James Lee Burke
James Lee Burke is a New York Times bestselling author, two-time winner of the Edgar Award, and the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in Fiction. He has authored forty novels and two short story collections. He lives in Missoula, Montana.
All Books By James Lee Burke
A Morning for Flamingos
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: James Lee Burke
- Length: 12 hours 12 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: April 25, 2008
- Language: English
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4.18(5234 ratings)
Dave Robicheaux felt the bone-grinding pain rip through his body as the .45 did its damage. Through the agonizing haze that enveloped him, he heard an almost inhuman laugh-the hideous, victorious cackling of Jimmie Lee Boggs-a sound he would never forget. It had started out as an ordinary prisoner transfer, then turned into a blood bath when the convicted murderer got hold of a gun. Robicheaux could still hear that contemptible laughter, replacing the horrors from ‘Nam he relived every night, echoing in the still of his darkened bedroom. When Boggs is spotted in New Orleans, Robicheaux follows, joining a DEA sting operation in the Quarter. Poised for revenge, he prepares to face his fears and silence the laughter once and for all. But, in the murky water of the Pearl River, Robicheaux finds that some things are more important than sweet, simple revenge.
... Read moreA Private Cathedral
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 11 hours 30 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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4.02(3646 ratings)
After finding himself caught up in one of Louisiana’s oldest and bloodiest family rivalries, Detective Dave Robicheaux must battle the most terrifying adversary he has ever encountered: a time-traveling superhuman assassin.
The Shondell and Balangie families are longtime enemies in the New Iberia criminal underworld and show each other no mercy. Yet their youngest heirs, Johnny Shondell and Isolde Balangie, rock and roll-musician teenagers with magical voices, have fallen in love and run away after Isolde was given as a sex slave to Johnny’s uncle.
As he seeks to uncover why, Detective Dave Robicheaux gets too close to both Isolde’s mother and the mistress of her father, a venomous New Orleans mafioso whose jealousy has no bounds. In retribution, he hires a mysterious assassin to go after Robicheaux and his longtime partner, Clete Purcel. This hitman is unlike any the “Bobbsey Twins from Homicide” have ever faced. He has the ability to induce horrifying hallucinations and travels on a menacing ghost ship that materializes without warning. In order to defeat him and rescue Johnny and Isolde, Robicheaux will have to overcome the demons that have tormented him throughout his adult life–alcoholism, specters from combat in Vietnam, and painful memories of women to whom he opened his heart only to see killed.
A Private Cathedral, James Lee Burke’s fortieth book, is his most powerful tale, one that will captivate readers–mixing crime, romance, mythology, horror, and science fiction to produce a thrilling story about the all-consuming, all-conquering power of love.
A Season of Regret
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 45 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.57(7 ratings)
A Stained White Radiance
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 2 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 1996
- Language: English
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4.17(6662 ratings)
Detective Dave Robicheaux travels to the mountains of Montana to help his best friend and unearths a larger plot that threatens them both.
Oil speculator Weldon Sonnier is the patriarch of a troubled family intimately bound to the CIA, the Mob, and the Klan. Now, the murder of a cop and a bizarre assassination attempt pull Detective Dave Robicheaux into the Sonniers’ hellish world of madness, murder, and incest. But Robicheaux has devils of his own–and they may just destroy the tormented investigator and the two people he holds most dear.
A Stained White Radiance
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Mark Hammer
- Length: 12 hours 8 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.17(6662 ratings)
Detective Dave Robicheaux travels to the mountains of Montana to help his best friend and unearths a larger plot that threatens them both.
Oil speculator Weldon Sonnier is the patriarch of a troubled family intimately bound to the CIA, the Mob, and the Klan. Now, the murder of a cop and a bizarre assassination attempt pull Detective Dave Robicheaux into the Sonniers’ hellish world of madness, murder, and incest. But Robicheaux has devils of his own–and they may just destroy the tormented investigator and the two people he holds most dear.
Another Kind of Eden
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 6 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
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3.8(1686 ratings)
New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke brings readers a captivating tale of justice, love, brutality, and mysticism set in the turbulent 1960s.
The American West in the early 1960s appears to be a pastoral paradise: golden wheat fields, mist-filled canyons, frolicking animals. Aspiring novelist Aaron Holland Broussard has observed it from the open door of a boxcar, riding the rails for both inspiration and odd jobs.
Jumping off in Denver, he finds work on a farm and meets Joanne McDuffy, an articulate and fierce college student and gifted painter. Their soul connection is immediate, but their romance is complicated by Joanne’s involvement with a shady professor who is mixed up with a drug-addled cult. When a sinister businessman and his son who wield their influence through vicious cruelty set their sights on Aaron, drawing him into an investigation of grotesque murders, it is clear that this idyllic landscape harbors tremendous power–and evil. Followed by a mysterious shrouded figure who might not be human, Aaron will have to face down all these foes to save the life of the woman he loves and his own.
The latest installment in James Lee Burke’s masterful Holland family saga, Another Kind of Eden is both riveting and one of Burke’s most ambitious works to date. It dismantles the myths of both the twentieth-century American West and the peace-and-love decade, excavating the beauty and idealism of the era to show the menace and chaos that lay simmering just beneath the surface.
Bitterroot
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 5 hours 58 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2001
- Language: English
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3.98(2852 ratings)
Following his acclaimed bestseller Purple Cane Road, James Lee Burke returns with a triumphant tour de force.
Set in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, home to celebrities seeking to escape the pressures of public life, as well as to xenophobes dedicated to establishing a bulkhead of patriotic paranoia, Burke’s novel features Billy Bob Holland, former Texas Ranger and now a Texas-based lawyer, who has come to Big Sky Country for some fishing and ends up helping out an old friend in trouble.
And big trouble it is, not just for his friend but for Billy Bob himself—in the form of Wyatt Dixon, a recent prison parolee sworn to kill Billy Bob as revenge for both his imprisonment and his sister’s death, both of which he blames on the former Texas lawman. As the mysteries multiply and the body count mounts, you are drawn deeper into the tortured mind of Billy Bob Holland, a complex hero tormented by the mistakes of his past and driven to make things—all things—right. But beneath the guise of justice for the weak and downtrodden lies a tendency for violence that at times becomes more terrifying than the danger he is trying to eradicate.
As USA TODAY noted in discussing the parallels between Billy Bob Holland and Burke‚Äôs other popular series hero, David Robicheaux, ‚ÄúRobicheaux and Holland are two of a kind, white-hat heroes whose essential goodness doesn‚Äôt keep them from fighting back. The two series describe different landscapes, but one theme remains constant: the inner conflict when upright men are provoked into violence in defense of hearth, home, women, and children. There are plenty of parallels. Billy Bob is an ex-Texas Ranger; Dave is an ex-New Orleans cop. Dave battles alcoholism and the ghosts of Vietnam; Billy Bob actually sees ghosts, including the Ranger he accidentally gunned down…But most of all, both protagonists hold a vision of a pure and simple life.‚Äù
In Bitterroot, with its rugged and vivid setting, its intricate plot, and a set of remarkable, unforgettable characters, and crafted with the lyrical prose and the elegiac tone that have inspired many critics to compare him to William Faulkner, James Lee Burke has written a thriller destined to surpass the success of his previous novels.
Bitterroot
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 12 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.98(2852 ratings)
Following his acclaimed bestseller Purple Cane Road, James Lee Burke returns with a triumphant tour de force.
Set in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, home to celebrities seeking to escape the pressures of public life, as well as to xenophobes dedicated to establishing a bulkhead of patriotic paranoia, Burke’s novel features Billy Bob Holland, former Texas Ranger and now a Texas-based lawyer, who has come to Big Sky Country for some fishing and ends up helping out an old friend in trouble.
And big trouble it is, not just for his friend but for Billy Bob himself–in the form of Wyatt Dixon, a recent prison parolee sworn to kill Billy Bob as revenge for both his imprisonment and his sister’s death, both of which he blames on the former Texas lawman. As the mysteries multiply and the body count mounts, you are drawn deeper into the tortured mind of Billy Bob Holland, a complex hero tormented by the mistakes of his past and driven to make things–all things–right. But beneath the guise of justice for the weak and downtrodden lies a tendency for violence that at times becomes more terrifying than the danger he is trying to eradicate.
As USA TODAY noted in discussing the parallels between Billy Bob Holland and Burke’s other popular series hero, David Robicheaux, “Robicheaux and Holland are two of a kind, white-hat heroes whose essential goodness doesn’t keep them from fighting back. The two series describe different landscapes, but one theme remains constant: the inner conflict when upright men are provoked into violence in defense of hearth, home, women, and children. There are plenty of parallels. Billy Bob is an ex-Texas Ranger; Dave is an ex-New Orleans cop. Dave battles alcoholism and the ghosts of Vietnam; Billy Bob actually sees ghosts, including the Ranger he accidentally gunned down…But most of all, both protagonists hold a vision of a pure and simple life.”
In Bitterroot, with its rugged and vivid setting, its intricate plot, and a set of remarkable, unforgettable characters, and crafted with the lyrical prose and the elegiac tone that have inspired many critics to compare him to William Faulkner, James Lee Burke has written a thriller destined to surpass the success of his previous novels.
Black Cherry Blues
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: James Lee Burke
- Length: 12 hours 22 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: May 23, 2008
- Language: English
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4.15(12597 ratings)
Burning Angel
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 3 hours 5 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 1995
- Language: English
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4.54(102 ratings)
A BRUTAL LEGACY OF CRUELTY AND HATE IS AWAKENED IN THE BAYOU
When Sonny Boy Marsallus returns to New Iberia after fleeing
for Central America to avoid the wrath of the powerful Giacana
family, his old troubles soon follow. Meanwhile Dave
Robicheaux becomes entangled in the affairs of the Fontenot
family, descendants of sharecroppers whose matriarch helped
raise Dave as a child. They are in danger of losing the land
they’ve lived on for more than a century.
As Dave tries to discover who wants the land so badly, he finds
himself in increasing peril from a lethal, rag tag alliance of
local mobsters and a hired assassin with a shady past. And
when a seemingly innocent woman is brutally murdered, all
roads intersect, and Sonny Boy is in the middle.
With the usual James Lee Burke combination of brilliant
action and unforgettable characters, Burning Angel is
the author at his best — showing that old hatreds and new
ones are not that far apart.
Burning Angel
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Mark Hammer
- Length: 14 hours 10 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.06(4896 ratings)
A BRUTAL LEGACY OF CRUELTY AND HATE IS AWAKENED IN THE BAYOU
When Sonny Boy Marsallus returns to New Iberia after fleeing
for Central America to avoid the wrath of the powerful Giacana
family, his old troubles soon follow. Meanwhile Dave
Robicheaux becomes entangled in the affairs of the Fontenot
family, descendants of sharecroppers whose matriarch helped
raise Dave as a child. They are in danger of losing the land
they’ve lived on for more than a century.
As Dave tries to discover who wants the land so badly, he finds
himself in increasing peril from a lethal, rag tag alliance of
local mobsters and a hired assassin with a shady past. And
when a seemingly innocent woman is brutally murdered, all
roads intersect, and Sonny Boy is in the middle.
With the usual James Lee Burke combination of brilliant
action and unforgettable characters, Burning Angel is
the author at his best — showing that old hatreds and new
ones are not that far apart.
Burning Angel “International Edition”
- By: James Lee Burke
- Length: 14 hours 12 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: June 07, 2022
- Language: English
Sweet Pea Chaisson has parked his pink Cadillac convertible full of hookers in the parking lot of a convenience store in Spanish Lake, Louisiana. He’s causing a commotion, but not because of the car or the women–his mother’s coffin is sticking out of the trunk.
Welcome again to the world of Dave Robicheaux, the Bayou cop who works murder cases and a 12-step program with a unique mixture of gentleness and suppressed rage. On his beat in Iberia Parrish, ancient burial sites, a Vietnam war
diary, an old affair, and a street hustler are stirring up trouble. Dave needs to solve these overlapping puzzles, or he’ll end up without a job–or his life.
Edgar Award-winning author James Lee Burke twines threads of the past and present to create unforgettable visions and characters.
... Read moreCadillac Jukebox
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Mark Hammer
- Length: 11 hours 59 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 1996
- Language: English
-
4.54(102 ratings)
James Lee Burke has been hailed as a “national treasure” (Tampa Bay Times), and in his ninth Dave Robicheaux thriller, it’s easy to see why. This taut, twisted tale of corruption in the Louisiana bayou truly brands Burke as “America’s best novelist” (Denver Post).
Aaron Crown comes from a long line of shady Cajun characters, and rumors of Klan ties swirl around his family–so his arrest for the murder of a black civil rights leader would seem to be an open and shut case. But when the man who worked hardest to put Crown away ascends to the governor’s mansion, detective Dave Robicheaux begins to suspect that Aaron may be innocent of the crime. Soon key figures in high places start pressuring Dave to drop his investigation…but that only makes him more determined to uncover the truth at any cost.
Cadillac Jukebox “International Edition”
- By: James Lee Burke
- Length: 12 hours 1 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: May 31, 2022
- Language: English
Bestselling author James Lee Burke returns to delight audiobook listeners who crave fast-paced crime fiction with Cadillac Jukebox. This thunderous and introspective audiobook–the ninth book of the award-winning series–pits the
earthy and robust Dave Robicheaux against forces of law and power far beyond his control.
When a racially motivated murder nearly three decades old churns back to the surface, Robicheaux is confronted by mob bosses, corrupt police chiefs and even dirtier politicians. Despite his efforts to stay clear of the action, he is inevitably
drawn into the center of the conflict as evidence points to the current resident of
the governor’s mansion.
Can Robicheaux uncover the truth and stay one step ahead of the people who want him silenced?
... Read moreCimarron Rose
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 10 hours 54 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.48(248 ratings)
Texas attorney Billy Bob Holland must confront the past in order to save his illegitimate son from a murder conviction in this brilliant, fast-paced thriller from beloved New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke.
Lucas Smothers, nineteen and from the wrong end of town, has been arrested for the rape and murder of a local girl. His lawyer, former Texas Ranger Billy Bob Holland, is convinced of Lucas’s innocence–but proving it means unearthing the truth from the seething mass of deceit and corruption that spreads like wildfire in a gossipy small town where everybody knows everybody else’s business.
Billy Bob’s relationship with Lucas’s family is not an easy one. Years back he was a close friend of Mrs. Smothers–too close, according to her husband. But when Lucas overhears gruesome tales of serial murder from a neighboring cell in the local lock-up, he himself looks like a candidate for an untimely death, and Billy Bob incurs enemies far more dangerous than any he faced as a Ranger.
With the same electric language and hard-edged style that brought James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux novels to the forefront of American crime fiction, Cimarron Rose explodes with a harsh, evocative setting and unforgettable characters.
Cimarron Rose
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 5 hours 2 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 1997
- Language: English
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4.48(248 ratings)
Texas attorney Billy Bob Holland must confront the past in order to save his illegitimate son from a murder conviction in this brilliant, fast-paced thriller from beloved New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke.
Lucas Smothers, nineteen and from the wrong end of town, has been arrested for the rape and murder of a local girl. His lawyer, former Texas Ranger Billy Bob Holland, is convinced of Lucas’s innocence—but proving it means unearthing the truth from the seething mass of deceit and corruption that spreads like wildfire in a gossipy small town where everybody knows everybody else’s business.
Billy Bob’s relationship with Lucas’s family is not an easy one. Years back he was a close friend of Mrs. Smothers—too close, according to her husband. But when Lucas overhears gruesome tales of serial murder from a neighboring cell in the local lock-up, he himself looks like a candidate for an untimely death, and Billy Bob incurs enemies far more dangerous than any he faced as a Ranger.
With the same electric language and hard-edged style that brought James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux novels to the forefront of American crime fiction, Cimarron Rose explodes with a harsh, evocative setting and unforgettable characters.
Cimarron Rose “International Edition”
- By: James Lee Burke
- Length: 10 hours 56 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: June 07, 2022
- Language: English
James Lee Burke, bestselling author of the Louisiana-based Dave Robicheaux crime fiction series, now begins a new series with a new landscape. In Cimarron Rose, Burke brings his talent for lyrical writing and hard-edged suspense to the American West.
Billy Bob Holland is a lawyer for the people of sunbaked Deaf Smith, in southern Texas. Although occasionally he is haunted by memories of a violent past, his life is serene–until a local guitarist, Lucas Smothers, lands in jail for raping and
murdering a young woman. As Billy Bob gathers information to defend him, the evidence soon points to the son of a wealthy local businessman. In the ensuing battle, money is pitted against the law. But a deeper struggle also arises, for Lucas is Billy Bob’s illegitimate son.
Creole Belle
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 7 hours 31 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.17(5858 ratings)
“America’s best novelist” James Lee Burke returns with another New York Times bestselling entry in the Dave Robicheaux thriller series (The Denver Post).
Set against the events of the Gulf Coast oil spill, rife with “the menaces of greed and violence and man-made horror” (The Christian Science Monitor), Creole Belle finds Dave Robicheaux languishing in a New Orleans recovery unit since surviving a bayou shoot-out. The detective’s body is healing; it’s his morphine-addled mind that conjures spectral visions of Tee Jolie Melton, a young woman who in reality has gone missing. An iPod with an old blues song left by his bedside turns Robicheaux into a man obsessed…And as oil companies assign blame after an epic disaster threatens the Gulf’s very existence, Robicheaux unearths connections between tragedies both global and personal–and faces down forces that can corrupt and destroy the best of men.
Creole Belle
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 18 hours 6 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.17(5858 ratings)
“America’s best novelist” James Lee Burke returns with another New York Times bestselling entry in the Dave Robicheaux thriller series (The Denver Post).
Set against the events of the Gulf Coast oil spill, rife with “the menaces of greed and violence and man-made horror” (The Christian Science Monitor), Creole Belle finds Dave Robicheaux languishing in a New Orleans recovery unit since surviving a bayou shoot-out. The detective’s body is healing; it’s his morphine-addled mind that conjures spectral visions of Tee Jolie Melton, a young woman who in reality has gone missing. An iPod with an old blues song left by his bedside turns Robicheaux into a man obsessed…And as oil companies assign blame after an epic disaster threatens the Gulf’s very existence, Robicheaux unearths connections between tragedies both global and personal–and faces down forces that can corrupt and destroy the best of men.
Crusader’s Cross
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 5 hours 43 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2005
- Language: English
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4.15(6187 ratings)
Critically acclaimed and bestselling crime writer James Lee Burke returns to Louisiana where his ever-popular hero, Dave Robicheaux, sleuths his way through a hotbed of sin and uncertainty.
For Dave Robicheaux, life in Louisiana is filled with haunting memories of the past—images from Vietnam, the violent streets of New Orleans, and his own troubled youth. In Crusader’s Cross, a deathbed confession from an old schoolmate resurrects a story of injustice, the murder of a young woman, and a time in Robicheaux’s life he has tried to forget.
Her name may or may not have been Ida Durbin. It was back in the innocent days of the 1950s when Robicheaux and his brother, Jimmie, met her on a Galveston beach. She was pretty and Jimmie fell for her hard—not knowing she was a prostitute on infamous Post Office Street, with ties to the mob. Then Ida was abducted and never seen again.
