The Neon Rain

A Dave Robicheaux Novel

De: James Lee Burke

Narrado por: Will Patton

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.

More mayhem? Listen to more of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux thrillers.©1987 James Lee Burke (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Reseñas de la Crítica

"With its fine local color and driving action, this novel is both chilling and first-rate entertainment." ( Publishers Weekly)
"One of Burke's best." ( New York Times Book Review)

I like James Lee Burke

Tin Roof Blowdown was my first Burke book and while I found it hard to follow at first, I got into it and enjoyed getting to know the characters. I've read later Burke books and listened to Neon Rain thinking that it help fill out the characters, but I must admit that I like the complexity of the characters in the later books. I like Dave better as a sober man. Will Patton is great and I couldn't imagine listening to other Robicheaux books without him. This book was fine but the later books are better.

Pretty good book

I am not usually a fan of action/murder mysteries unless they are really well written. I have been disappointed by some that have been recommended to me as great, only to find that "great" to some people does not even translate as "good" to others. But this one was different. It was well written, and held my attention right from the very first. I am inclined to try more of Burke's books, but would love some recommendations as to which ones really are good. The characters in this book are memorable and the good guys are very likable. Dave, the protagonist, is just right--not too good to be unbelievable, but not so ridiculous that you can't even feel sorry for him. And I did feel sorry for him, and rooted for him to the end. There were some big clues as to who the bad guy was, which I would have liked better if I had not been able to figure out, but the plot was complicated enough that suspecting who it was didn't spoil it for me. Shall I give #2 a try?

The one thing that might push me toward another one in this series is the narrator, Will Patton. They just don't get much better than he is.

Very Entertaining

I have enjoyed several of Will Patton's readings of James Lee Burke's novels, and like the others, I couldn't put this one down. It's gritty, hard-hitting, and suspenseful. The characters are richly developed and intriguing, and Will Patton's skill at voicing them is quite enjoyable. Some strong language. Highly recommended.

THE NEON RAIN

This is my first experience with James Lee Burke's work. I loved flawed detectives with demons from their past and that's exactly what Robicheaux is, although I didn't realize he was such a lone wolf. He had almost no regard for rules of the department or even the law, but I understand that is part of this character's makeup. I also didn't realize there would be so much violence in this book, but I think it worked here because of the temperament of the main character. I liked his story over the course of the book, but I struggled at times trying to keep the large cast straight. I also had to suspend my disbelief that a detective could realistically put himself into so many terrible positions and not get caught or be punished for his actions. Still, I would continue with the series as I'm interested in where Robicheaux is headed at the conclusion of this story.

Will Patton's narration is just perfect; he's honestly the reason that I decided to listen to this book instead of just reading a print copy.

Robicheaux is a winner

I love the Robicheaux series. You can listen out of order and each story stands alone. however you begin to understand the characters more as earlier stories fill in information. Will Patton is great as the narrator.

Burke and Patton - Willing Combination

What did you like best about this story?

James Lee Burke is so poetic and captures the southern landscape and people like few other authors. Dave Robicheaux is a beautifully imperfect protagonist and, can I say, I just love Cletus and his uncensored nature. This story combines mystery with humor and self imposed justice in a prose-like manner that keeps you regretting any time you have to hit pause.

What does Will Patton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Oh, geeze! I think I could listen to Will Patton read the back of a cereal box and think it was the best writing I'd heard all year. His voice is PERFECT for the southern dialects and the different characters. When he is reading the descriptions of the landscape, the weather and other observations, you can just "feel" it and see it vividly. I truly think people who merely read James Lee Burke's books are really missing out on a great experience.

Any additional comments?

I haven't listened to a James Lee Burke book I didn't love and I credit that to not only the excellent writing but also to the voice of Will Patton. I'm so glad he's the one performing all of these books. They just wouldn't be the same without him.

Southern Gangsters

This was my first read to intro to Burke. I read it some 20 years ago and it started a love of the trials of Det. Dave Robicheaux. I appreciated the narrator's use of voice and thought that when his padner Clete Purcell called out "Streak" that was how it was supposed to sound. I have always enjoyed Mr. Burke's descriptive of life in the bayou country, such that some of the speech patterns have slipped into my head as well. It is spoken at a nice pace and I loved every minute. I plan to purchase the whole series. Yours, Mr. Bill

Wonderful writing, the perfect narrator, but, oh my, so much violence

I will have to ration this author’s books the way I ration letting myself have red meat. Both are absolutely delicious but can be harmful to your health in excess. I refer to my mental distress while reading this sad, soulful story. I immediately cared about the detective as Will Patton brought him alive along with several other interesting characters. By the way, don’t let the 1987 publish date put you off. Sadly, the world has changed very little since this was written. Intense, heartbreaking and so very real.

So well written!

Loved the story and the narrator! I will be reading more from James Lee Burke!

Prepare to be completely drawn in...

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across the movie "Into the Electric Mist." I really enjoyed the film and figured it must have been based on a book. Imagine my surprise and excitement to find out that, not only was it based on a book, but a book in a rather long series!

I was thrilled to find "The Neon Rain" on Audible, and finished in two days. I was a bit apprehensive about the narrator, as I was not a fan of his recent recording of Stephen King's "Doctor Sleep," so I was relieved to find that Will Patton's style was quite suited to the character of Dave Robicheaux.

I don't like to discuss plot points in a review, but I will say that this was a pretty action packed read. There are many levels to the story, and the author aptly weaves together the current events, local history, and Robicheaux's own past in Vietnam and his struggles with alcoholism.

The characters, while not all hugely developed, are written with a lot of personality and detail, so that you feel like you have met them in person. The dialogue is sharp and funny, with phrases like "It was like having bread mold for neighbors..." that stand out in my mind and make me laugh upon recalling them.

Burke incorporates descriptions of New Orleans and the bayous that bring the setting to life. The book is filled with colorful images and local twists that make it that much more intriguing than a crime novel set in Anytown, USA.

A few parts are a bit hokey or slightly less than convincing. There are a few characters who lean heavily toward stereotypes, although not without accuracy. The romance element seemed to develop implausibly quickly. It's not that the reader cannot see how Dave would fall for the beautiful, empathetic classical musician... it's just that so little time elapses between meeting and declarations of love that it doesn't quite jive, particularly with how much more depth his character has.

I immensely enjoyed this quick, wry-witted and quirky crime novel, and since the audio version of book two is abridged (boo!! hiss!!) I am eagerly awaiting the transfer of the paperback to my library. Even with the few flaws, I think this was a great book with captivating style and would highly recommend it.