his first featuring Dave Robincheaux, a guy with more heart than brain with mental scars from Vietnam.In this book he is still a serving police officer,heaven help us and as usual he gets into conflicts way beyond his reach.The story is a buzz,some of the characters you just hope are not based on real people and I felt much better by the end .Never lets me down

James Lee Burke is my favourite author and with Dave Robicheaux he had written without doubt one of the finest and unique series I have ever read.Describing them as crime or action or police procedure is pointless as they are so much more. His writing is full of lyrical descriptive passages of Louisiana and the effects of time and climate, which at times is almost poetical. Philosophy, theology and violence often share the same page and the depth of his characters just continues to draw you into their lives, even on the second or third reading.If you have never read one of his books then you are missing out on one of literatures great authors and this is as good a place to start as any. I have given 4 stars because it is not the finished article and although it is a wonderful read it is not the best, but it is an essential foundation for the following books.

From long ago - first published 1987 - but this must be what my fave writer sold his soul for. How did he get from the sparse, illogical tales of poor men with bad luck to this complex and challenging character? James Lee Burke’s rhythmical, insistent elegiac prose shines in his love for Louisiana landscapes, the streets of the New Orleans French quarter or the thunderclouds piled high in the western evening sky, but it is his characters, his people - especially Robicheaux - that make him great. This isn’t just crime fiction, this is literature. More than 20 moreTo go. Yum. Then I’ll start all over again.

So, having started somewhere near the middle of the Robicheaux series (20 ish years ago) and having just read “You Know My Name “ (awesome) I have started at the beginning........ I love the style and the feel, I feel like if I visited New Orleans I would recognise it (Katerina of course makes that very unlikely). Robicheaux is not an easy character, which is probably what makes him 3 dimensional however his philosophy and moral position also make him a hard read (after 2 books I need a break but I really want to follow his history in order).This is a great book but not a light read.