Now, decades later, Robicheaux is asking questions about Ida Durbin, and a couple of redneck deputy sheriffs make it clear that asking questions is a dangerous game. With a series of horrifying murders and the sudden appearance of Valentine Chalons and his sister, Honoria, a disturbed and deeply alluring woman, Robicheaux is soon involved not only with the Chalons family but with the murderous energies of the New Orleans underworld. Also, he meets and finds himself drawn into a scandalous relationship with a remarkable Catholic nun.
Brilliant, brooding, and filled with the author’s signature lyricism, Jim Burke’s latest novel is a darkly suspenseful work of literature.
Crusader’s Cross
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 10 hours 47 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2005
- Language: English
-
4.15(6187 ratings)
Critically acclaimed and bestselling crime writer James Lee Burke returns to Louisiana where his ever-popular hero, Dave Robicheaux, sleuths his way through a hotbed of sin and uncertainty.
For Dave Robicheaux, life in Louisiana is filled with haunting memories of the past—images from Vietnam, the violent streets of New Orleans, and his own troubled youth. In Crusader’s Cross, a deathbed confession from an old schoolmate resurrects a story of injustice, the murder of a young woman, and a time in Robicheaux’s life he has tried to forget.
Her name may or may not have been Ida Durbin. It was back in the innocent days of the 1950s when Robicheaux and his brother, Jimmie, met her on a Galveston beach. She was pretty and Jimmie fell for her hard—not knowing she was a prostitute on infamous Post Office Street, with ties to the mob. Then Ida was abducted and never seen again.
Now, decades later, Robicheaux is asking questions about Ida Durbin, and a couple of redneck deputy sheriffs make it clear that asking questions is a dangerous game. With a series of horrifying murders and the sudden appearance of Valentine Chalons and his sister, Honoria, a disturbed and deeply alluring woman, Robicheaux is soon involved not only with the Chalons family but with the murderous energies of the New Orleans underworld. Also, he meets and finds himself drawn into a scandalous relationship with a remarkable Catholic nun.
Brilliant, brooding, and filled with the author’s signature lyricism, Jim Burke’s latest novel is a darkly suspenseful work of literature.
Dixie City Jam
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 3 hours 9 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 1994
- Language: English
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4.09(5688 ratings)
A FORGOTTEN NAZI SUB BRINGS OLD HATREDS TO THE SURFACE
They’re out there, under the salt — the bodies of German seamen who used to lie in wait at the mouth of the Mississippi for unescorted American tankers sailing from the oil refineries of Baton Rouge out into the Gulf of Mexico.
As a child, Dave Robicheaux had been haunted by the sailors’ images; then, as a young college student, he’d discovered one of their sunken subs while scuba diving. Years later, in a New Orleans populated by desperate hustlers and millennium – watchers of all stripes, Robicheaux, a detective with the New Iberia sheriff’s office, finds himself and his family at serious risk, stalked for his knowledge of a watery burial ground by a mysterious man named Will Buchalter — a man who believes that the Holocaust was one big hoax.
A masterpiece of suspense, Dixie City Jam takes listeners deep into the human heart of darkness.
Dixie City Jam
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Mark Hammer
- Length: 14 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.09(5688 ratings)
A FORGOTTEN NAZI SUB BRINGS OLD HATREDS TO THE SURFACE
They’re out there, under the salt — the bodies of German seamen who used to lie in wait at the mouth of the Mississippi for unescorted American tankers sailing from the oil refineries of Baton Rouge out into the Gulf of Mexico.
As a child, Dave Robicheaux had been haunted by the sailors’ images; then, as a young college student, he’d discovered one of their sunken subs while scuba diving. Years later, in a New Orleans populated by desperate hustlers and millennium – watchers of all stripes, Robicheaux, a detective with the New Iberia sheriff’s office, finds himself and his family at serious risk, stalked for his knowledge of a watery burial ground by a mysterious man named Will Buchalter — a man who believes that the Holocaust was one big hoax.
A masterpiece of suspense, Dixie City Jam takes listeners deep into the human heart of darkness.
Every Cloak Rolled in Blood
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 7 hours 17 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
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4.01(1013 ratings)
In his most autobiographical novel to date, James Lee Burke continues the epic Holland family saga with a writer grieving the death of his daughter while battling earthly and supernatural outlaws.
Novelist Aaron Holland Broussard is shattered when his daughter Fannie Mae dies suddenly. As he tries to honor her memory by saving two young men from a life of crime amid their opioid-ravaged community, he is drawn into a network of villainy that includes a violent former Klansman, a far-from-holy minister, a biker club posing as evangelicals, and a murderer who has been hiding in plain sight.
Aaron’s only ally is state police officer Ruby Spotted Horse, a no-nonsense woman who harbors some powerful secrets in her cellar. Despite the air of mystery surrounding her, Ruby is the only one Aaron can trust. That is, until the ghost of Fannie Mae shows up, guiding her father through a tangled web of the present and past and helping him vanquish his foes from both this world and the next.
Drawn from James Lee Burke’s own life experiences, Every Cloak Rolled in Blood is a devastating exploration of the nature of good and evil and a deeply moving story about the power of love and family.
Feast Day of Fools
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 16 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2011
- Language: English
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3.98(3741 ratings)
Winner of the 2012 Audie Award for Mystery
The critically acclaimed thirtieth entry from New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke, featuring Texas Sheriff Hackberry Holland in an epic tale that is equal parts thriller, Western, and literary masterpiece.
James Lee Burke returns to the Texas border town of his bestseller Rain Gods, where a serial killer presumed dead is very much alive…and where sheriff Hackberry Holland, now a widower, fights for survival–his own, and of the citizens he’s sworn to protect.
When alcoholic ex-boxer Danny Boy Lorca witnesses a man tortured to death in the desert, Hackberry’s investigation leads him to Anton Ling, a mysterious Chinese woman known for sheltering illegals. Ling denies any knowledge of the attack, but something in her aristocratic beauty seduces Hack into overlooking that she is as dangerous as the men she harbors. And when soulless Preacher Jack Collins reemerges, the cold-blooded killer may prove invaluable to Hackberry. This time, he and the Preacher have a common enemy.
Feast Day of Fools
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 7 hours 7 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2011
- Language: English
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3.98(3741 ratings)
Winner of the 2012 Audie Award for Mystery
The critically acclaimed thirtieth entry from New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke, featuring Texas Sheriff Hackberry Holland in an epic tale that is equal parts thriller, Western, and literary masterpiece.
James Lee Burke returns to the Texas border town of his bestseller Rain Gods, where a serial killer presumed dead is very much alive…and where sheriff Hackberry Holland, now a widower, fights for survival–his own, and of the citizens he’s sworn to protect.
When alcoholic ex-boxer Danny Boy Lorca witnesses a man tortured to death in the desert, Hackberry’s investigation leads him to Anton Ling, a mysterious Chinese woman known for sheltering illegals. Ling denies any knowledge of the attack, but something in her aristocratic beauty seduces Hack into overlooking that she is as dangerous as the men she harbors. And when soulless Preacher Jack Collins reemerges, the cold-blooded killer may prove invaluable to Hackberry. This time, he and the Preacher have a common enemy.
Half of Paradise
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Mark Zeisler
- Length: 9 hours 35 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.61(669 ratings)
Discover James Lee Burke’s debut novel–before the creation of his now-famous Cajun detective Dave Robicheaux–as he follows the lives of three very different young Louisiana men, each of whom finds himself in desperate circumstances.
Toussaint Boudreaux, a black longshoreman in New Orleans, tolerates his co-workers’ racism because he has to, and moonlights as a heavyweight boxer. J.P. Winfield, with his gift for twelve-string guitar, finds his break into showbiz, which ultimately leads to the flipside of the American dream. Avery Broussard, descendant of once-prosperous land owners, has a weakness for alcohol and succumbs to his demons when what remains of his land is repossessed…
The intertwining stories of these three men are a testament to the realities of life in 1950s Louisiana, their destinies seemingly fixed by fate. Yet each hopes for redemption…
Heartwood
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Alan Sklar
- Length: 12 hours 4 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4(2267 ratings)
Few writers in America today combine James Lee Burke’s lush prose, cracking story lines, and tremendous sense of history and landscape. In Cimarron Rose, longtime fans of the Dave Robicheaux series found that the struggles of Texas defense attorney Billy Bob Holland show Burke at his best in exploring classic American themes — the sometimes subtle, often violent strains between the haves and the have-nots; the collision of past and present; the inequities in the criminal justice system.
Heartwood is a kind of tree that grows in layers. And as Billy Bob’s grandfather once told him, you do well in life by keeping the roots in a clear stream and not letting anyone taint the water for you. But in Holland’s dusty little hometown of Deaf Smith, in the hill country north of Austin, local kingpin Earl Deitrich has made a fortune running roughshod and tainting anyone who stands in his way. Billy Bob has problems with Deitrich and his shamelessly callous demeanor, but can’t shake the legacy of his passion for Deitrich’s “heartbreak-beautiful” wife, Peggy Jean.
When Holland takes on the defense of Wilbur Pickett — a man accused of stealing an heirloom and three hundred thousand dollars in bonds from Deitrich’s office — he finds himself up against not Earl’s power and influence, but also a past Billy Bob can’t will away. A wonderfully realized novel, rich in Texas atmosphere and lore, and a dazzling portrait of the deadly consequences of self-delusion, Heartwood could only have been written by James Lee Burke, a writer in expert command of his craft.
Heartwood
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 5 hours 27 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 1999
- Language: English
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4(2267 ratings)
Few writers in America today combine James Lee Burke’s lush prose, cracking story lines, and tremendous sense of history and landscape. In Cimarron Rose, longtime fans of the Dave Robicheaux series found that the struggles of Texas defense attorney Billy Bob Holland show Burke at his best in exploring classic American themes — the sometimes subtle, often violent strains between the haves and the have-nots; the collision of past and present; the inequities in the criminal justice system.
Heartwood is a kind of tree that grows in layers. And as Billy Bob’s grandfather once told him, you do well in life by keeping the roots in a clear stream and not letting anyone taint the water for you. But in Holland’s dusty little hometown of Deaf Smith, in the hill country north of Austin, local kingpin Earl Deitrich has made a fortune running roughshod and tainting anyone who stands in his way. Billy Bob has problems with Deitrich and his shamelessly callous demeanor, but can’t shake the legacy of his passion for Deitrich’s “heartbreak-beautiful” wife, Peggy Jean.
When Holland takes on the defense of Wilbur Pickett — a man accused of stealing an heirloom and three hundred thousand dollars in bonds from Deitrich’s office — he finds himself up against not Earl’s power and influence, but also a past Billy Bob can’t will away. A wonderfully realized novel, rich in Texas atmosphere and lore, and a dazzling portrait of the deadly consequences of self-delusion, Heartwood could only have been written by James Lee Burke, a writer in expert command of his craft.
Heaven’s Prisoners
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 1996
- Language: English
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4.1(7349 ratings)
James Lee Burke’s second Robicheaux novel takes the detective out of New Orleans and into the bayou as he seeks a quieter life.
Vietnam vet Dave Robicheaux has turned in his detective‚Äôs badge, is winning his battle against booze, and has left New Orleans with his wife for the tranquil beauty of Louisiana‚Äôs bayous. But a plane crash on the Gulf brings a young girl into his life‚Äîand with her comes a netherworld of murder, deception, and homegrown crime. Suddenly Robicheaux is confronting Bubba Rocque, a brutal hood he‚Äôs known since childhood; Rocque‚Äôs hungry Cajun wife; and a Federal agent with more guts than sense. In a backwater world where a swagger and a gun go further than the law, Robicheaux and those he loves are caught on a tide of violence far bigger than them all…
House of the Rising Sun
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 7 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.92(2415 ratings)
Bestselling author James Lee Burke’s “stunning” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) masterpiece is the story of a father and son separated by war, circumstance, and a race for the Holy Grail–a thrilling entry in the Holland family saga.
After a violent encounter that leaves four Mexican soldiers dead, Texas Ranger Hackberry Holland escapes the country in possession of a stolen artifact believed to be the mythic cup of Christ, earning the ire of a bloodthirsty Austrian arms dealer who places Hack’s son, Ishmael, squarely in the cross hairs of a plot to recapture his prize.
On the journey from revolutionary Mexico in 1918 to the saloons of San Antonio during the Hole in the Wall Gang’s reign, we meet three extraordinary women: the Danish immigrant who is Ishmael’s mother and Hackberry’s one true love; a brothel madam descended from the Crusader knight who brought the Shroud of Turin back from the Holy Land; and a onetime lover of the Sundance Kid, whose wiles rival those of Lady Macbeth. In her own way, each woman will aid Hack in his quest to reconcile with Ishmael, to vanquish their enemies, and to return the Grail to its rightful place.
An epic tale of love, loss, betrayal, vengeance, and retribution, The House of the Rising Sun further cements Burke’s reputation as “one of America’s all-time masters” (New York Journal of Books).
House of The Rising Sun
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 14 hours 59 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.92(2415 ratings)
Bestselling author James Lee Burke’s “stunning” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) masterpiece is the story of a father and son separated by war, circumstance, and a race for the Holy Grail–a thrilling entry in the Holland family saga.
After a violent encounter that leaves four Mexican soldiers dead, Texas Ranger Hackberry Holland escapes the country in possession of a stolen artifact believed to be the mythic cup of Christ, earning the ire of a bloodthirsty Austrian arms dealer who places Hack’s son, Ishmael, squarely in the cross hairs of a plot to recapture his prize.
On the journey from revolutionary Mexico in 1918 to the saloons of San Antonio during the Hole in the Wall Gang’s reign, we meet three extraordinary women: the Danish immigrant who is Ishmael’s mother and Hackberry’s one true love; a brothel madam descended from the Crusader knight who brought the Shroud of Turin back from the Holy Land; and a onetime lover of the Sundance Kid, whose wiles rival those of Lady Macbeth. In her own way, each woman will aid Hack in his quest to reconcile with Ishmael, to vanquish their enemies, and to return the Grail to its rightful place.
An epic tale of love, loss, betrayal, vengeance, and retribution, The House of the Rising Sun further cements Burke’s reputation as “one of America’s all-time masters” (New York Journal of Books).
In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 3 hours 2 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 1993
- Language: English
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4.15(7650 ratings)
The sixth in the New York Times bestselling Dave Robicheaux series delivers a heart-pounding bayou manhunt—and features “one of the coolest, earthiest heroes in thrillerdom” (Entertainment Weekly ).
When Hollywood invades New Iberia Parish to film a Civil War epic, restless specters waiting in the shadows for Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux are reawakened—ghosts of a history best left undisturbed.
Hunting a serial killer preying on the lawless young, Robicheaux comes face-to-face with the elusive guardians of his darkest torments— who hold the key to his ultimate salvation or a final, fatal downfall.
In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Mark Hammer
- Length: 14 hours 5 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.15(7650 ratings)
The sixth in the New York Times bestselling Dave Robicheaux series delivers a heart-pounding bayou manhunt–and features “one of the coolest, earthiest heroes in thrillerdom” (Entertainment Weekly ).
When Hollywood invades New Iberia Parish to film a Civil War epic, restless specters waiting in the shadows for Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux are reawakened–ghosts of a history best left undisturbed.
Hunting a serial killer preying on the lawless young, Robicheaux comes face-to-face with the elusive guardians of his darkest torments– who hold the key to his ultimate salvation or a final, fatal downfall.
In the Moon of Red Ponies
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 12 hours 8 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2004
- Language: English
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4.08(2291 ratings)
Haunting suspense and captivating villains, the hallmark of James Lee Burke’s bestselling novels of evil and redemption, are brilliantly evoked in his new Billy Bob Holland opus, the follow-up to the popular and critically acclaimed Bitterroot.
‚ÄúJames Lee Burke tells a story in a style all his own, in language that’s alive, electric. He’s a master at setting mood, laying in atmosphere, all with quirky dialogue that’s a delight.‚Äù ‚ÄîElmore Leonard
In James Lee Burke’s last novel featuring Billy Bob Holland, Bitterroot, the former Texas Ranger left his home state to help a friend threatened by the most dangerous sociopath Billy Bob had ever faced. After vanquishing a truly iniquitous collection of violent individuals, Billy moved his family to west Montana and hung out a shingle for his law practice. But in In the Moon of Red Ponies, he discovers that jail cells have revolving doors and that the government he had sworn to serve may have become his enemy.
His first client in Missoula is Johnny American Horse, a young activist for land preservation and the rights of Native Americans. Johnny is charged with the murder of two mysterious men‚Äîwho seem to have recently tried to kill Johnny themselves, or at least scare him off his political causes. As Billy Bob investigates, he discovers a web of intrigue surrounding the case and its players: Johnny’s girlfriend, Amber Finley, as reckless as she is defiant‚Äîand the daughter of one of Montana’s US senators; Darrel McComb, a Missoula police detective who is obsessed with Amber; and Seth Masterson, an enigmatic government agent whose presence in town makes Billy Bob wonder why Washington has become so concerned with an obscure murder case on the fringes of the Bitterroot Mountains.
As complications mount and the dead bodies multiply, Billy Bob is drawn closer to the truth behind Johnny American Horse’s arrest—and discovers a greater danger to himself and to his whole family. How Billy Bob strikes back at evil and protects his kin is the masterful triumph of In the Moon of Red Ponies.
Beautifully written, with an intriguing plot and characters whose conflicts seem as real as life itself, this novel shows James Lee Burke again in the top form that has made him a critical favorite and a national bestseller.
In the Moon of Red Ponies
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 5 hours 58 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2004
- Language: English
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4.08(2291 ratings)
Haunting suspense and captivating villains, the hallmark of James Lee Burke’s bestselling novels of evil and redemption, are brilliantly evoked in his new Billy Bob Holland opus, the follow-up to the popular and critically acclaimed Bitterroot.
‚ÄúJames Lee Burke tells a story in a style all his own, in language that’s alive, electric. He’s a master at setting mood, laying in atmosphere, all with quirky dialogue that’s a delight.‚Äù ‚ÄîElmore Leonard
In James Lee Burke’s last novel featuring Billy Bob Holland, Bitterroot, the former Texas Ranger left his home state to help a friend threatened by the most dangerous sociopath Billy Bob had ever faced. After vanquishing a truly iniquitous collection of violent individuals, Billy moved his family to west Montana and hung out a shingle for his law practice. But in In the Moon of Red Ponies, he discovers that jail cells have revolving doors and that the government he had sworn to serve may have become his enemy.
His first client in Missoula is Johnny American Horse, a young activist for land preservation and the rights of Native Americans. Johnny is charged with the murder of two mysterious men‚Äîwho seem to have recently tried to kill Johnny themselves, or at least scare him off his political causes. As Billy Bob investigates, he discovers a web of intrigue surrounding the case and its players: Johnny’s girlfriend, Amber Finley, as reckless as she is defiant‚Äîand the daughter of one of Montana’s US senators; Darrel McComb, a Missoula police detective who is obsessed with Amber; and Seth Masterson, an enigmatic government agent whose presence in town makes Billy Bob wonder why Washington has become so concerned with an obscure murder case on the fringes of the Bitterroot Mountains.
