Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Louisiana Stories |
1990 |
Buy |
| The Best American Mystery Stories 2006 |
2006 |
Buy |
| The Best American Mystery Stories 2008 |
2008 |
Buy |
| Delta Blues |
2009 |
Buy |
| The Best American Mystery Stories 2009 |
2009 |
Buy |
| Books to Die For |
2012 |
Buy |
| The Best American Mystery Stories 2014 |
2014 |
Buy |
Billy Bob Holland Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Cimarron Rose |
1997 |
Buy |
| Heartwood |
1999 |
Buy |
| Bitterroot |
2001 |
Buy |
| In the Moon of Red Ponies |
2004 |
Buy |
Dave Robicheaux Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Neon Rain |
1987 |
Buy |
| Heaven’s Prisoners |
1988 |
Buy |
| Taivaan vangit |
1988 |
N/A |
| Black Cherry Blues |
1989 |
Buy |
| A Morning for Flamingos |
1990 |
Buy |
| A Stained White Radiance |
1992 |
Buy |
| In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead |
1993 |
Buy |
| Dixie City Jam |
1994 |
Buy |
| Burning Angel |
1995 |
Buy |
| Cadillac Jukebox |
1996 |
Buy |
| Sunset Limited |
1996 |
Buy |
| Purple Cane Road |
2000 |
Buy |
| Jolie Blon’s Bounce |
2002 |
Buy |
| Last Car to Elysian Fields |
2003 |
Buy |
| Crusader’s Cross |
2005 |
Buy |
| Pegasus Descending |
2006 |
Buy |
| The Tin Roof Blowdown |
2007 |
Buy |
| Swan Peak |
2008 |
Buy |
| The Glass Rainbow |
2010 |
Buy |
| Creole Belle |
2012 |
Buy |
| Light of the World |
2013 |
Buy |
| Robicheaux |
2018 |
Buy |
| The New Iberia Blues |
2019 |
Buy |
| A Private Cathedral |
2020 |
Buy |
| Clete |
2024 |
Buy |
| The Hadacol Boogie |
2026 |
Buy |
Hackberry Holland Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Lay Down My Sword and Shield |
1971 |
Buy |
| Rain Gods |
2009 |
Buy |
| Feast Day of Fools |
2011 |
Buy |
| House of the Rising Sun |
2015 |
Buy |
| Another Kind of Eden |
2021 |
Buy |
| Every Cloak Rolled in Blood |
2022 |
Buy |
| Don’t Forget Me, Little Bessie |
2025 |
Buy |
Holland Family Universe Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Lay Down My Sword and Shield |
1971 |
Buy |
| Wayfaring Stranger |
2014 |
Buy |
| Two for Texas |
1982 |
Buy |
| The Jealous Kind |
2016 |
Buy |
| Cimarron Rose |
1997 |
Buy |
| Another Kind of Eden |
2021 |
Buy |
| Heartwood |
1999 |
Buy |
| Every Cloak Rolled in Blood |
2022 |
Buy |
| Bitterroot |
2001 |
Buy |
| In the Moon of Red Ponies |
2004 |
Buy |
| Rain Gods |
2009 |
Buy |
| Feast Day of Fools |
2011 |
Buy |
| House of the Rising Sun |
2015 |
Buy |
| Don’t Forget Me, Little Bessie |
2025 |
Buy |
Short Stories/Novellas#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Texas City, 1947 |
1992 |
Buy |
Short Story Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Convict and the Other Stories |
1985 |
Buy |
| Jesus Out to Sea |
2007 |
Buy |
| Harbor Lights |
2024 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Half of Paradise |
1965 |
Buy |
| To the Bright and Shining Sun |
1970 |
Buy |
| Two for Texas |
1982 |
Buy |
| The Lost Get-Back Boogie |
1986 |
Buy |
| White Doves at Morning |
2002 |
Buy |
| Flags on the Bayou |
2023 |
Buy |
Weldon Holland Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Cimarron Rose |
1997 |
N/A |
| Wayfaring Stranger |
2014 |
Buy |
| Heartwood |
1998 |
N/A |
| The Jealous Kind |
2016 |
Buy |
| In the Moon of Red Ponies |
2004 |
N/A |
| House of the Rising Sun |
2015 |
Buy |
James Lee Burke is one of the most respected crime writers in American literature, known for prose that lifts the genre into something closer to poetry. His Dave Robicheaux series, 26 books set in the bayou country of southern Louisiana, follows a Vietnam veteran and recovering alcoholic turned detective through cases steeped in the region’s history, politics, and beauty. The series began with The Neon Rain in 1987 and has continued through Clete (2024) and The Hadacol Boogie (2026).
Beyond Robicheaux, Burke has written the Holland family novels — spanning three generations through the Hackberry Holland, Billy Bob Holland, and Weldon Holland series — as well as standalone literary novels and short fiction. His work consistently returns to the American South and West, exploring violence, redemption, and the weight of history on the landscape and the people who inhabit it. The Lost Get-Back Boogie, written in the 1960s and published in 1986, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has James Lee Burke written?
James Lee Burke has written 74 books across nine series.
What was James Lee Burke's first book?
James Lee Burke’s first book is Half of Paradise, published in 1965.
What awards has James Lee Burke won?
Burke has won two Edgar Awards — for Black Cherry Blues (1990) and Cimarron Rose (1998) — and has been named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. He has also been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for The Lost Get-Back Boogie.