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The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux,  Bk 1)
The Neon Rain - Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1
Author: James Lee Burke
Detective Dave Robicheaux has fought too many battles: in Vietnam, with killers and hustlers, with police brass, and the bottle. Lost without his wife's love, Robicheaux's haunted soul mirrors the intensity and dusky mystery of New Orleans' French Quarter -- the place he calls home, and the place that nearly destroys him when he beco...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780671756444
ISBN-10: 0671756443
Publication Date: 2/1/1992
Pages: 281
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 84

3.7 stars, based on 84 ratings
Publisher: Pocket
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 2
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1) on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I've read everything James Lee Burke has ever written, and now I'm reading books written by his real-life daughter, Alafair (who is a character in so many of his books - you can almost watch her grow up if you read his books in chronological order). He sets most of his stories in South Louisiana, and no one gets it right like JLB. The descriptions of the Louisiana landscape, with its dreamy, slow-moving bayous and dreamy, slow-moving way of life, the New Orleans he loves, the dialogue that is right on, even the history and culture of the Acadian, or 'Cajun' people (and in New Orleans, the Creoles)...he gets it all right, and you can tell he loves the place he lives and writes about. (Can you tell I'm a Louisiana lady?) :-)

Since the story is well-described, I won't attempt another description. But I will say that I believe anyone who enjoys a good mystery with in-depth characterizations and plenty of twists and turns, should truly enjoy the incomparable James Lee Burke.
reviewed The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 2
Since this is the introductory novel of the Dave Robicheaux detective series, it has much detail that
I found hard to get through. Mr. Burke is
an excellent author, and his style of writing these novels
has changed through the years. The novels have become
more exciting and much easier to read, in fact, I have
a difficult time putting them down.

I realize that in the initial installment of any series,
there must be detailed information regarding the locations
and the characters. If a person reads this book, he or she
will be completely familiar with the details of both the locations and the characters, and should definitely enjoy any of the following installments.
reviewed The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 2
This is a very gritty police story. All of the characters are flawed in some way. The story flows very quickly which is good, otherwise it could be depressing but all comes out well in the end. The authors descriptions make you feel like you are back in New Orleans (if you have been there anyway.)
reviewed The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 1
This was my first time to read one of Mr. Burke's novels. As a frequent visitor to New Orleans, I definitely enjoyed the references to area landmarks. It was a good, not a great read. I liked it well enough to read another.
reviewed The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 1
James Lee Burke does an incredible job of putting the reader in the story. His colorful language and detailed scenes are very true to the culture he writes about. Being a native of southern Louisiana, I was very skeptical since most southern novels are over the top with the accents, etc. Dave Robicheaux could easily be my next door neighbor. The stories are genuine with real life problems, friends, family and of course enemies and demons. This book is just the beginning.
Read All 26 Book Reviews of "The Neon Rain Dave Robicheaux Bk 1"

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kellilee avatar reviewed The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1) on + 66 more book reviews
This book was written while I was a student at LSU but somehow I missed it along with the rest of the Dave Robicheaux series until now. What a shame! I listened to this incredibly narrated audiobook during my Thanksgiving drive home and back again. I could not have picked a better way to spend 8 hours and 22 minutes of my drive. Every one of my senses was evoked by James Lee Burke and I was temporarily transported to New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou country with the taste of its food, the sounds of its music, the smells of the French Quarter. I laughed. I was repulsed. I was impressed by the fantastic character development. Although the unabridged version of the second book in the series, Heaven's Prisoners, is not yet available, I purchased the paperback today and I look forward to continuing the journey with Robicheaux.
reviewed The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1) on + 49 more book reviews
I had read and thoroughly enjoyed several of the later Dave Robicheaux books and didn't realize this was the first in the series when I acquired it. If, like me, you've read the more recent books and are interested to know why the hero is an ex-cop, this is the book that tells you. It's a gritty, intricate plot. Robicheaux is far from perfect and not always likable, but the forces surrounding him are so bad that you root for him anyway. The characters and settings are very well developed; you feel as if you are there. For most of the book "there" isn't somewhere you'd want to be, but it's still hard to put down.
rfdudley avatar reviewed The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1) on + 75 more book reviews
I really enjoy books by James Lee Burke, including this one. I wanted to read it because it's the first one with the character Dave Robicheaux. Good reading and with all of the plot twists, keeps you on your toes.
perryfran avatar reviewed The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1) on + 1168 more book reviews
I recently read and really enjoyed Burke's Creole Belle which is the 19th book in the Robicheaux series. I have also read two or three others in the series but not in any specific order. Well I decided I should go back to the first book so I checked The Neon Rain out from the library.

In this one, Dave is still a police lieutenant with the NOPD and is partnered with Clete Purcell (who also had a big role in Creole Belle). Dave finds out from an inmate waiting to be electrocuted on death row that someone is interested in maybe putting Dave away. It appears this is probably related to a dead prostitute who Dave pulls out of the bayou when he was there fishing. The ones interested in offing Dave look to be involved in the Colombian mafia who are also involved in prostitution and gunrunning for the regime in Nicaragua. Or could the Italian mob in New Orleans be involved? Dave weaves his way through the world of drugs, prostitutes, and possibly CIA involvement to try to avoid being a target himself. Along the way, his brother faces peril and Clete apparently does some shady work on the side. Dave had also been sober for four years but being force-fed a mixture of alcohol, Quaaludes, and castor oil sets him back to his drinking ways.

This was a very good first entry in the Robicheaux series and sets up what is to come in future books which I will be looking forward to reading at some point.
kathyk avatar reviewed The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1) on
I love all Dave Robicheaux stories. This was an early one, and one of the best.
reviewed The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux, Bk 1) on + 35 more book reviews
A great story. Never stop action. Some very interesting twists in the plot.

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