Burning Angel

If you are reading these reviews and have not had the pleasure of reading anything by Mr. Burke, then you need to get your hands on one of these Dave books. Start with Neon Rain and work your way thru the whole series. If you are an audiobook fan, there is no better way to spend a few hours a day relaxing with one of these books on tape. Will Patton is my favorite reader, but Mark Hammer does a great job, too. I promise you, once you hear the first 2 lines, you will be hopelessly drawn in for life. The audiobooks start with Heaven's Prisoners (book #2 in the series)and Dave starting out with a new life on the bayou. I have recommended James Lee Burke to all my friends and family and no one has been disappointed.

James Lee Burke is one of America's finest mystery writers. Not only does he put together a good story populated by interesting (and sometimes upsetting) characters, he captures the true flavor of a unique region. I moved to Acadiana after having read the first few books in this series. I kept having a weird sense of deja vu as I travelled around Lafayette, New Iberia, and New Orleans. It finally dawned on me that I had read about some of these locations in Burke's books. Burke paints with words, giving a reader a sense of the taste, the smell, the sounds, the *feel* of south Louisiana. This is how the place is (although most folks experience a whole lot less violence in their lives). I strongly suggest that you read this series in chronological order. A little warning. While Burke never spares us a view of the more violent and vicious side of humanity, some of the books are particularly dark. I wonder if the darkest of the books were written at less happy points in his life. Burke will make you care about characters in the series, then do terrible things to them. These books are outstanding. Be prepared for a wild ride.

I've now read nine of his books. I first read Purple Cane Road. It led me to read his stories in order. I'm so glad I did. The quality of Mr. Burke's story line, narrative, and insight flow through his books. I've read hundreds of mystery, crime, thriller books. Burke's about the best! Burning Angel was a delight. I was there with Dave and Bootsie, and Clete. Makes me fear he'll stop writing; makes me want more. I want to pass him on, recommend James Lee Burke to those who have yet to discover his stories as well as his insightful references to healing, help through the friends of Bill W.

BURNING ANGEL by James Lee Burke is another Dave Robicheaux adventure among the mobsters and assassins of New Iberia, Louisiana. In the midst of turmoil caused by racial and class prejudice, Sonny Boy Marsallus, a smalltime hood, asks for Dave's help because several local mobsters are after him. Sonny Boy--a sometime soft-hearted good-guy--convinced many prostitutes under the mob's tutelage that leaving town would be in their best interests. Also, fear of eminent reprisals prompt Sonny Boy to give Dave a mysterious little black journal to hold for him. In addition, Dave attempts to help Bertie Fontenot, a poor black sharecropper, whose lands bequeathed to her by the wealthy owner, Moleen Berrand's grandfather, are being invaded by an enigmatic disposal company. Moleen's situation is less than favorable, too, because of money problems, a failing marriage and a renewed interracial relationship with Bertie's niece, Ruthie Jean. The plot is so complicated the reader can get lost as easily as moving blindly through a Louisiana, crocodile-infested bayou. However, the lush prose makes the trip a real treat.James Lee Burke has been called "the Faulkner of crime fiction." The phrasing, descriptions, and word usage are so beautiful that the reader wants the cadences to go on and on. Burke was successful early in his writing career. But after his third book was published in the l960s, it was fifteen years before another book made it into print. One book, THE LOST-GET BACK BOOGIE, was rejected one hundred times. It was finally nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.Burke's prose is breathtaking. His poetic descriptions put the reader right in the scene where all five senses are pulsating and alive. When Dave has a continuous nightmare about his alcoholism, he thinks "the rush is just like the whiskey that cauterizes memory and transforms electrified tigers into figures trapped harmlessly inside oil and canvas."The plot, however, is all over the place like the lush growth along the banks of Louisiana's bayous. Some subplot ends are left untied. We never find out, for instance, why the Blue Sky Electric Company wants Berti's land and is willing to destroy a hundred-year old cemetery to get it. However, the story is rich with villains like Johnny Carp and Sweet Pea Chaisson and gutsy characters Helen Soileau, Dave's side-kick, Clete and Alafair, Dave's daughter. Appearances of the burning angel add a fantasy element that is believable and scary.BURNING ANGEL will appeal to readers who want an intelligent story exquisitely told. Some of Burke's other novels are BLACK CHERRY BLUES, DIXIE CITY JAM, and CIMARRON ROSE.

I read every other James Lee Burke novel I could get my hands on after reading this one. Frankly, I still think this is his best. The man is, above all, a poet. One of my very favorite writers today, along with Walt Moseley. However, I was disappointed in Cimmaron Rose. It had something sentimental about it that didn't ring true to me. There was a "coy" quality the other books just miss.By the way - Cleat Purcell is one of the best characters in all detective literature. I thought Joe Don Baker's depiction of him on the screen was about right. If Mr. Burke ever reads his reviews, I hope he won't be discouraged by this reader's less than enthusiastic take on Cimmaron Rose. In my opinion, you are one of the most exciting writers on the planet, Mr. Burke, and as a writer myself I have taken a lot of inspiration from your work, and I thank you.