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James Lee Burke


mortauchocolat

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Agreed!

Which of his have you already read?

 

In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead

Cadillac Jukebox

Purple Cane Road

LAST CAR TO ELYSIAN FIELDS

 

It is funny, I have now reached the state where I reserve reading him for very special occasions, when I am guaranteed not to be disturbed, such as a lazy afternoon in the hammock when everyone is shopping or that dream time of a holiday spent alone.

 

We have a house in Thailand, with a river, mangoes and heat and the harsh daytime and then diffused, light of the Far East. I imagine Louisiana to have a similar climate. James Lee Burke manages to capture the atmosphere perfectly.

 

Together with the tortured soul of Dave Robicheaux, he transforms, showers and refreshes me every time.

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Uninterrupted time to read. Now that would be wonderful! Doesn't happen too often though. But I agree that Burke is better that way.

 

I read on his website something about In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead being made into a movie. It must have been mentioned on that radio interview. At the time of the interview the lead had not been cast, but Burke thought Tommy Lee Jones would be just right for Robicheaux. And I fully agree.

 

And yes, his descriptions of the land are right on target. The wisteria, bananna trees et als are as he describes, and the heat and humidity. I have never lived down as far as the books are set, but I did live in a suburb just west of New Orleans for the first 45 years of my life, and it is very close to the area he describes.

 

I hope I get to read In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead before the movie comes out.

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I don't like to harp on this but I "strongly" recommend that the Robicheaux books be read in sequence to get the most out of them. Things happen in Robicheaux's life that will give you a better understanding of his torment and unrelenting (and need I say sometimes unorthodox) pursuit of solving tough situations. It is also helpful to understand the relationship between Robicheaux and Clete Purcell. On the other hand, all the books are a good read by themselves. Just that you don't have quite as good an understanding of the underlying stories involved.

 

Pontalba, if you don't get to the book before the movie comes out, remember, there are always DVD's. :D:)

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I don't like to harp on this but I "strongly" recommend that the Robicheaux books be read in sequence to get the most out of them. Things happen in Robicheaux's life that will give you a better understanding of his torment and unrelenting (and need I say sometimes unorthodox) pursuit of solving tough situations. It is also helpful to understand the relationship between Robicheaux and Clete Purcell.

 

Pontalba, if you don't get to the book before the movie comes out, remember, there are always DVD's. :):blush:

I agree muggle, and that is the way I am approaching the series. I do have them all though. :D

And anyway, DVD is almost the only way I see a movie, so what am I grousing about? :)

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I forgot to mention that JLB's books are the type that will keep you reading until the wee hours of the morning. Once I start one of his books I find it very hard to put it down until finished. I wish we could get more people reading him. :D

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muggle,

I received my new copy of White Doves at Morning, so it's back in the stack. This one was a second hand copy I found on Amazon, its a trade paperback with a really interesting cover. As it turns out, it's the same cover as the hardback. My other one, still unfound is a mass market with a different cover.

2vtqdlh.jpg

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That is gorgeous!

I've started Neon Rain which I am enjoying, feel like I'm there!

Lucky you. You have all of his books to look forward to and his writing gets better with each. Sometimes he makes me feel like I wish I was there helping his character Robicheaux.

 

This is an interesting interview of JLB:

 

http://www.jamesleeburke.com/

Jay MacDonald of USATODAY & Life Experiences of JLB

Posted 08/29/2006

 

Fame & Fortune: James Lee Burke

Wealth of life experiences brings author big payoff By Jay MacDonald, Bankrate.com

 

He's been an oil pipeline worker in Texas, a surveyor in Colorado, a Job Corps tutor in backwoods Appalachia and a gangland counselor in south L.A. But it was only when James Lee Burke poured his wealth of life's experiences into a best-selling mystery series featuring Louisiana bayou detective Dave Robicheaux that this Jack-of-all-trades became master-of-one.

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That is gorgeous!

I've started Neon Rain which I am enjoying, feel like I'm there!

Oh goody! I'm only one ahead of you, with Black Cherry Blues my next one. Which according to that neat interview that muggle linked, was his financial break through! Hah!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Another James Lee Burke book is out....no not by him, but about him. :blush:

James Lee Burke and the Soul of Dave Robicheaux by Barbara Bogue has been delivered to my doorstep and is a beautifully written and packaged item.

I was able to get a second hand copy for almost half the price and it looks brand new! Yay for Amazon Marketplace!

 

I have not been able to read it yet, only scan, so will copy out the back cover.....

