James Lee Burke

James Lee Burke

James Lee Burke is the bestselling author of the popular Dave Robicheaux crime fiction series and the Holland family novels.

James Lee Burke was born in Houston in 1936 and grew up on the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast. He attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute for two years, and then went to the University of Missouri, graduating with honours and later receiving his Master’s degree in English. While there, he met his future wife, Pearl Pai.

James Lee Burke has had a storied career, much like his characters. He has taught at four universities, one community college, and the Job Corps. He worked as a case worker in California “with former felons, the indigent, migrant farm workers, and the criminally insane” according to his webssite. He has also worked as a pipeliner in Texas, a landman for Sinclair Oil Company in Louisiana, a surveyor in Colorado, a long-distance truck driver, and a newspaper reporter.

At just 23 years old, he finished his first novel, Half of Paradise. The book was published to good reviews and he subsequently published two more novels. But after submitting the manuscript for The Lost Get-Back Boogie, James Lee Burke was not published in hardback print for thirteen years. The manuscript spent many years getting rejected by publishers until it was eventually published in 1986 by Louisiana State University Press and subsequently submitted for a Pulitzer Prize. The following year, he published his first Dave Robicheaux novel, Neon Rain. His novels have been in print and on bestseller lists ever since. The Robicheaux series became a tremendous success and has been translated into almost every language in the world.

He is a three-time winner of the Edgar Award as well as the Grand Master Award from Mystery Writers of America, winner of the CWA Diamond Dagger and Gold Dagger, and winner of the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière. He has been a Breadloaf Fellow and a Guggenheim Fellow.

James Lee Burke and Pearl have four children and four grandchildren and live on a ranch in western Montana.

Recommendations For James Lee Burke

Recommended by Karen Simmons

Though his books can be dark he writes both delicate and vivid prose. Many

Share Your Recommendations

Books By James Lee Burke

In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead

Tips and Resources From Your James Lee Burke Book Club Friends:

James Lee Burke is often described as one of North America’s finest novelists and his prose is likened to poetry. The mixture of suspense, drama, and plot never gets lost within his vivid descriptions and evocative settings, and his characters come alive on the page.

Among his most beloved creations is Dave Robicheaux, the Louisiana detective in the long-running crime fiction series. There are many Robicheux adventures that readers love because of their empathy with the lead character and the richly drawn world evoked in each novel.

James Lee Burke’s Holland family novels are equally absorbing. With each successive book, he explores the American West and the lives of one family across generations with increasing depth and resonance. No matter what he is writing,

James Lee Burke has the ability to bring sweeping, epic themes into play while portraying the lives of his characters intimately, creating stories that linger in the minds of readers.

the order of the Books and all Related Books Available

All James Lee Burke’s Book Series in Order of Publication

Find the right order of the books in the series.

Dave Robicheaux Books In Order

Holland Family Books In Order

Hackberry Holland Books In Order

Billy Bob Holland Books In Order

Recommendations From James Lee’s Fans

William Kent Krueger

Recommended by Lily Wright

William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor Series are wonderful books, a fantastic series. Excellent characterization,

Ken Follett

Recommended by Francesca Scott

If you’re looking for a great historical thriller and enjoy Kate Morton’s and Kristin Hannah’s WWII

Share Your Recommendations

Recommended Books From James Lee Burke Fans

Mary Higgins Clark and Elizabeth Peters Present More Malice Domestic

A Hanging at Dawn: A Bess Crawford Short Story

Agatha Raisin and The Witch of Wyckhadden

Piece of My Heart: An Inspector Banks Novel

Death of a Stranger: A William Monk Novel

Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage

The Witches' Tree: An Agatha Raisin Mystery

Girls' Night Out: A J. P. Beaumont Short Story

The Bear Trap: A Mike Bowditch Short Story

A Breach of Promise: A William Monk Novel

The King Arthur Case: A Brittany Mystery

Seeds of Deception: A Kate Burkholder Short Story

The Woman on the Island: A Vera Stanhope Short Story

The Sins of the Wolf: A William Monk Novel

In the Nick of Time: John Rebus vs. Roy Grace

Kindness Goes Unpunished: A Longmire Mystery

Agatha Raisin: The Complete BBC Radio Drama Collection

“People are what they do, not what they say, not what they think, not what they pretend to be.”

James Lee Burke, The New Iberia Blues

Diane Hill

“James Lee Burke’s writing is so fantastic. Eloquent and profound. He’s really unlike any crime fiction author out there in that he just seems to keep on pushing the envelope of what’s possible in terms of the themes he explores and how he writes. His books are mysteries, Westerns, allegorical tales, all wrapped together. No matter what, I’m always drawn in by his prose and his characters…I adore Dave Robicheaux.”

How can I share my favourite quotes?

See More From Book Club Friends

Sign up and log in to post, comment and join the conversation.