 | |
| Author | James Lee Burke |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Dave Robicheaux |
| Genre | Detective novel |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | 1987 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 320 pp |
| ISBN | 0753820331 |
| Followed by | Heaven's Prisoners |
The Neon Rain is a crime novel by James Lee Burke, the first in a series featuring the fictional detective Dave Robicheaux.
While fishing on a back country bayou, New Orleans Police Department officer Dave Robicheaux finds a body. Robicheaux, once a U.S. Army infantry lieutenant who fought in the Vietnam War, [1] becomes involved with drug dealers, mafia chieftains, and a former army general with shady arms dealings in Central America.
The story starts with a vivid description of Dave visiting a convict who is about to be executed at Angola penitentiary. There are crowds outside the jail, some asking for clemency, some baying for the convict's blood. Dave speaks to the convict who explains that he is trying to make amends for some of the things he has done and tells Dave that a criminal is planning on murdering him. It is clear that Dave is not too concerned.
A lifelong friend of Dave's, Cletus Purcell, appears early on in the story, who from the beginning presents as a greatly troubled man with alcohol, drugs, gambling and relationship issues. After learning of the convict conversation, he too suggests there is little credibility to the warning.
Dave soon has other things to occupy his mind and is drawn into a murder investigation. A young girl named Lovelace Deshotels is found dead in the sea. The local police are happy it is misadventure but Dave believes she has been murdered. This is where his problems begin.
Two corrupt cops pull Dave over on his way home and are clearly intent on causing him serious harm but Dave reacts quickly and draws his gun and handcuffs them to his own car.
From this point, the story develops into a thriller as unseen forces seek to destroy Dave. Fortunately, he meets a wonderful young woman named Annie Ballard who he falls in love with.
James Burke, also known as "Jimmy the Gent", was an American gangster and Lucchese crime family associate who is believed to have organized the 1978 Lufthansa heist, the largest cash robbery in American history at the time. He was believed to be responsible for the deaths of those involved in the months after the robbery.
James Lee Burke is an American author, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won Edgar Awards for his novels Black Cherry Blues (1990), Cimarron Rose (1998), and Flags on the Bayou (2024). He has also been presented with the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen, first by Alec Baldwin and then Tommy Lee Jones.
Thomas DeSimone was an American criminal associated with New York City's Lucchese crime family who is alleged to have participated in both the Air France robbery and the Lufthansa heist. He also committed numerous murders, including killing William "Billy Batts" Bentvena in 1970. DeSimone went missing in 1979 and is believed to have been murdered.
Robert Storey was a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Prior to an 18-year conviction for possessing a rifle, he also spent time on remand for a variety of charges and in total served 20 years in prison. He also played a key role in the Maze Prison escape, the biggest prison break in British penal history.
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets is a 1991 book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon describing a year spent with detectives from the Baltimore Police Department Homicide Unit. The book received the 1992 Edgar Award in the Best Fact Crime category.
William "Billy Batts" Bentvena, also known as William Devino, was an Italian-American mobster with the Gambino crime family who was a longtime friend of John Gotti in the 1960s. After spending six years in prison for narcotics trafficking, Bentvena was murdered by Lucchese crime family associate Tommy DeSimone, with the help of fellow Lucchese associates James Burke and Henry Hill.
Heaven's Prisoners is a 1996 American dramatic crime thriller film directed by Phil Joanou and starring Alec Baldwin, Kelly Lynch, Mary Stuart Masterson, Teri Hatcher and Eric Roberts. It is based on a Dave Robicheaux homonymous novel by James Lee Burke. Harley Peyton and Scott Frank wrote the screenplay.
The Parole Officer is a 2001 British comedy film, directed by John Duigan. The film follows a diverse group of former criminals as they assist their probation officer in proving his innocence after a murder accusation.
Dave Robicheaux is a fictional character in a series of mystery novels by American crime writer James Lee Burke. He first appeared in The Neon Rain (1987).
In the Valley of Elah is a 2007 American crime drama film written and directed by Paul Haggis. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, and Susan Sarandon. Its title refers to the Biblical valley where the battle between David and Goliath took place.
In the Electric Mist is a 2009 French/American mystery drama film directed by Bertrand Tavernier, and written by Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Olson-Kromolowski based on the novel In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke; it stars Tommy Lee Jones in the lead role of Louisiana police detective Dave Robicheaux.
The Tin Roof Blowdown (2007) is a crime novel by American author James Lee Burke.
Jack Reacher is a series of novels, novellas and short stories by British author Jim Grant under the pen name Lee Child. As of January 2022, the series includes 28 books and a short story collection. The book series chronicles the adventures of Jack Reacher, a former major in the United States Army Military Police Corps now a drifter, roaming the United States taking odd jobs and investigating suspicious and frequently dangerous situations, some of which are of a personal nature. The Reacher series has maintained a schedule of one book per year, except for 2010, when two installments were published.
Joseph Roy Metheny was an American serial killer and rapist from the Baltimore, Maryland area. While he claimed to have killed 13 people, sufficient evidence was only found to convict him of two murders. Research later confirmed 3 more victims, through matching his confessions to evidence.
Pegasus Descending is a crime novel by James Lee Burke.
Heaven's Prisoners is a crime novel written by James Lee Burke and published by Simon & Schuster in 1988. The fictional work follows Dave Robicheaux, a retired police officer and army lieutenant, who finds himself in a situation where he must protect his wife and a plane-crash survivor from a local drug kingpin. Heaven's Prisoners is the second novel by James Lee Burke featuring Dave Robicheaux, and was adapted into a film in 1996.
Purple Cane Road is a crime novel by James Lee Burke.
Robert Ronald "Mudman" Simon, also known as Bobby Simon, was an American outlaw biker, convicted murderer and member of the Pennsylvania-based Warlocks Motorcycle Club. He had formerly been sentenced to death by the state of New Jersey on May 6, 1995, for his part in the fatal shooting of Franklin Township police sergeant Ippolito Gonzalez. However, he was ultimately beaten to death at New Jersey State Prison by a fellow death row inmate before he could be executed.
A Private Cathedral is a novel by American author James Lee Burke, published in 2020. It is part of the Dave Robicheaux series, featuring the character in a complex narrative that blends crime with elements of the supernatural. Set against the backdrop of Louisiana's haunting landscapes, the novel delves into a centuries-old feud between two families and presents a unique blend of mystery and mysticism.
The New Iberia Blues is a crime and mystery novel by American author James Lee Burke. It is the twenty-second installment in the Dave Robicheaux series and is set in Louisiana. It was named one of the best crime novels of 2019 by The New York Times Book Review.