As complications mount and the dead bodies multiply, Billy Bob is drawn closer to the truth behind Johnny American Horse’s arrest—and discovers a greater danger to himself and to his whole family. How Billy Bob strikes back at evil and protects his kin is the masterful triumph of In the Moon of Red Ponies.
Beautifully written, with an intriguing plot and characters whose conflicts seem as real as life itself, this novel shows James Lee Burke again in the top form that has made him a critical favorite and a national bestseller.
Jesus Out to Sea
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 26 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.96(880 ratings)
INCLUDES THE STORY “WINTER LIGHT,” THE BASIS FOR THE FILM GOD’S COUNTRY STARRING THANDIWE NEWTON​
One of the country’s most-acclaimed and popular novelists offers a selection of ten short stories centered around the devastation in Louisiana and Mississippi during and after Katrina.
In this moving collection of short stories, James Lee Burke elegantly marries his flair for gripping storytelling with his lyrical writing style and complex, fascinating character portraits. The backdrop of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast is a versatile setting for Burke’s stories, which cover the scope of the human experience—from love and sex to domestic abuse to war, death, and friendship.
Jesus Out To Sea Collection
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 6 hours 21 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
In this moving collection of short stories, James Lee Burke elegantly marries his flair for gripping storytelling with his urbane writing style and complex, fascinating character portraits. The backdop of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast proves to be a versatile setting for Burke’s stories, which cover the scope of the human experience — from love and sex to domestic abuse to war and death and friendship.
... Read moreJolie Blon’s Bounce
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 6 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2002
- Language: English
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4.17(6400 ratings)
Dave Robicheaux is back in this powerful New York Times bestseller that takes him into the underbelly of New Iberia’s mafia to solve the brutal murder of two teenage girls.
When a beautiful teenage girl is killed, New Iberia police detective Dave Robicheaux senses that the most likely suspect, Tee Bobby Hulin, is not the actual killer. Though a drug addict and general neer-do-well, Hulin just doesn’t fit the profile for this kind of crime. He’s a Cajun blues singer (one of his songs is titled “Jolie Blon’s Bounce”), and he’s been raised by his grandmother Ladice Hulin, a proud and strong-willed black woman.
But when there’s another, similar murder—this victim a drugged-out prostitute who happens to be the daughter of one of the local mafia bigwigs—the cries for an arrest become too loud to ignore. The mafia figure, however, prefers to take matters in his own hand and sets out to find—and punish—the killer himself. Once again, Tee Bobby Hulin seems the most likely suspect.
Added to the mix of characters on the good guy side of the balance sheet is Clete Purcel, a long-time buddy of Robicheaux’s and a confirmed boozer and womanizer. Coming to New Iberia for a visit, Clete is quickly drawn into the struggle between the various forces of evil in the town: Jimmy Dean Styles, a black man intent on maintaining his empire of corruption; Joe Zeroski, a trailer-park mafioso with palatial aspirations—and of course Legion Guidrey, the devil incarnate.
Jolie Blon’s Bounce
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Mark Hammer
- Length: 14 hours 39 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2002
- Language: English
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4.17(6400 ratings)
Dave Robicheaux is back in this powerful New York Times bestseller that takes him into the underbelly of New Iberia’s mafia to solve the brutal murder of two teenage girls.
When a beautiful teenage girl is killed, New Iberia police detective Dave Robicheaux senses that the most likely suspect, Tee Bobby Hulin, is not the actual killer. Though a drug addict and general neer-do-well, Hulin just doesn’t fit the profile for this kind of crime. He’s a Cajun blues singer (one of his songs is titled “Jolie Blon’s Bounce”), and he’s been raised by his grandmother Ladice Hulin, a proud and strong-willed black woman.
But when there’s another, similar murder—this victim a drugged-out prostitute who happens to be the daughter of one of the local mafia bigwigs—the cries for an arrest become too loud to ignore. The mafia figure, however, prefers to take matters in his own hand and sets out to find—and punish—the killer himself. Once again, Tee Bobby Hulin seems the most likely suspect.
Added to the mix of characters on the good guy side of the balance sheet is Clete Purcel, a long-time buddy of Robicheaux’s and a confirmed boozer and womanizer. Coming to New Iberia for a visit, Clete is quickly drawn into the struggle between the various forces of evil in the town: Jimmy Dean Styles, a black man intent on maintaining his empire of corruption; Joe Zeroski, a trailer-park mafioso with palatial aspirations—and of course Legion Guidrey, the devil incarnate.
Last Car to Elysian Fields
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 6 hours 4 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2003
- Language: English
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4.14(4319 ratings)
Sheriff Dave Robicheaux returns to New Orleans to investigate the beating of a controversial Catholic priest and murder of three teenage girls in this intense, atmospheric entry in the New York Times bestselling series.
For Dave Robicheaux, there is no easy passage home. New Orleans, and the memories of his life in the Big Easy, will always haunt him. So to return there means visiting old ghosts, exposing old wounds, opening himself up to new, yet familiar, dangers.
When Robicheaux, now a police officer based in the somewhat quieter Louisiana town of New Iberia, learns that an old friend, Father Jimmie Dolan, a Catholic priest always at the center of controversy, has been the victim of a particularly brutal assault, he knows he has to return to New Orleans to investigate, if only unofficially. What he doesn’t realize is that in doing so he is inviting into his life—and into the lives of those around him—an ancestral evil that could destroy them all.
A masterful exploration of the troubled side of human nature and the darkest corners of the heart, and filled with the kinds of unforgettable characters that are the hallmarks of his novels, Last Car to Elysian Fields is Burke in top form in the kind of lush, atmospheric thriller that is “an outstanding entry in an excellent series” (Publishers Weekly).
Last Car to Elysian Fields
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Mark Hammer
- Length: 14 hours 20 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2003
- Language: English
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4.14(4319 ratings)
Sheriff Dave Robicheaux returns to New Orleans to investigate the beating of a controversial Catholic priest and murder of three teenage girls in this intense, atmospheric entry in the New York Times bestselling series.
For Dave Robicheaux, there is no easy passage home. New Orleans, and the memories of his life in the Big Easy, will always haunt him. So to return there means visiting old ghosts, exposing old wounds, opening himself up to new, yet familiar, dangers.
When Robicheaux, now a police officer based in the somewhat quieter Louisiana town of New Iberia, learns that an old friend, Father Jimmie Dolan, a Catholic priest always at the center of controversy, has been the victim of a particularly brutal assault, he knows he has to return to New Orleans to investigate, if only unofficially. What he doesn’t realize is that in doing so he is inviting into his life—and into the lives of those around him—an ancestral evil that could destroy them all.
A masterful exploration of the troubled side of human nature and the darkest corners of the heart, and filled with the kinds of unforgettable characters that are the hallmarks of his novels, Last Car to Elysian Fields is Burke in top form in the kind of lush, atmospheric thriller that is “an outstanding entry in an excellent series” (Publishers Weekly).
Lay Down My Sword and Shield
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 8 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2010
- Language: English
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3.9(1874 ratings)
Vintage James Lee Burke: The first novel introducing the memorable Texas sheriff Hackberry Holland, coming of age against the backdrop of the civil rights era in a sultry border town.
In hot and sultry Texas, Hack, an attorney and Korean War POW, is being pushed by his wife, his brother, and his so-called friends in the oil business to run for political office. But Hack would prefer to drink, look after his beloved horses, and represent the occasional long-shot pro bono case at his law firm. When Hack attempts to overturn a conviction for an old army buddy, he finds himself embroiled in the seamy underbelly of the Texas patronage system–and in the earliest beginnings of the United Farm Workers movement, led by a beautiful woman who speaks to his heart in a way no one else has. As Hack begins to bring justice to the underserved, he finds both a new love and a new purpose.
With his skillful blend of engaging plotlines, compelling characters, and graceful prose, James Lee Burke demonstrates the shimmering clarity of vision that has made him beloved by suspense fans all over the globe.
Light Of the World
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 8 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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4.05(4613 ratings)
New York Times bestselling author and “America’s best novelist” (The Denver Post) James Lee Burke is back with the twentieth mystery in the masterful Dave Robicheaux series.
Sadist and serial killer Asa Surrette narrowly escaped the death penalty for the string of heinous murders he committed while capital punishment was outlawed in Kansas. But following a series of damning articles written by Dave Robicheaux’s daughter Alafair, Surrette escapes from a prison transport van and heads to Montana, where an unsuspecting Dave–along with Alafair; Dave’s wife, Molly; Dave’s faithful partner Clete; and Clete’s newfound daughter, Gretchen Horowitz–have come to take in the sweet summer air.
Surrette may be even worse than Dave’s old enemy Legion Guidry, a man Dave suspected might very well be the devil incarnate. But before Dave can stop Surrette from harming those he loves most, he’ll have to do battle with Love Younger, an enigmatic petrochemical magnate seeking to build an oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas, and Wyatt Dixon, a rodeo clown with a dark past whom Burke fans will recall from his Billy Bob Holland novels.
Says The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), “Already designated a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, Burke should get another title, say, for sustained literary brilliance in his Dave Robicheaux series.” Drawing on real events that took place in Wichita, Kansas, over a twenty-year span, Light of the World is a harrowing novel that examines the nature of evil and pits Dave Robicheaux against the most diabolical villain he has ever faced.
Light Of the World
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 19 hours 3 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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4.05(4613 ratings)
New York Times bestselling author and “America’s best novelist” (The Denver Post) James Lee Burke is back with the twentieth mystery in the masterful Dave Robicheaux series.
