James lee Burke

James Lee Burke was born in 1936 in Houston, Texas, and grew up on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. After studying, he worked in various occupations, including at an oil company, as a journalist, English instructor, and social worker. Recognized as a literary voice of the American South in the late 1960s, he turned primarily to crime fiction in the mid-1980s. He achieved international recognition with the Dave Robicheaux series, which began in 1987 and is set largely around New Orleans and Louisiana. Several novels from the series were adapted for film, including “Heaven’s Prisoners,” starring Alec Baldwin, and “In the Electric Mist,” starring Tommy Lee Jones. Burke received numerous honors, including multiple Edgar Allan Poe Awards, Hammett Prizes, and German Crime Prizes.