This book shows all the feeling that Spain has prepared to you to experience... As a impresionist, inluenced by Debussy, Albeniz knows how to transmit all the Spain pasion, in a somehow complicated Iberia.

I read (and looked at) Iberia while preparing to visit Spain in 1969. I had already read Hawaii and Caravans by Michener, which are 2 great stories, but this photo essay about Spain astounded me. Although I thought I was prepared, I knew how to speak Spanish, I had lived in Peru for about 3 years, I had seen bullfights, I knew about geography, etc, Michener's short but in depth reflections about places in Spain made me hungry for a trip there, to try to experience some of what he wrote about. The photos are an integral part of this book, I can't remember the name of the photographer.

This book should still be in print! I'll look in a library now.

Maurine Bergerie was one of my high school teachers, an interesting person and a great educator. In They Tasted Bayou Water, she provides a brief history of Iberia Parish which began with the Settlement of New Iberia in 1779 by the Spanish. Louisiana was under Spanish control from 1763-1803 although administration began in 1768. The Spanish soldiers were joined by settlers from the Canary Islands. Ms. Bergerie captures the spirit of the people and her love of Iberia Parish can be seen throughout the book.

I had just about given up on James Lee Burke. After being stunned with the genius of "Neon Rain," I found most contemporary Dave Robicheaux novels rather gloomy and over-described affairs. Went back to "Black Cherry Blues" his Edgar-winning novel and was disappointed. Now, I feel I've read another gem. I am doubly pleased because from reading and seeing interviews, I think James Lee Burke is one of the most charming authors around.

"A Morning for Flamingos" begins with the death of Dave's partner while transporting two prisoners, Te Beau, a New Iberia boy to whom Dave has certain obligations, and the menacing Jamie Lee Boggs. Dave is left critically wounded and remembers little of the actual escape. The story leads to underworld figures, voodoo, and the sordid, steamy underside of New Orleans.

The pace and brooding menace never let up, and Burke allows no loose ends to annoy the reader. The characterizations are sharp, descriptive, and unforgettable. The solution is elegant and exciting. I liked Dave all over again.

Being a Southern California-based mystery author with my debut novel in its initial release, I realize that there is quite a bit of debate about which crime fiction author best captures the ambience of my native SoCal. There is no debate involving Louisiana. James Lee Burke is clearly the master, and I believe A MORNING FOR FLAMINGOS is Burke's strongest work. Dave Robicheaux is left for dead during a prison escape, yet he doesn't die. He ends up back on the New Iberia police force going after a drug-kingpin named Tony Cardo. Clete Purcel tags along to guard Robicheaux's back, and they wouldn't mind catching up with the man who nearly killed Robicheaux. A MORNING FOR FLAMINGOS has a marvelous plot and well-drawn characters. Reading this book is like visiting that fabulous state of mind known as Louisiana.

This is the fourth Burke book I have read, I am trying to take them in order. This is the best one so far, in my openion. Dave Robicheaux is left for dead after two prisoners excape while he and another policeman are moving them to another prison. After he recovers, he is asked to go undercover to help flush out Tony Cardo, a drug dealer. He should be able to get the person who left him for dead at the same time. His old partner, Clete Purcel, wants part of the action to protect Dave's back. They make a good team. Dave begins to have doubts about taking Tony down after he get close to him. Has a good ending. I like the Burke books because you can feel like you are there. I like the language spoken by the Cajun people. All in all a good read, if you like a good mystery with out a lot of blood and guts pouring out, you will like this.

I am the greatest fan of James Burke and can't get enough of his writing. Obviously I've either read or listened to all books/audios of the Dave Robicheaux series and have been in awe of Burke's writing. Being a writer myself, I especially love his eretheral descriptions of surroundings and/or people, and his authenticity of the Cajun surroundings and/or language gives each of his books realism. This book did not disappoint - but at times it seemed to ramble and too many characters were introduced, which gave the reader a disconnected feeling at times. It's about time that "Dave" addressed his past, which was a sort of closure for the reader. I both read the book AND listened to the audio cassette - which should tell you how much I enjoy his writing. Was glad to see that Clete Purcelle remains part of his life, as Dave would be lost without his fall partner. I loved the book, rambling and all. I only hope this doesn't bring to a close his tales of Dave, and I would love to see more movies made out of the novels beyond his initial one (Heaven's Prisoners).

