Still On The Case

In his latest novel, James Lee Burke keeps up the mystery with Dave Robicheaux

- Sam Jenkins

MANY MYSTERY NOVELISTS sit down to write with a beginning, middle, and, perhaps most crucially, an end already sketched out. Not James Lee Burke. “I never know where the story is going,” says Burke, 82, the best-selling author of 37 books of fiction. “If you listen to the voice inside you, you’ll hear the right things.”

The author has always let instinct guide his writing—even when no one was reading. Success came later in life for the Houston-born writer, who, in 1987 at the age of 51, broke onto the literary scene with The Neon Rain, his first novel depicting Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux. In his latest—the 21st book in the series, Robicheaux—the title character gets caught up in a web of murders involving an obese mob boss, a slick businessman with political ambitions, and an effeminate contract killer called Smiley. Of course, Robicheaux’s hard-living best friend, Clete Purcel, is there to help solve the case.

Here, the two-time Edgar Award winner, who grew up in Texas and Louisiana but now lives in Montana with his wife of 57 years, Pearl, shares why Robicheaux continues to be beloved by fans.