James Lee Burke
author profile
born
December 05, 1936
gender
male
place of birth
Houston, Texas, The United States
website
genre
Mystery & Thrillers, Short Stories
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...more
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avg rating: 3.97
| 12,748 ratings
| 1,299 reviews
| 57 distinct works
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90 fans
More books by James Lee Burke…
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The Tin Roof Blowdown: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke avg rating 4.04 — 966 ratings — published 2007 20 editions |
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Black Cherry Blues: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke avg rating 4.05 — 703 ratings — published 1989 13 editions |
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In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke avg rating 4.08 — 669 ratings — published 1993 17 editions |
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Dixie City Jam by James Lee Burke avg rating 3.96 — 623 ratings — published 1994 16 editions |
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Jolie Blon's Bounce by James Lee Burke avg rating 4.05 — 600 ratings — published 2002 22 editions |
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Cadillac Jukebox by James Lee Burke avg rating 3.91 — 618 ratings — published 1931 13 editions |
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The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke avg rating 3.97 — 581 ratings — published 1987 13 editions |
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Purple Cane Road by James Lee Burke avg rating 3.99 — 549 ratings — published 2000 16 editions |
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Pegasus Descending: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke avg rating 3.98 — 534 ratings — published 2006 17 editions |
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Last Car to Elysian Fields by James Lee Burke avg rating 4.11 — 472 ratings — published 2003 12 editions |
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James Lee Burke discusses his new novel, Jesus Out to Sea
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"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)
— James Lee Burke (Last Car to Elysian Fields)
"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
— James Lee Burke
topics mentioning this author
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Glens Falls (NY) ...: Are you a mystery book fan? Favorite mystery authors? Why? | 46 | 67 | Aug 05, 2009 09:14AM | |
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