Iberia Parish homicide detective Dave Robicheaux, accompanied by private sleuth Clete Purcel, seeks a New Orleans pimp Zipper Chum on a capital case. When the duo catches up with Zipper in Baton Rouge, he tosses a verbal hand grenade at Dave involving the police officer's missing mother. Zipper accuses cops on the take from the Giacanos mob of killing Mae Guillory (her maiden name), a whore, in the sixties.

Obsessed about what Zipper claims happened to his mother, Dave begins making inquiries into learning the truth, even at the cost of ignoring his family. Along the way, Dave begins to uncover new evidence on his "other" case that might free death row murderer Letty Labiche. However, as he makes progress on both cases, someone systemically kills his witnesses, making his mother's investigation impossible and probably leaving Labiche for the electric chair. The psychopath jump starts Dave into action when he targets the cop's daughter as one of his victims.

PURPLE CANE ROAD is the best Robicheaux tale to date and that is saying a lot since author James Lee Burke has two Edgars to his credit. The story line is crisp and exciting as expected from the novels in this series. However, this time the plot turns personal which allows the audience to see much of the inner sanctum of Dave's soul. One of the great, perhaps the greatest mystery writer of the past decade, Mr. Burke scores on all cylinders with this taut thriller.

Harriet Klausner

I couldn't wait until the release of Purple Can Road. Detective Dave Robecheaux has gotten older over the years. I knew after the first 20 pages I was in for what might be his best. This is a wrenching story, but it's Burke's writing that is the star. Having read everything he's written, his style is almost like having someone read to you if you were blind. The words flow, no herky-jerky jolts of prose. He makes you feel the people and events long after you stop reading for awhile. His brilliant descriptions of a deep Louisiana culture stay with you after you turn out the lights. The man can write. His characters are sad people, but they get out and do the best they can. The people are believable, especially his trying to relate to his adopted daughter's feisty independence. For first time James Lee Burke readers, go back to the beginning of the Dave Robecheaux books starting with The Neon Rain and Heaven's Prisoners and come forward. I finished the book two days ago and I've been walking around kinda sad that I've got to wait another 1 to 2 years for his next one. James Lee Burke is a real friend, and I've never met the man.

Some crime stories remind me of a fast food experience. Some remind me of technical dissertations on the food science. Burke's crime stories are multi-course gourmet meals. I leave the table with the memory of many original flavors and ingredients and it takes a while for that memory to fade. Dixie City Jam is no exception. Burke has a gift for storytelling, colorful characters, articulate and realistic dialogue and a very convincing portrayal of a protagonist hero (Robicheaux) who is maintaining his code, compassion and sobriety despite his encounters with evil. If you have any penchant for Burke's style, I might suggest the detective stories by James Crumely

I've working my way through the Robicheaux series, and I must say this is the best by far; I was under the impression that Burke had hit his peak with BLACK CHERRY BLUES. As the series progresses Dave becomes a more intriguing figure--the demons and inner conflicts that Dave deals with mentally whips you by the end of this novel--and the "bad guys" take on an image of pure genius. The novel revolves around a sunken SUB, and the ramifications of Robicheaux knowing the exact location. The book takes off when the trouble invades Dave's home, and threatens to tear the fabric of his marriage. I've read many crime novels and I must say that Will Buchalter is one of the best characters to come about in a long time. The lucky ones that have read the entire series must agree with me when I say Clete Purcel is in rare form in this novel. For the casual Burke fans, this book is being developed into a movie by Tommy Lee Jones; after finishing the novel, I can see why. This is a great book.

I went to a Borders reading with James Lee Burke and his humble, yet confident voice added new dimension to his characters...as if that's possible. Dave Robicheaux and his buddy Clete Purcel just about walk into the room anytime I open the pages of these books. Unfortunately, Burke's antagonists are just as palpable. The evil lurking beneath the surface of certain scenes is dark and frighteningly real. It's hard not to cheer for Robicheaux as he faces his foes and, usually, reacts before he thinks. Burke wraps this gritty realism and dialogue in some of the most beautiful and vivid metaphors around. Some accuse Burke's writing of shallow plotting, and I understand their viewpoint. I choose, though, to wander along with Dave Robicheaux through the heat and sound and smells of his day and see where it may lead us. Somehow this style gives his stories an uncharted realism that I personally appreciate. Like the cajun food Burke writes of, his words are alive with flavor and texture and subtlety beneath a layer of eye-popping spices. And--as his fans well know--your sense of smell will also be invited to the meal. Pull up a chair and savor some good Louisiana cooking.

Plot-wise and writing-wise, this book is as good as Burke's others. But it lacked heart, considering Dave's loss. For a guy who's pretty introspective (about his drinking and the war,etc.), he doesn't seem to give a second thought about Annie after she's killed. He talks a little (very little) about his guilt, but not about how he misses her and loved her. Instead he turns almost immediately to Robin, which just doesn't seem in character. It bothered me and got that fifth star knocked off.

This is the second in the Dave Robicheaux series. I am trying to read them in order. Dave has quit the New Orleans police department and is running a fishing camp. He is married and very happy. Then a plane crash, and one of the bodies disappears. Dave is drawn back into the underworld he knows so well. This time he really pays for his involvement. Won't say how because it would take away from the reading. He goes at it with Bubba Rocque, a man he grew up with and has known for years. Bubba in one of the bad guys now. But, is it Bubba or his wife that is the worse. Burke writes so you can feel like you are there. You can see the people fishing and moving through the darkness. Except for his flashbacks I would give it a 5 rating but I don't care for those. A good book that will hold you attention.

James lee Burke is one of thosed underrated masters of prose,forever delegated to second rung because of his genre. Heavens prisoners, the second in this series,is,in many ways, the best. Dave Robicheux, the alcoholic new Orleans cop,is out fishing when a single engine plane crashes into the lake,and everything changes.Mr. Burke's descriptions of alcoholic despair and rage are perhaps the finest,and least sentimental I have read. The violence is brutal and freakish in its intensity[as violence is],the dialogue is so well written that i feel for these characters,and want to read more. Though much Longer then Neon rain, the first entry,Mr. Burkes seems to hold the intensity through the narrative. From the lousiana locales to histroical comments on Cajuns, from Cletus Purcell{his sort of sidekick]to the suprising[at least for me] ending, Mr. Burke solidifes himself as one superb writer.And, fortunately, the series goes on ...

I don't know anyone who tops James Lee Burke for excellence in crime fiction; his characters, their development from book to book, the relationships, the dialogue, the humor, the setting, the language - as far as I am concerned, he is absolutely at the top of his class. And this book is exquisite - it just doesn't get better than this. I am constantly recommending this series to friends and total strangers who enjoy mystery fiction - or who just enjoy any fiction at all! Dave Robicheaux never disappoints...

James Lee Burke's creation, Dave Robicheaux, is a perfect Everyman. He struggles with demons - his own, and those of others. He is an excellently flawed man, a man of great strengths, towering weaknesses, and deep melancholy: his humanity bleeds from evgery page.

In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead gives us a better, and deeper, insight into Burke's Everyman. The story purports to be a mystery / thriller, and is designated as such by Amazon. It is, of course, much more, and much less, than that. The mystery is satisfying, of course. Mr. Burke doesn't know how to write a bad mystery. But it's a side-bar to what the book really is: a series of character studies. There's Robicheaux, of course. The story is told in the first person, so the reader is swept into his psyche from the first page. There's Bootsie and Alafair, the people closest to Robicheaux - and the people he often feels are the furthest from him. There's Clete Purcell, his psychotic, sweaty, shambling drunken hulk of a partner. There are the figures from his past, who return to haunt him. And there is, of course, the ghost of the Confederate General with whome Robicheaux confers, and exposes not only himself, but the entire landscape of characters.

