2026 Reading Challenge
The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, #1)

Questions About The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, #1)

by James Lee Burke

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Answered Questions (2)

Did I miss the part where he explains why it is called "The Neon Rain"? I listen to my books and might have missed that explanation.
Pat Bevins Middle of Chapter 5, as he drops Annie off after the garden party, Dave is thinking about drinking and desiring to do it "...in a run down Decatur or …moreMiddle of Chapter 5, as he drops Annie off after the garden party, Dave is thinking about drinking and desiring to do it "...in a run down Decatur or Magazine Street saloon where I didn't have to hold myself accountable for anything and where my gargoyle image in the mirror would be simply another drunken curiosity like the neon-lit rain striking against the window" [pg 99 of my Pocket Books ed.](less)
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I'm curious about this series, but I don't think I'll have/make time to read all of them. If I were going to pick, say, the 4 or 5 best of the series and read them, which would those 4 or 5 be? Thanks in advance for your opinions.
T I highly recommend reading them all, in order, as I just love Burke's writing. It is difficult to find such literary prose in a detective fiction seri…moreI highly recommend reading them all, in order, as I just love Burke's writing. It is difficult to find such literary prose in a detective fiction series. I've read them all and many of them more than once.

If I were skipping, these are my least favorite: In the Electric Mist (#6), Private Cathedral (#23). The stories set in Montana (Swan Peak #17, for example) are second to all of the stories set in LA in my opinion. They don't have the same sense of place that the LA setting does.

Some recommendations:
Love the stories that have the psychotic character called Smiley. Love the story about Dave's mother. Love the story where Dave develops a friendship with the main bad guy. I'll try to figure out which those are. Heavens Prisoners (#2) has some foundational events for Dave's life.

1. Black Cherry Blues (#3) won an Edgar Award for Best Novel and is good.

2. The Tin Roof Blowdown (#16) is terrific. Also award-worthy. It is set in the time after Hurricane Katrina.

3. Jolie Blon's Bounce (#12) is wonderful. Also award-worthy.

4. Purple Cane Road (#11). Part of the story is about Dave's mom. Really love this one.

5. Crusader's Cross (#14) is great. It provides some wonderfully described background about Dave's childhood life and relationship with his brother.

6. Creole Belle (#19) is wonderful. The story line picks up immediately after the book before it. I prefer the Creole Belle story to The Glass Rainbow (#18) story, but it is a good one also.

7. The New Iberia Blues (#22) is a good read. It has Smiley Wimple, one of my favorite characters. I believe he is in Robicheaux (#21) also, but I can't remember if that is the first time. I'd read Robicheaux also.

8. A Morning for Flamingoes (#4) is one of my favorites. This is the one that has a "bad" guy that we can't quite dislike because he's a complicated character and he and Dave have a complicated relationship.

After writing all of this, I've realized I'd probably suggest reading the first 4 in order, maybe the first 5, and pick and choose from there. But, I bet if you read the first 5, you will be hooked and read them all. There are a couple here and there that drag -- for me, the ones set in Montana and the ones that focus on Hollywood and/or movie making characters and themes. And the last book, a Private Cathedral, was a bit too supernatural for my tastes. I've got to read that one again to see if I like it any better. Burke pokes at the supernatural throughout the series, but this one went so far that I had a bit of trouble following the plot. I do plan to reread it eventually, though.(less)
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