When he created the character Dave Robicheaux, author James Lee Burke lent the New Orleans homicide detective a few of his own characteristics: a daughter named Alafair, a lifetime struggle with alcohol, his Roman Catholic faith, and his love for fishing and the outdoors. On the other hand, Robicheaux is portrayed as a veteran of the Vietnam war, something Burke never experienced firsthand. Robicheaux emerges as a realistic, complex and compelling protagonist whose depth is one element that elevated Burke's writing above the status of genre fiction.

 

This critical study examines the ways in which Burke, through the first person narrative of Robicheaux, probes the world of law and order, crime and disorder, and modern moral issues. Chapters explore such matters as the roles of women; paternal issues and influences; the roots of the detective's moral dilemmas over alcohol, Vietnam and religion; Burke's use of the supernatural, sense of place, and music to deepen his stories; Robicheaux's moral quandaries as a law enforcement officer; and the character's contrast to his reckless and funny partner, Clete. An interview with Burke is included.

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Found my first copy of White Doves at Morning!! It had fallen behind a small bookcase that is in front of a window, and was lodged inbetween!! Bookmark still in place a little more than half way! :roll::blush:

2vjsdpt.jpg

The American cover.

(courtesy Amazon)

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Glad to hear that Louiseog. I agree in a way, the story is almost secondary to the characters and ambiance...but I think as you go along in the series, so much expands and then the story and the characters and ambiance sort of absorb each other and are so intertwined as to be inseparable.

Granted I have still only read the first two........but that is my take on the series. I know more characters are brought in, another main character, so it builds and grows.

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  • 2 weeks later...

There are many surprises as you read the series. Each book gets better and the stories make you feel like you are there. I really urge you to read more of the series and promise that you will not be disappointed. Of all the writers that i have read, I believe that Burke's writing has the biggest improvement book-over-book.

 

Thanks pontalba, I was not aware of the book......Soul of Dave Robicheaux by Barbara Bogue. I will have to look it up. It looks interesting.

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Muggle,

I just had to tell you that I think JLB must be the master of understatement. :018: I've started A Morning for Flamingos, and Dave is back in N.O. for you know what....anyway, when he is talking to the DEA agent on p.87, I had to laugh out loud. Right after the DEA guy gives a list of Clete's......um...activities lately, Dave says.........

 

"Clete's had a checkered career."

 

Duh!! Ya think?? ROTFALOL !! That boy's gotta have at least 9 lives! :018:

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Muggle,

I just had to tell you that I think JLB must be the master of understatement. :018: I've started A Morning for Flamingos, and Dave is back in N.O. for you know what....anyway, when he is talking to the DEA agent on p.87, I had to laugh out loud. Right after the DEA guy gives a list of Clete's......um...activities lately, Dave says.........

 

"Clete's had a checkered career."

 

Duh!! Ya think?? ROTFALOL !! That boy's gotta have at least 9 lives! :018:

Don't you just love them.

 

Sometimes they have me laughing and sometimes so mad I could chew nails and sometimes so sad I could cry. James Lee Burke is one heck of a writer.

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Don't you just love them.

 

Sometimes they have me laughing and sometimes so mad I could chew nails and sometimes so sad I could cry. James Lee Burke is one heck of a writer.

Yes, yes, yes, and yes!

 

I suspect he is under rated by some because of the genre, but that is really unfair. His New Orleans is my New Orleans.

Oh, and this one features the Pontalba Apts! :018:

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I just finished A Morning for Flamingos. It knocked me out.

 

Man, this guy just gets better and better. Have you read his other series Muggle, or his first novel.....The Lost Get-Back Boogie?

 

I've got A Stained White Radiance sitting right in fron of me now, I pulled it from the shelf as it's the next one in line. Can't make up my mind if I'll start it now, or read something else in between. :018:

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I believe that I have read all of his books. The Billy Bob Holland series is especially good and is almost but not quite as good as the Robicheaux series. They are definitley worth a read to take a break from Robicheaux. Then you will have 2 different series of books to decide which to read next. :018: If we keep talking about JLB enough maybe we can get some more people enjoying his writing.

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  • 3 months later...

James Lee Burke will have a new book out this year in the Robicheaux series. It should be a humdinger.:blush:

Also out in July 2007, will be the next Robicheaux novel THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN, which deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

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James Lee Burke will have a new book out this year in the Robicheaux series. It should be a humdinger.:blush:

Also out in July 2007, will be the next Robicheaux novel THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN, which deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Ooohhh! I didn't realize!

Thanks muggle! :lol:

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I guess that y'all know that they are going to make a movie of JLB's book " In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead". Tommy Lee Jones I believe will be one of the stars and i hope they get Robert DuVall as another.

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