Sadist and serial killer Asa Surrette narrowly escaped the death penalty for the string of heinous murders he committed while capital punishment was outlawed in Kansas. But following a series of damning articles written by Dave Robicheaux’s daughter Alafair, Surrette escapes from a prison transport van and heads to Montana, where an unsuspecting Dave–along with Alafair; Dave’s wife, Molly; Dave’s faithful partner Clete; and Clete’s newfound daughter, Gretchen Horowitz–have come to take in the sweet summer air.
Surrette may be even worse than Dave’s old enemy Legion Guidry, a man Dave suspected might very well be the devil incarnate. But before Dave can stop Surrette from harming those he loves most, he’ll have to do battle with Love Younger, an enigmatic petrochemical magnate seeking to build an oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas, and Wyatt Dixon, a rodeo clown with a dark past whom Burke fans will recall from his Billy Bob Holland novels.
Says The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), “Already designated a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, Burke should get another title, say, for sustained literary brilliance in his Dave Robicheaux series.” Drawing on real events that took place in Wichita, Kansas, over a twenty-year span, Light of the World is a harrowing novel that examines the nature of evil and pits Dave Robicheaux against the most diabolical villain he has ever faced.
Mist
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 36 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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4.15(7650 ratings)
Pegasus Descending
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 5 hours 36 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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4.18(5725 ratings)
Dave Robicheaux is back in a dangerous mystery that involves stolen money, gritty casinos, and a beautiful girl with connections to his past.
When a nice young woman named Trish Klein blows into Louisiana, passing hundred-dollar bills in local casinos, detective Dave Robicheaux senses a storm bearing down on his new life of contentment… Twenty-five years ago, lost in a drunken haze in Florida, Robicheaux was too far gone to save his friend and fellow ’Nam vet Dallas Klein, murdered in cold blood for gambling debts. Now, the arrival of Dallas’s daughter opens a door locked long ago, and extracting her motives points Robicheaux to the suicide of a local “good girl” pulled into a vortex of power, sex, and death. It’s Robicheaux’s most personally painful case—a roller coaster of passion, surprise, and regret—and it may be his deadliest.
Pegasus Descending
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 12 hours 0 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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4.18(5725 ratings)
Dave Robicheaux is back in a dangerous mystery that involves stolen money, gritty casinos, and a beautiful girl with connections to his past.
When a nice young woman named Trish Klein blows into Louisiana, passing hundred-dollar bills in local casinos, detective Dave Robicheaux senses a storm bearing down on his new life of contentment… Twenty-five years ago, lost in a drunken haze in Florida, Robicheaux was too far gone to save his friend and fellow ’Nam vet Dallas Klein, murdered in cold blood for gambling debts. Now, the arrival of Dallas’s daughter opens a door locked long ago, and extracting her motives points Robicheaux to the suicide of a local “good girl” pulled into a vortex of power, sex, and death. It’s Robicheaux’s most personally painful case—a roller coaster of passion, surprise, and regret—and it may be his deadliest.
Purple Cane Road
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 5 hours 18 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2000
- Language: English
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4.16(6003 ratings)
Dave Robicheaux has spent his life confronting the age-old adage that the sins of the father pass on to the son. But what was his mother’s legacy? Dead to him since his youth, Mae Guillory has been shuttered away in the deep recesses of Robicheaux’s mind. He’s lived with the fact that he would never really know what happened to the woman who left him to the devices of a whiskey-driven father. But deep down, Dave still feels the loss of his mother and knows that the infinite series of disappointments in her life could not have come to a good end.
While helping out an old friend, Dave is stunned when a pimp looks at him sideways and asks if he is the son of Mae Guillory, the whore a bunch of cops murdered thirty years ago. Her body was dumped in the bayou bordering Purple Cane Road, and the cops who left her there are still on the job.
Dave’s search for his mother’s killers leads him to the darker places in his past, and solving this case teaches him what it means to be his mother’s son. Purple Cane Road has the dimensions of a classic — passion, murder, and nearly heartbreaking poignancy — wrapped in a wonderfully executed plot that surprises from start to finish.
Purple Cane Road
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 10 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.16(6003 ratings)
Dave Robicheaux has spent his life confronting the age-old adage that the sins of the father pass on to the son. But what was his mother’s legacy? Dead to him since his youth, Mae Guillory has been shuttered away in the deep recesses of Robicheaux’s mind. He’s lived with the fact that he would never really know what happened to the woman who left him to the devices of a whiskey-driven father. But deep down, Dave still feels the loss of his mother and knows that the infinite series of disappointments in her life could not have come to a good end.
While helping out an old friend, Dave is stunned when a pimp looks at him sideways and asks if he is the son of Mae Guillory, the whore a bunch of cops murdered thirty years ago. Her body was dumped in the bayou bordering Purple Cane Road, and the cops who left her there are still on the job.
Dave’s search for his mother’s killers leads him to the darker places in his past, and solving this case teaches him what it means to be his mother’s son. Purple Cane Road has the dimensions of a classic — passion, murder, and nearly heartbreaking poignancy — wrapped in a wonderfully executed plot that surprises from start to finish.
Rain Gods
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 6 hours 49 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2009
- Language: English
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4.02(4234 ratings)
“America’s best novelist” (The Denver Post) brings back one of his most fascinating characters—Texas sheriff Hackberry Holland, cousin to lawman Billy Bob Holland—in this heart-pounding bestseller.
In a heat-cracked border town, the bodies of nine illegal aliens—women and girls, killed execution-style—are unearthed in a shallow grave. Haunted by a past he can’t shake and his own private demons, Hack attempts to untangle the grisly case, which may lead to more bloodshed. Damaged young Iraq vet Pete Flores, who saw too much before fleeing the crime scene, and his girlfriend, Vikki Gaddis, are running for their lives. Sorting through the lowlifes who are hunting down Pete, and with Preacher Jack Collins, a Godfearing serial killer for hire, in the mix, Hack is caught up in a terrifying race for survival—for Pete, Vikki, and himself.
Rain Gods
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 15 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2009
- Language: English
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4.02(4234 ratings)
“America’s best novelist” (The Denver Post) brings back one of his most fascinating characters—Texas sheriff Hackberry Holland, cousin to lawman Billy Bob Holland—in this heart-pounding bestseller.
In a heat-cracked border town, the bodies of nine illegal aliens—women and girls, killed execution-style—are unearthed in a shallow grave. Haunted by a past he can’t shake and his own private demons, Hack attempts to untangle the grisly case, which may lead to more bloodshed. Damaged young Iraq vet Pete Flores, who saw too much before fleeing the crime scene, and his girlfriend, Vikki Gaddis, are running for their lives. Sorting through the lowlifes who are hunting down Pete, and with Preacher Jack Collins, a Godfearing serial killer for hire, in the mix, Hack is caught up in a terrifying race for survival—for Pete, Vikki, and himself.
Robicheaux
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 13 hours 57 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2018
- Language: English
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3.92(20322 ratings)
James Lee Burke’s most beloved character, Dave Robicheaux, returns in this New York Times bestselling mystery set in the towns and backwoods of Louisiana: an “enthralling yet grim novel that…will captivate, start to finish” (Publishers Weekly).
Dave Robicheaux is a haunted man. From the acts he committed in Vietnam, to his battles with alcoholism, to the sudden loss of his beloved wife, Molly, his thoughts drift from one irreconcilable memory to the next. Images of ghosts pepper his reality. Robicheaux’s only beacon remains serving as a detective in New Iberia, Louisiana.
It’s in that capacity that Robicheaux crosses paths with powerful mob boss, Tony Nemo. Tony has a Civil War sword he’d like to give to Levon Broussard, a popular local author whose books have been adapted into major Hollywood films. Then there’s Jimmy Nightengale, the young poster boy of New Orleans wealth and glamour. Jimmy’s fond of Levon’s work, and even fonder of his beautiful, enigmatic wife, Rowena. Tony thinks Jimmy can be a US Senator someday, and has the resources and clout to make it happen. There’s something off about the relationship among these three men, and after a vicious assault, it’s up to Robicheaux to uncover the truth “in the barn-burner of a climax” (Booklist, starred review).
Complicating matters is the sudden death of the New Iberian local responsible for Molly’s death; namely that Robicheaux’s colleague thinks Robicheaux had something to do with it. As Robicheaux works to clear his name and make sense of the murder, a harrowing study of America emerges: this nation’s abiding conflict between a sense of past grandeur and a legacy of shame, its easy seduction by demagogues and wealth, and its predilection for violence and revenge. “It has been almost five years since James Lee Burke’s last Dave Robicheaux novel, and it was absolutely worth the wait” (Associated Press).
Sunset Limited
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Mark Hammer
- Length: 12 hours 28 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.07(4587 ratings)
Detective Dave Robicheaux returns to center stage in an incendiary new novel by James Lee Burke. A gripping tale of racial violence, class warfare, and the sometimes cruel legacy of Southern history, Sunset Limited is a stunning achievement, confirming Burke’s place as one of America’s premier stylists as well as master storytellers.
The forty-year-old crucifixion of a prominent labor leader named Jack Flynn remains an unsolved atrocity that has never been forgotten in New Iberia, Louisiana. When Flynn’s daughter, Megan, a photojournalist drawn to controversial subjects, returns to the site of her father’s murder, it quickly becomes clear that her family’s bloodstained past will not stay buried. Megan gives her old friend Dave Robicheaux a tip about a small-time criminal named Cool Breeze Broussard, scarcely suspecting that the seemingly innocuous case will lead Robicheaux and his partner into the midst of a deadly conspiracy.
Combining brilliant prose, crackling suspense, and an exquisite sense of character and place, Sunset Limited is a wrenching tale of historic violence and soiled redemption that reveals one of America’s finest novelists at his masterful best.