Speaking of which - the Louisiana landscape is as much a character as any of the others. The dust, the heat, the colours, the odours, the taste of the land play as large a part as any human in the book.

Mr Burke has been writing the best prose in popular American fiction for the past ten years, if not longer. He has always been a superb writer, making every word perform well above its potential. And in this book, In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead, he has written one of his finest works.

I don't know, I sure did like it.

On one hand, I agree with other reviewers that the ghost soldiers might seem a bit much - in hind sight. At the time I was reading the book I loved the extra touch. I would have to say I enjoyed this book most of all the Burke stories I have read so far.

You might try to read them in order, otherwise you learn things that are supposed to surprise you in the earlier books.

Over and above anything else, the first thing that struck me about James Lee Burke's "Black Cherry Blues" was the quality of the writing. Burke has an incredibly ability to beautifully describe his settings, making small town Louisiana and rural Montana vividly real to the reader. His descriptions are so good that I would often have to suppress the urge to have a late night snack after having my appetite whet when reading about something so basic as what Dave and his daughter made for dinner. Take away the whole suspense/mystery/thriller aspects of this novel, and it would almost still be worth reading just for Burke's descriptive abilities.

The plot itself is the classic "innocent man falsely accused" story. Dave Robicheaux, who is trying to live a quiet, simple life running a boat dock/bait shop and raising his daughter in New Iberia, LA, begrudgingly helps out an old college friend who is involved with some unscrupulous individuals. This leads to a series of events involving ominous threats towards Dave's daughter, Alafair, and culminates in Robicheaux being accused of a murder he didn't commit. The majority of the book takes place after Robicheaux heads to Montana to attempt to clear his name before his trial begins.

Burke seems to take great care in formulating his plot to make sure all his bases are covered. One small thing he did in this book that I really appreciated was to actually attempt to logically explain some of those bizarre coincidences that happen so often in suspense novels that immediately take me out of the novel because they come off as so unrealistic. There is a scene in "Black Cherry Blues" that is reminiscent of many thrillers, where a character is a second of two from having a knife stabbed into his chest, but is saved when somebody "happens" to walk in just at the right time. Many authors just take if for granted the readers will actually buy this, when my usual reaction is "yeah, right". Burke, on the other hand, actually takes this thriller cliche and gives a logical, believable explanation as to why this person knew to be where he was at exactly the right moment. This kind of care is taken throughout the book.

If I were to nitpick I would say that I was sometimes confused by Robicheaux's behavior, in that at times he seemed like someone who genuinely wanted to lead a peaceful life, and then would knowingly behave in a way that would get him into trouble with the wrong people. To be fair, if I had read the previous two Dave Robicheaux novels in the series (and after the quality of "Black Cherry Blues" I fully intend to) perhaps I would have had a better understanding of his character and personality.

This is the third book in the Dave Robicheaux series and, once again, it fairly drips with melancholy as Dave is still gripped with guilt and remorse over the death of his wife. Fortunately, this mood is tempered by his adopted daughter Alafair, who he first took care of in Heaven's Prisoners. She has provided a spark for his affections and has bestowed on him a much needed reason t act more responsibly.

Dave is drawn into danger, which in turn endangers Alafair, after a chance meeting with an old college room-mate named Dixie Lee Pugh, who is now a washed up jazz musician. Dixie Lee feels he is in some trouble after overhearing a couple of men discussing a murder and wants Dave to investigate. He only actually becomes involved after failing to control his temper which lands him in trouble with the law. To get himself out of this trouble he moves temporarily to Montana which is the setting for the bulk of the story. He takes Alafair with him rather than leaving her with his relatives, underlining his new found sense of responsibility.

James Lee Burke does a wonderful job of capturing the mood of a setting and incorporating it into the story. The Louisiana setting of this and his earlier books proved his affinity with the area with special highlights given to the cuisine. A new facet was uncovered be his wondrous descriptions of the Bitterroot Valley and surrounding locales in Montana.

