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A Morning For Flamingos (Dave Robicheaux #4)
Clutching the shards, of his shattered life, Cajun detective Dave Robicheaux has rejoined the New lberia police force.
His partner is dead -- slain during a condemned prisoner's bloodyflight to freedom that left Robicheaux critically wounded...and reawakened the ghost of his haunted, violent past.
Now he's trailing a killer into the sordid head of die Big Easy-caught up in t
...moreMass Market Paperbound, 384 pages
Published
August 1st 1991
by Avon Books
(first published October 1st 1990)
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A Morning for Flamingos, by james Lee Burke, A. This one I also borrowed from the Library for the Blind. It’s an earlier book in the series, when Robicheau and Bootsy get back into contact after 30 years of being apart. They had been highschool teenage lovers, but Robicheau had broken it off. Now, Robicheau, who is recovering from gun wounds he received on duty, he has been on leave and is just coming back to work. His buddy, Clete, is on his last legs at the department for bad behavior. Whi...more
I'm slowly working my way through this author's books as I need something light and enjoyable to read (in e-book form) in airports and on planes.
Easy to pick up and put down, active plots, and vivid atmospheric descriptions of their Louisiana and Cajun locales.
Easy to pick up and put down, active plots, and vivid atmospheric descriptions of their Louisiana and Cajun locales.
I was in the mood for a good thrilla after reading Franzsen's Freedom and I resorted to James Lee Burke, who's always reliable in this genre. And so he was. Yet, something seemed to be missing. The tale was clever, and multi-dimensional (whatever I mean by that - don't ask) but seemed to lack a certain tautness. It needed a little more zing. Maybe it was that the Dave Robicheaux, Burke's enigmatic and troubled cajun protag seemed to be a little off his oats, tending to come off second best in pr...more
I just finished this book because James Lee Burke is kind of a local celebrity and I hadn't read any of his books before. I was impressed by the colorful and descriptive writing style as well as the page turning kind of mystery writing. The incredibly descriptive writing puts you right in the middle of the action and you can almost see the people and what they are doing. The other thing that he does well is use the situations that the characters, especially the protagonist Dave Robicheaux, f...more
This is the 4th in the Robicheaux series and they just get better with each one. Burke has a style of writing all of his own - he is an exceptional writer.
Back Cover Blurb:
A routine assignment transporting two death-row prisoners to their executions goes fatally wrong, leaving Dave Robicheaux brutally wounded and his partner dead.
Obsessed with revenge, Dave is persuaded by the DEA to go undercover into the torrid depths of New Orleans, a volatile world of Mafia drug-runn...more
Back Cover Blurb:
A routine assignment transporting two death-row prisoners to their executions goes fatally wrong, leaving Dave Robicheaux brutally wounded and his partner dead.
Obsessed with revenge, Dave is persuaded by the DEA to go undercover into the torrid depths of New Orleans, a volatile world of Mafia drug-runn...more
The first James Lee book I read, and I read it during the course of one rainy Bank Holiday Monday in Wakefield, 1992, I think. I immediately knew I'd read just about anything else by this author I could find. For me, he had captured The South in a way no other authors I'd read had managed, and injected two characters into it - Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcel - who epitomised the righteous American Hard Man. The baddies in the book weren't just mean, they were atrocious, and brought a brooding s...more
James Lee Burke is a terrific, lyrical writer. I will usually drop anything else I'm reading and pick up one of his, given the chance. Lately, though, we've been listening to him on audio books, and I find the stories to be much darker in spoken form. I don't know if this is because I'm listening rather than reading, or because I listen to audio books for a longer period of time at each sitting than I do when I read, or because something about me has changed. Either way, he is still terrific, an...more
a slightly different kind of robicheaux story - sure, he's still haunted by his past, and sure, there are still lots of bad people doing really awful things, and yeah, the bayou and nola figure prominently. but there seems to be more resolution for our hero in this episode than in previous books, which makes one look forward to what happens next.
over all, great fun, probably enhanced by the fact that i read half of it while i was in new orleans (for the first time), so many of the si...more
over all, great fun, probably enhanced by the fact that i read half of it while i was in new orleans (for the first time), so many of the si...more
Ed
rated it
Recommends it for:
Mystery/thriller, James lee Burke and good contemporary literature fans.
Shelves:
crime-fiction,
reviewed
This book exemplifies why I think that James Lee Burke is the best at writing mystery/thrillers. I don't know how I missed it: maybe because it was published in 1990 before I discovered Burke's talent.
Dave Robicheaux is a conflicted Sheriff's department detective in New Iberia, Louisuiana, who almost dies when a prisoner escapes. He goes undercover for the DEA in New Orleans on a drug sting, where he had been a policeman for years. He has two imperfectly understood reasons: one, ...more
Dave Robicheaux is a conflicted Sheriff's department detective in New Iberia, Louisuiana, who almost dies when a prisoner escapes. He goes undercover for the DEA in New Orleans on a drug sting, where he had been a policeman for years. He has two imperfectly understood reasons: one, ...more
This was an Audio CD book.
A Morning For Flamingos is a typical James Lee Burke book; Lots of action, emotional turmoil for the hero, people getting killed and rich descriptive writing. It's why I keep coming back for more.