Sunset Limited
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 5 hours 21 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 1998
- Language: English
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4.07(4587 ratings)
Detective Dave Robicheaux returns to center stage in an incendiary new novel by James Lee Burke. A gripping tale of racial violence, class warfare, and the sometimes cruel legacy of Southern history, Sunset Limited is a stunning achievement, confirming Burke’s place as one of America’s premier stylists as well as master storytellers.
The forty-year-old crucifixion of a prominent labor leader named Jack Flynn remains an unsolved atrocity that has never been forgotten in New Iberia, Louisiana. When Flynn’s daughter, Megan, a photojournalist drawn to controversial subjects, returns to the site of her father’s murder, it quickly becomes clear that her family’s bloodstained past will not stay buried. Megan gives her old friend Dave Robicheaux a tip about a small-time criminal named Cool Breeze Broussard, scarcely suspecting that the seemingly innocuous case will lead Robicheaux and his partner into the midst of a deadly conspiracy.
Combining brilliant prose, crackling suspense, and an exquisite sense of character and place, Sunset Limited is a wrenching tale of historic violence and soiled redemption that reveals one of America’s finest novelists at his masterful best.
Swan Peak
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 6 hours 21 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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4.11(6684 ratings)
2009 Audie Award Finalist for Mystery
Beloved Louisiana lawman Dave Robicheaux returns—this time, traveling from New Iberia Parish to the wilds of Montana.
Dave Robicheaux, his wife, and his buddy Clete Purcell have retreated to an old friend’s ranch, hoping to spend their days fishing and enjoying their distance from the harsh, gritty landscape of Louisiana post-Katrina. But the serenity is soon shattered when two college students are found brutally murdered in the hills behind where the Robicheauxs and Purcell are staying.
Deftly weaving intricate, engaging plotlines and original, compelling characters with his graceful prose, Burke transcends genre yet again.
Swan Peak
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 13 hours 58 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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4.11(6684 ratings)
2009 Audie Award Finalist for Mystery
Beloved Louisiana lawman Dave Robicheaux returns—this time, traveling from New Iberia Parish to the wilds of Montana.
Dave Robicheaux, his wife, and his buddy Clete Purcell have retreated to an old friend’s ranch, hoping to spend their days fishing and enjoying their distance from the harsh, gritty landscape of Louisiana post-Katrina. But the serenity is soon shattered when two college students are found brutally murdered in the hills behind where the Robicheauxs and Purcell are staying.
Deftly weaving intricate, engaging plotlines and original, compelling characters with his graceful prose, Burke transcends genre yet again.
Texas City, 1947
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 54 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.97(36 ratings)
The Burning of the Flag
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 34 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.59(46 ratings)
The Convict and Other Stories
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Steven Boyer
- Length: 5 hours 22 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.07(457 ratings)
One of the country’s most-acclaimed and popular novelists offers a selection of a dozen short stories set in James Lee Burke’s most beloved milieu, the Deep South.
“America’s best novelist” (The Denver Post), two-time Edgar Award winner James Lee Burke is renowned for his lush, suspense-charged portrayals of the Deep South–the people, the crime, the hope and despair infused in the bayou landscape. This stunning anthology takes us back to where Burke’s heart and soul beat–the steamy, seamy Gulf Coast–in complex and fascinating tales that crackle with violence and menace, meshing his flair for gripping storytelling with his urbane writing style.
The Glass Rainbow
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 15 hours 8 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2010
- Language: English
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4.21(8975 ratings)
From New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke, Detective Dave Robicheaux becomes entangled in a mystery that connects a series of grisly murders with an ex-convict turned bestselling author, a notorious local pimp, and the man currently dating Robicheaux’s daughter.
On the trail of a killer responsible for the deaths of seven young women in neighboring Jefferson Davis parish, Detective Dave Robicheaux and his best friend Clete Purcel can’t seem to stay away from Herman Stanga, a notorious pimp whose name constantly resurfaces in their investigation, and whom both men despise. When Stanga turns up dead shortly after a fierce beating in front of numerous witnesses at the hands of Clete Purcel, the case takes a nasty turn, and solving the mystery of the Jefferson Davis deaths becomes more important than ever.
Adding to Robicheaux’s troubles is the matter of his adopted daughter, Alafair, on hiatus from Stanford Law for a semester and home in New Iberia to put the finishing touches on her novel. Her literary pursuit has led her into the arms of Kermit Abelard, celebrated novelist and scion of a once-prominent Louisiana family whose fortunes are slowly sinking into the bayous. In Robicheaux’s mind, Abelard’s association with a sleazy ex-convict turned bestselling author named Robert Weingart puts him at the center of some very shady business, and Robicheaux fears he’s taking Alafair down with him. But at the same time he fears for Alafair’s well-being–and possibly her life–she’s becoming more distant toward him, convinced his concerns are just the paranoia of an overprotective father. To protect his daughter and clear his best friend’s name, Robicheaux will need every ounce of guts, wit, and investigative chops he can muster.
From the creator of “one of America’s best mystery series” (Library Journal, starred review), James Lee Burke’s The Glass Rainbow is a “superlative” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) bayou thriller.
The Glass Rainbow
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 6 hours 25 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2010
- Language: English
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4.21(8975 ratings)
From New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke, Detective Dave Robicheaux becomes entangled in a mystery that connects a series of grisly murders with an ex-convict turned bestselling author, a notorious local pimp, and the man currently dating Robicheaux’s daughter.
On the trail of a killer responsible for the deaths of seven young women in neighboring Jefferson Davis parish, Detective Dave Robicheaux and his best friend Clete Purcel can’t seem to stay away from Herman Stanga, a notorious pimp whose name constantly resurfaces in their investigation, and whom both men despise. When Stanga turns up dead shortly after a fierce beating in front of numerous witnesses at the hands of Clete Purcel, the case takes a nasty turn, and solving the mystery of the Jefferson Davis deaths becomes more important than ever.
Adding to Robicheaux’s troubles is the matter of his adopted daughter, Alafair, on hiatus from Stanford Law for a semester and home in New Iberia to put the finishing touches on her novel. Her literary pursuit has led her into the arms of Kermit Abelard, celebrated novelist and scion of a once-prominent Louisiana family whose fortunes are slowly sinking into the bayous. In Robicheaux’s mind, Abelard’s association with a sleazy ex-convict turned bestselling author named Robert Weingart puts him at the center of some very shady business, and Robicheaux fears he’s taking Alafair down with him. But at the same time he fears for Alafair’s well-being–and possibly her life–she’s becoming more distant toward him, convinced his concerns are just the paranoia of an overprotective father. To protect his daughter and clear his best friend’s name, Robicheaux will need every ounce of guts, wit, and investigative chops he can muster.
From the creator of “one of America’s best mystery series” (Library Journal, starred review), James Lee Burke’s The Glass Rainbow is a “superlative” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) bayou thriller.
The Jealous Kind
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 11 hours 47 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2016
- Language: English
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4.07(3320 ratings)
New York Times bestselling author and “the reigning champ of nostalgia noir” (The New York Times Book Review) James Lee Burke returns with a powerful novel in the Holland Family series set in 1950s Texas, as the specter of the Korean War looms.
On its surface, life in 1950s Houston is as you’d expect: stoic fathers, restless teens, drive-in movies, and souped-up Cadillacs. But underneath that surface lies a world shifting under high school junior Aaron Holland Broussard’s feet. The underlying class war between the haves and have nots is growing steadily, along with the menace of conflict overseas in Korea, providing a harrowing backdrop to his growth to manhood. But when Aaron spots the beautiful Valerie Epstein at a drive-in, he steps in when he sees her fighting with her boyfriend, Grady Harrelson. Aaron’s newfound confidence helps catch Valerie’s eye, and the two begin dating. Grady is a live wire though, and presents a looming problem for Aaron.
You will recall the feelings and inspirational power of your first love, and empathize with Aaron’s extraordinary challenges to protect himself and the ones he loves in “this dark, atmospheric story” (Publishers Weekly). The Jealous Kind illustrates how first loves, friendship, violence, and power can alter what traditional America means for the people trying to find their way in a changing world.
The Lost Get-Back Boogie
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: James Lee Burke
- Length: 8 hours 24 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: December 04, 2009
- Language: English
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4.15(2080 ratings)
Called “America’s best novelist” by the Denver Post, James Lee Burke is well known for his award-winning Dave Robicheaux series. In this enthralling departure, Burke weaves the tale of Iry Paret. Released from prison after two years for manslaughter, Iry heads to Montana for a fresh start on a ranch owned by a prison buddy’s father. He also hopes to nail down a song he’s been working on, unable to get quite right. But soon new troubles bring tragic consequences, and it will take a lot more than a soulful tune to ease the pain.
... Read moreThe Molester
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 33 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.67(9 ratings)
The Neon Rain
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: James Lee Burke
- Length: 8 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: May 29, 2009
- Language: English
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3.92(20322 ratings)
New York Times best-selling author James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux novels began with this first hard-hitting entry in the series. In The Neon Rain, Detective Robicheaux fishes a prostitute’s corpse from a New Orleans bayou and finds that no one, not even the law, cares about a dead hooker. “One of Burke’s best.”-New York Times Book Review
... Read moreThe New Iberia Blues
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 15 hours 3 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2019
- Language: English
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4.11(3925 ratings)
A 2020 Audie Award Finalist
Named one of the best crime novels of 2019 by The New York Times Book Review.
The shocking death of a young woman leads Detective Dave Robicheaux into the dark corners of Hollywood, the mafia, and the backwoods of Louisiana in this New York Times bestselling mystery from “modern master” (Publishers Weekly) James Lee Burke.
Detective Dave Robicheaux’s world isn’t filled with too many happy stories, but Desmond Cormier’s rags-to-riches tale is certainly one of them. Robicheaux first met Cormier on the streets of New Orleans, when the young, undersized boy had foolish dreams of becoming a Hollywood director.