Having now read the first three books in the Dave Robicheaux series I've found that my appetite for more has been whetted. His forthright style and general toughness in the face of adversity makes him a character who is easy to cheer for.

Burke comes through again with Black Cherry Blues. This is the third Robicheaux book I have read. They all have been good. Dave is running for his life, he is to go to trial for a murder he did not commit. This takes him from the bayou to Montana. He deals with Sal Dio. A crazy man if there ever was one. Burke reveles more of Daves inter-thoughts. He shows a strong belief in God in this book. Burke can make you feel like you are there. The bad guys are after Daves little girl which is bad news for them. Clete shows back up in this book, is a friend again to Robicheaux. Dixie Lee Pugh also shows, a good old country boy from long ago. Burke weaves the people through their paces and make a very good story.

Previous Burke audiobooks have been greatly enhanced by the reading of Will Patton who has established a distinctive audio identity for Dave Robicheaux, an authentic local narrative style as well as unique audio identities for the other characters. Although Burke's writing is as great as ever, the reading by Mark Hammer is not. Mark has just two voices, one white and one black, used for all characters, and he makes Dave sound as if he has aged twenty years between books. What a shame! I recommend reading, rather than listening, unless Will Patton returns.

One compensating feature is a preface read by James Lee Burke himself, together with the music for which the book is named.

Tee Bobby Hulin, a black junkie who never committed a violent crime, is fingered for the murder of Amanda Boudreau. New Iberia, Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux doesn't believe he committed the crime even though the evidence points that way. When a local prostitute Linda Zeroski is also murdered in a violent manner, Tee Bobby, who is out on bail, becomes the number one suspect for that homicide too.

Linda's father is a powerful New Orleans mobster who comes to New Iberia to enact vengeance on his daughter's killer. Dave's investigation leads him to lean on Legion Guidry, a man who is the embodiment of evil. Legion beats up and emasculates Dave who first ends up in the hospital and ultimately off the wagon. Before he can discover who the killer is, he must defeat his own demons before they destroy him.

James Lee Burke is one of the better writers of the last decade. His prose is lyrical yet atmospheric, smooth yet dangerous, silk yet graphic. His protagonist is a flawed tortured soul who immediately makes a place for himself in the hearts of the audience. Jolie Blon's Bounce is a fascinating crime thriller with so many vile villainous suspects that readers will find it near impossible to figure out who the killer actually is.

Harriet Klausner

To categorize this book as a mystery is like clumping Haagen-Daz in the same category as cheap sherbet. Sorry. Not the same thing. These characters are alive and fresh and memorable. The settings resonate with sights and sounds and smells. The beauty of Louisiana juxtapositioned with the evil of the criminal world is a heady mix. As always, I'm impressed by Burke's ability. I feel like I'm repeating myself: James Lee Burke is a master of imagery, be it violent and dark, or moving and poetic. I can't help myself. To read his work is to fall in love with the language. With this in mind, it's true that I tend to overlook his meandering plots and psychological side-trips. For me, they make his books much more real and down to earth than the general formulaic mysteries.

In this particular story, we see Dave Robicheaux dealing with his inner demons, as always--this time in the form of pills. But it's the same white worm eating at him and driving anger to the surface. As usual, his emotions boil over into his job and cause trouble. The difference this time is that Robicheaux is dealing with other demons than his own. He's dealing with Legion, an old man, hard as nails and full of darkness. The supernatural aspects that come into play, particularly at the conclusion were, for me, very satisfying and remarkably well handled. Other reviewers have derided these elements; I found them to be the original touch this series needed. Others complained of sexual situations that were unnecessary; I was moved to tears by Bootsie's tenderness to her man in need of assurance. Robicheaux, behind his tough exterior, is a man of flesh and blood and emotion. Thankfully, James Lee Burke is too. It's the reason I keep reading his stuff. After "Purple Cane Road," I'd rate this near the top of the series.