James Lee Burke

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James Lee Burke

Author profile


born
December 05, 1936 in Houston, Texas, The United States

gender
male

website

genre

influences
William Faulkner


About this author

James Lee Burke is an American author best known for his mysteries, particularly the Dave Robicheaux series. He has twice received the Edgar Award for Best Novel, for Black Cherry Blues in 1990 and Cimarron Rose in 1998.

Burke was born in Houston, Texas, but grew up on the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast. He attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of Missouri, receiving a BA and MA from the latter. He has worked at a wide variety of jobs over the years, including working in the oil industry, as a reporter, and as a social worker. He was Writer in Residence at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, succeeding his good friend and posthumous Pulitzer Prize winner John Kennedy Toole, and preceding Ernest Gaines in th...more


Average rating: 3.99 · 43,628 ratings · 3,494 reviews · 58 distinct works
The Tin Roof Blowdown (Dave...
4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 avg rating — 3,629 ratings — published 2007 — 24 editions
My rating:
didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing
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The Neon Rain (Dave Robiche...
3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 3,725 ratings — published 1987 — 22 editions
My rating:
didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing
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Black Cherry Blues (Dave Ro...
4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 avg rating — 2,782 ratings — published 1989 — 17 editions
My rating:
didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing
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In The Electric Mist With T...
4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 avg rating — 2,262 ratings — published 1993 — 19 editions
My rating:
didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing
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The Glass Rainbow (Dave Rob...
4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 avg rating — 1,887 ratings — published 2010 — 18 editions
My rating:
didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing
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Jolie Blon's Bounce (Dave R...
4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 1,862 ratings — published 2002 — 27 editions
My rating:
didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing
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Dixie City Jam (Dave Robich...
3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 avg rating — 1,806 ratings — published 1994 — 2 editions
My rating:
didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing
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Cadillac Jukebox (Dave Robi...
3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 1,726 ratings — published 1996 — 13 editions
My rating:
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Swan Peak (Dave Robicheaux,...
3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 1,868 ratings — published 2008 — 20 editions
My rating:
didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing
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Pegasus Descending (Dave Ro...
4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 1,729 ratings — published 2006 — 20 editions
My rating:
didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing
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More books by James Lee Burke…
The Neon Rain Heaven's Prisoners Black Cherry Blues A Morning For Flamingos A Stained White Radiance In The Electric Mist With T... Dixie City Jam
Dave Robicheaux (19 books)
by
4.029427730636267 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 35,001 ratings
Cimarron Rose Heartwood Bitterroot In The Moon Of Red Ponies
Billy Bob Holland (4 books)
by
3.8443591258121677 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 3,386 ratings
Lay Down My Sword And Shield Rain Gods Feast Day Of Fools
Hackberry Holland (3 books)
by
3.810982888977318 of 5 stars 3.81 avg rating — 2,513 ratings

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“Louisiana is a fresh-air mental asylum.”
James Lee Burke, Pegasus Descending

“God bless the Reference Librarians”
James Lee Burke

“I long ago became convinced that the most reliable source for arcane and obscure and seemingly unobtainable information does not lie with the government or law enforcement agencies. Apparently neither the CIA nor the military intelligence apparatus inside the Pentagon had even a slight inkling of the Soviet Union's impending collapse, right up to the moment the Kremlin's leaders were trying to cut deals for their memoirs with New York publishers. Or, if a person really wishes a lesson in the subjective nature of official information, he can always call the IRS and ask for help with his tax forms, then call back a half hour later and ask the same questions to a different representative. So where do you go to find a researcher who is intelligent, imaginative, skilled in the use of computers, devoted to discovering the truth, and knowledgeable about science, technology, history, and literature, and who usually works for dirt and gets credit for nothing? After lunch I drove to the city library on Main and asked the reference librarian to find what she could on Junior Crudup.”
James Lee Burke, Last Car To Elysian Fields

Topics Mentioning This Author

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Fantasy Book Club: What Are You Reading in June? 116 228 Jul 23, 2009 11:21am  
mystery lovers: New to mystery. Suggestions? 27 145 Nov 13, 2009 07:59pm  
Challenge: 50 Books: Favourite Book(s) 49 411 Nov 15, 2009 07:46am  
mystery lovers: Books I bought today.... 4 49 Dec 19, 2009 12:41pm  
mystery lovers: Favorite All-Time Mystery/Suspense Novel? 92 352 Dec 30, 2009 06:25pm  
Constant Reader: Books that depressed/haunted you 241 208 Apr 07, 2010 11:54am  
Constant Reader: Summer Mystery Suggestions 138 243 May 14, 2010 12:48pm  


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