Twenty-five years later, when Robicheaux knocks on Cormier’s door, it isn’t to congratulate him on his Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. Robicheaux has discovered the body of a young woman who’s been crucified, wearing only a small chain on her ankle. She disappeared near Cormier’s Cyrpemort Point estate, and Robicheaux, along with young deputy, Sean McClain, is looking for answers. Neither Cormier nor his enigmatic actor friend Antoine Butterworth are saying much, but Robicheaux knows better.
As always, Clete Purcel and Davie’s daughter, Alafair, have Robicheaux’s back. Clete witnesses the escape of Texas inmate, Hugo Tillinger, who may hold the key to Robicheaux’s case. As they wade further into the investigation, they end up in the crosshairs of the mob, the deranged Chester Wimple, and the dark ghosts Robicheaux has been running from for years. Ultimately, it’s up to Robicheaux to stop them all, but he’ll have to summon a light he’s never seen or felt to save himself, and those he loves.
Stephen King hailed New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke “as good as he ever was.” With The New Iberia Blues, Burke proves that he “just keeps getting better” (Booklist, starred review), and is “one of a small handful of elite suspense writers whose work transcends the genre, making the leap into capital-L Literature” (BookPage).
The Night Johnny Ace Died
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 46 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.07(14 ratings)
The Tin Roof Blowdown
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 13 hours 4 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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4.18(12471 ratings)
Winner of the 2008 Audie Award for Mystery
Dave Robicheaux returns in an adventure as timely as real life: the fight against crime, and the fight for life in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
In the waning days of summer 2005, a storm with greater impact than the bomb that struck Hiroshima peels the face off southern Louisiana. This is the gruesome reality Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Detective Dave Robicheaux discovers as he is deployed to New Orleans. As The Tin Roof Blowdown begins, Hurricane Katrina has left the commercial district and residential neighborhoods awash with looters and predators of every stripe. The power grid of the city has been destroyed; New Orleans reduced to the level of a medieval society. There is no law, no order, no sanctuary for the infirm, the helpless, and the innocent. Bodies float in the streets and lie impaled on the branches of flooded trees. In the midst of an apocalyptical nightmare, Robicheaux must find two serial rapists, a morphine-addicted priest, and a vigilante who may be more dangerous than the criminals looting the city.
The Tin Roof Blowdown
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 5 hours 49 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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4.18(12471 ratings)
Winner of the 2008 Audie Award for Mystery
Dave Robicheaux returns in an adventure as timely as real life: the fight against crime, and the fight for life in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
In the waning days of summer 2005, a storm with greater impact than the bomb that struck Hiroshima peels the face off southern Louisiana. This is the gruesome reality Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Detective Dave Robicheaux discovers as he is deployed to New Orleans. As The Tin Roof Blowdown begins, Hurricane Katrina has left the commercial district and residential neighborhoods awash with looters and predators of every stripe. The power grid of the city has been destroyed; New Orleans reduced to the level of a medieval society. There is no law, no order, no sanctuary for the infirm, the helpless, and the innocent. Bodies float in the streets and lie impaled on the branches of flooded trees. In the midst of an apocalyptical nightmare, Robicheaux must find two serial rapists, a morphine-addicted priest, and a vigilante who may be more dangerous than the criminals looting the city.
The Village
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 6 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.64(14 ratings)
To the Bright and Shining Sun
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 8 hours 10 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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4.01(660 ratings)
This early novel from bestselling author James Lee Burke is a gritty coming-of-age story about a young Kentucky miner growing up in the Appalachian mountains who’s torn between his family life and the lure of the city.
James Lee Burke, a writer who “can touch you in ways few writers can” (The Washington Post) brings his brilliant feel for time and place to this stunning story of Appalachia in the early 1960s. Here, Perry Woodson Hatfield James, a young man torn between family honor and the lure of seedy watering holes, must somehow survive the tempestuous journey from boyhood to manhood and escape the dark and atavistic heritage of the Cumberland Mountains.
Two for Texas
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 5 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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4(911 ratings)
This James Lee Burke classic features Son Holland, the great-grandfather of beloved hero Billy Bob Holland, as he flees a Louisiana prison camp with a Native American woman and a fellow prisoner in tow.
James Lee Burke steps back three generations to reveal the lightning-paced tale of western lawman Billy Bob Holland’s great-grandfather, a fugitive swept up in the proud fight for Texan independence.
Son Holland escaped a Louisiana chain gang–but never intended to kill a prison guard during the breakaway. Terrified for his life, on the run through the bayou with fellow escapee Hugh Allison and a beautiful Indian squaw, Son flees across the river to Texas, where the only chance the travelers have for survival awaits in a violent storm of revolution led by General Houston and James Bowie.
Water People
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 25 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.06(16 ratings)
Wayfaring Stranger
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 13 hours 6 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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4.07(4531 ratings)
2015 Audie Award Finalist for Thriller/Suspense
In his most ambitious work yet, New York Times bestseller James Lee Burke tells a classic American story through one man’s unforgettable life.
In 1934, sixteen-year-old Weldon Avery Holland happens upon infamous criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow after one of their notorious armed robberies. A confrontation with the outlaws ends with Weldon firing a gun, unsure whether it hit its mark.
Ten years later, Second Lieutenant Weldon Holland barely survives the Battle of the Bulge, in the process saving the lives of his sergeant, Hershel Pine, and a young Spanish prisoner of war, Rosita Lowenstein–a woman who holds the same romantic power over him as the strawberry blonde Bonnie Parker, and is equally mysterious. The three return to Texas where Weldon and Hershel get in on the ground floor of the nascent oil business.
In just a few years’ time Weldon will spar with the jackals of the industry, rub shoulders with dangerous men, and win and lose fortunes twice over. But it is the prospect of losing his one true love that will spur his most reckless act yet–one inspired by that encounter long ago with the outlaws of his youth.
A tender love story and pulse-pounding thriller, Wayfaring Stranger “is a sprawling historical epic full of courage and loyalty and optimism and good-heartedness that reads like an ode to the American Dream” (Benjamin Percy, Poets & Writers).
Wayfaring Stranger
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 7 hours 39 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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4.07(4531 ratings)
2015 Audie Award Finalist for Thriller/Suspense
In his most ambitious work yet, New York Times bestseller James Lee Burke tells a classic American story through one man’s unforgettable life.
In 1934, sixteen-year-old Weldon Avery Holland happens upon infamous criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow after one of their notorious armed robberies. A confrontation with the outlaws ends with Weldon firing a gun, unsure whether it hit its mark.
Ten years later, Second Lieutenant Weldon Holland barely survives the Battle of the Bulge, in the process saving the lives of his sergeant, Hershel Pine, and a young Spanish prisoner of war, Rosita Lowenstein–a woman who holds the same romantic power over him as the strawberry blonde Bonnie Parker, and is equally mysterious. The three return to Texas where Weldon and Hershel get in on the ground floor of the nascent oil business.
In just a few years’ time Weldon will spar with the jackals of the industry, rub shoulders with dangerous men, and win and lose fortunes twice over. But it is the prospect of losing his one true love that will spur his most reckless act yet–one inspired by that encounter long ago with the outlaws of his youth.
A tender love story and pulse-pounding thriller, Wayfaring Stranger “is a sprawling historical epic full of courage and loyalty and optimism and good-heartedness that reads like an ode to the American Dream” (Benjamin Percy, Poets & Writers).
White Doves at Morning
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ed Sala
- Length: 11 hours 16 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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4.01(1996 ratings)
A riveting evocation of the Civil War, drawn from the true family history of “America’s best novelist” (The Denver Post), JAMES LEE BURKE
1861. Two young Southerners, friends despite their differing political views and backgrounds, enlist in the 18th Louisiana regiment of the Confederate Army: Robert Perry, wealthy and privileged, and irreverent Willie Burke, the son of Irish immigrants, face the trials of battle and find redemption in the love of a passionate and committed abolitionist, Abigail Downing, and in the courageous struggle of Flower Jamison, a beautiful slave. Filled with a cast of unforgettable characters, and penetrating a landscape of shattering Civil War bloodshed as few novels have, this epic from an American literary giant endows readers with the gift of experiencing the past through new eyes, while its timeless prose style–at once luminous and brutal–ensures the legacy of this bloodiest of conflicts will never be lost.
White Doves at Morning
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Will Patton
- Length: 6 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2002
- Language: English
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4.01(1996 ratings)
A riveting evocation of the Civil War, drawn from the true family history of “America’s best novelist” (The Denver Post), JAMES LEE BURKE
1861. Two young Southerners, friends despite their differing political views and backgrounds, enlist in the 18th Louisiana regiment of the Confederate Army: Robert Perry, wealthy and privileged, and irreverent Willie Burke, the son of Irish immigrants, face the trials of battle and find redemption in the love of a passionate and committed abolitionist, Abigail Downing, and in the courageous struggle of Flower Jamison, a beautiful slave. Filled with a cast of unforgettable characters, and penetrating a landscape of shattering Civil War bloodshed as few novels have, this epic from an American literary giant endows readers with the gift of experiencing the past through new eyes, while its timeless prose style—at once luminous and brutal—ensures the legacy of this bloodiest of conflicts will never be lost.
Why Bugsy Siegel Was a Friend of Mine
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 33 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.93(15 ratings)
Winter Light
- By: James Lee Burke
- Narrator: Ron McLarty
- Length: 39 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.55(20 ratings)
In the isolated hills of Montana, an aging college professor clashes with trespassing hunters and reckons with his mortality. The basis for the feature film God’s Country starring Thandiwe Newton and directed by Julian Higgins.
A short story from one of the country’s most-acclaimed and popular novelists James Lee Burke’s story collection, Jesus Out to Sea.