Very few thriller writers get nominated for the Pulitzer or even win more than one Edgar Award. James Lee Burke has done both.
One reviewer said that Burke “blurs the boundary
between so-called ‘serious’ literature and detective fiction” and another that
his “prose ...has a pronounced streak of poetry in it”. High praise, and all of
it well deserved.
But just in case you get the impression of a soft,
gentle, poetic sort of detective fiction, stop and correct the impression.
Burke’s books have darkness, violence and despair along with love and
compassion and great, absolutely riveting, good-versus-bad, storytelling.
Dave Robicheaux aka Streak is big, tough, and no
longer young. He was a Marine in Vietnam and a detective with the New Orleans
Police Department before we meet him in Iberia Parish of southern Louisiana’s
Gulf Coast, working as a Deputy in the Sheriff’s Department. Dave’s past is
dark -- alcoholism, the brutal murder of his first wife and a deep wellspring
of violence that is hard to control. Despite the past, or perhaps because of
it, Dave battles crime single mindedly and in his characteristically gripping,
and often gut wrenching, fashion.
Damaged heroes, who are nonetheless convincing and
attractive, are hard to create, but Burke succeeds brilliantly with Dave
Robicheaux. In Streak, he has created a protagonist that can be ranked right up
there, or almost, with Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlow, who of course, is far
more understated.
Detective fiction, especially such as feature
policemen as principal protagonists, tend to be long on procedure and short on
nature and ambience. But here again Burke is different, and powerfully so. His
portrayal of the Gulf Coast -- the sea, the swamp, the vegetation, the wildlife
-- is remarkably evocative and in no way takes away from the action.
Burke has published over forty books of which more
than twenty feature Dave Robicheaux. He has other protagonists, and their
adventures, some in Montana, others in Texas, also make for great reading.
However, if you are just starting on Burke -- lucky you -- begin with the
Robicheaux series and you will be hooked, forever and a day.
Happy reading.
Absolutely have to find the time to read them all 🙂
ReplyDeleteYes- well worth the effort!
ReplyDeleteYes he is good.
ReplyDeleteRemember reading this during our IRCTC stint. Also discovered T Jafferson Parker ( California Girl), and Ian Rankin (the Jack Rebus series).Not to forget Henning Mankel ( Kurt Wallander). Was good to see Young Wallander recently on Netflix. Makes one wonder why the running theme of an alcoholic sociopath somehow became formulaic strain in this genre.
ReplyDeleteWaiting for more young Wallander
ReplyDeleteYou got me there. Never even heard of him and will now have to rectify the blind spot and raise my level from the Mickey Spillane depths, though George V Higgins and Elmore Leonard are more my types. (As an aside, I just booked a tour of Kurt Vonnegut’s house as I have to be in Indianapolis - if you haven’t read him, find him - my favorite is a short story collection, Welcome to The Monkey House - rather than the usual Slaughterhouse 5 and stuff, but he was brilliantly all over the place in his choice of subjects/genres.) sanjay
ReplyDeleteRead one of the early ones- see photos above- and let's talk.I find the poetic bits a trifle overdone sometimes and the hero's diving into his heart of darkness ditto but all said and done I've bought almost everyone of his books.The one built around hurricane Katrina is well worth reading .The Tin roof blowdown.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy