A Dave Robicheaux Novel Book 1
Book Blurb:
New York Times best-selling author James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux novels began with this first hard-hitting entry in the series.
In The Neon Rain, Detective Robicheaux fishes a prostitute’s corpse from a New Orleans bayou and finds that no one, not even the law, cares about a dead hooker.
My Review:
My first go-round with this author and I gotta admit checked most of the boxes for me. I could identify with the time period, if not “Nalans” and, indeed, New Orleans is a whole character unto itself.
It’s good I was listening to the audiobook as the author did a beautiful job of the accents (French), dialects of the locals (Cajun), as well as the protagonist’s name, Robicheaux (pronounced Row-be-show).
Even better when I start a healthy (24 installments in the series??) with Book 1. Yes, the first book is usually an introduction to the main character, the location, and the setting, in this case, the police department. Back then we had a lot of veterans, some still fresh from ‘Nam. Dave Robicheaux has apparently been back long enough to have achieved detective level with the local police department.
I loved how the description of the area rolled off the tongue of the narrator, making it almost sensual. I got a feeling pretty quickly about gritty Robicheaux, hardened from battle, brass, baddies, and loss. He’s no one to mess with.
When he discovers a young prostitute’s body, it hits him hard, and he throws all effort at finding the perp. Unfortunately, it also begins to uncover a lot more than he bargained for, and he reverts to drinking again and is placed on leave.
No problem.
He goes rogue.
In the meantime, the reader is treated to the prose created by the beauty of the bayou, the music, the mood, the food, the heat, the French Quarter, and the rain. In our experience, the latter happened every afternoon about 4 p.m. Ever notice that moss hanging from those iconic trees? Did you wonder why?
Graphic details, descriptions, and language paint a noir picture through the storyline and solid support characters. It is well-paced, suspenseful, gritty, and within a hard-boiled mystery. Armchair tourist? This might well be one trip you’ll enjoy.
I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.
Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars 
Book Details:
Genre: Police Procedural Mysteries, Crime Fiction, Suspense
Publisher: Recorded Books
ASIN: B0028TY1GU
Listening Length: 8 hrs 22 mins
Narrator: Will Patton
Publication Date: May 5, 2009
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links:
The Author: James Lee Burke is a New York Times bestselling author, 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 the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, and the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in Fiction.
©2025 V Williams
Best Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense
This tome has some very interesting twists and also points to unlawful activities in downstate Illinois. The plot is interesting and the book is well written. Enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams
The Spring River area is absolutely lovely and the boys got in enough fishing to fill their hearts content—trout—a succulent feast. Regardless where we stay, we eat well! Lots of river and lake recreation from boating and fishing to swimming and rafting. 
Kit and I were going to go kayaking until we saw the snapping turtles off the wharf where we stayed. And so much for swimming below the Mammoth Spring Dam (pic behind cover banner) when we got into a wrestling match for our trout left on the line in the water with a water moccasin. The snake got downright angry with me. (Pic cut from video.)
Update on Punkin the Pomeranian: She’ll officially have been adopted a year on the eighth of October. She has now (1) bonded with the CE, (2) bonded with our son (who is still staying with us), (3) beginning to enjoy treats, (4) going on two-mile walks with the CE). She is still not tolerating my advance to her (runs back to her kennel) and although doing better, can’t say she is house trained yet. She is inconsistent with letting us know she needs to go out to do her business and we don’t always catch her. UGH. It’s good she’s cute.