After being shot in a prisoner escape, Dave Robicheaux becomes emotionally closed and he knows it's starting to effect his relationship with his young daughter, Alafair.
Eventually he gets talked into going undercover with the local mob, tryi...more
A Morning For Flamingos is a typical James Lee Burke book; Lots of action, emotional turmoil for the hero, people getting killed and rich descriptive writing. It's why I keep coming back for more.
After being shot in a prisoner escape, Dave Robicheaux becomes emotionally closed and he knows it's starting to effect his relationship with his young daughter, Alafair.
Eventually he gets talked into going undercover with the local mob, tryi...more
Ok....I know. Just a simple cop/detective series. But I love them. I don't know if its the cajun flare, or the vivid description power of the south, but every book sucks me in. Brain candy for those people that find the daily grind is wearing them down. Snuggle up in bed with one, much better than reality tv. If I were allowed to put together a handful of fiction men that I would love to have a fictional evening with, Dave Robicheaux would be sitting very close to Mr. Darcy.
4th in Dave Robicheaux series. Dave went undercover for the DEA and tried to bring down a mafia boss. He became friends kind of with Tony C and also tried to help with Tony C's demons. Dave was married to Bootsie and Alafair wasn't in this one that much because Dave spent most of his time in New Orleans. Even those these books have a lot of violence, I find myself not wanting to stop reading.
Again, thanks to my pal Paul Gandel, I have fallen for James Lee Burke. His characters draw one into the terra incognita (for me) of Louisiana (a very foreign country) and to the heart of darkness that is both the Vietnam war and alcoholism. A credible tour to some pretty rugged terrain balance by some of the most evocative prose I can remember in a police fiction writer.
Another excellent Dave Robineaux novel. James Lee Burke is simply a great crime-mystery writer, especially if you like good, lyrical prose and hard-boiled (ala Micky Spellaine or Ed McBain) I enjoy the added mystery of figuring out how his title ties into the novel (there's always a passage that references the title.) A second layer of puzzle. Burke is a fun read.
Wow! I'm just in awe of Burke's writing skills. I know of no other author who can match his ability to describe a scene, a landscape, and most importantly a character. I've read most of his Robicheaux novels out of order and it doesn't detract a bit from their enjoyment. Highly recommended.
The 4th in Burke's series --and YES -I am hooked -- Well worth the read to get the deep background on Dave's Viet Nam background and his main characters are burnished even brighter than before as Burke Goes Deeper inside them--
Well worth turning the pages to consume the strong Louisiana vernacular -- and Burke's colorful descriptions of the culture--
Well worth turning the pages to consume the strong Louisiana vernacular -- and Burke's colorful descriptions of the culture--
This Robicheaux is a little different in that there is more confusion and complexity to the moral narrative. But, amazingly, even in the moral confusion there is a strong drive towards finding the right, the good. There is a clarity that good exists, even when hard to see or understand. And that would be why I really like James Lee Burke. :)
He's my favorite author. Read a Burke book and your in a dark theater by yourself surrounded and engulfed by his images. I've read them all but can only do so once every 3-4 months because in the end they are their message about the human condition is not hopeful.
Love NOL and New Iberia you have a damaged Jack Reacher with the demons that only an alcoholic can understand but are made insightful here. Big Clete Purcell is another conflicted sidekick worth his weight in gold.
Welcome to another installment of the Detective Dave Robicheaux series. In this book, Dave is is shot and left for dead. To get even, he goes undercover into the New Orleans mob. What Dave finds there is links to his youth, reminders of his own addictions, and the dredging up of demons from Vietnam.
In this and most Burke novels, there is a blurring of good and evil. Justice doesn't necessarily follow the law. And beauty and ugliness coexist with a balance that makes you identify...more
In this and most Burke novels, there is a blurring of good and evil. Justice doesn't necessarily follow the law. And beauty and ugliness coexist with a balance that makes you identify...more
Gritty and suspenseful and you fear for Dave Robicheaux’s life as he quits the police force and goes undercover for the DEA. Well-done atmosphere – makes you feel the muggy climate.
Although I've read a good number of Mr. Burke's books, this one, I believe, contains some of his best writing. He is a master of creating a setting that just pulls you into the scene.
cannot get enough of Mr. Burke's writing,it's just so addicted.his character Dave Robicheaux is a great,great person to read and his friend Clete Purcell is riot.
Another beautiful book by JLB. Torn between four and five stars for this one. I like the exploration of his relationship with his daughter Alafair.
WEll written,fast paced look at an ex-cop returning to work with the DEA in New Orleans who meets up with old girlfriend who married into the Mafia.
Another strong entry in an excellent series. Interesting how the big bad guy has a name very similar to that of the author.
My second Dave Robicheaux book. Great stories with a cajun flair. Looking forward to reading more.
Robicheaux goes undercover in New Orleans to infiltrate a drug ring. Another great mystery by Burke.
I think Burke's writing is really good and I enjoyed this book so much I read 2 more of his books
A big fan of Burke, going back to read some old ones. A little bit too overdone on staying sober.
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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, re...more
More about James Lee Burke...
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, re...more
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