Rating: 
Summary: Worst lead ever
Review: I don't understand how these novels keep selling. Dave Robicheaux has got to be one of the worst main characters in a mystery novel that I've ever encountered. The man is about as interesting as a bowl of rice, and he spends more time drinking lemonade, waxing poetic about society and commenting on the coolness of the air than solving mysteries. I've read a lot of different mystery writers, and their detectives all have something in common: they are all very assertive when they're trying to solve the mystery. Robicheaux is the only one I've ever read that actually seems not to care one way or the other. Whenever someone comes to him with information that might help his case, he avoids them and makes a lame excuse why he can't see them. And the other characters worship the ground he walks on, even though he is never anything but coarse, rude, and inhospitable to them, especially if they need his help. He is completely unsympathetic towards friends of his that are drunks, even though he was a lush himself. You can only take so much of a guy who tries to feel superior to everyone around him by condescending to them and acting like they just crawled out of his toilet bowl.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic.
Review: I was amused at the reader above who ripped Burke for "waxing on" about a natural setting. Uh, that's a consistent theme of good writers - the ability to describe their surroundings in an original, compelling manner. In my opinion Burke is one of the great writers of our time. Too many folks nowadays are content to read uninspiring books bereft of moving language. Mystifies me.
Bottom line: If you want to read a series of books that feature fantastic writing, engaging characters, sparkling dialogue and a likeable but very human protagonist, read Burke's Robicheaux series - you'll find yourself reading a number of excerpts again and again, marvelling at his masterful style. If you want to prattle on at the water cooler about a yawn-inducing "best-seller" that doesn't contain a single memorable piece of writing, go waste your money on the "best-selling", formulaic tripe spewed by the likes of Sparks, Crichton, Grisham, Clancy, etc...or just watch some MTV for an equal measure of empty, immediate gratification.
Rating:
Summary: Just Going Through The Motions
Review: If this was the first James Lee Burke book that I had read, it would be the last. This was a most disappointing read! Thin plot line, no depth to the characters, and the Confederate ghosts were getting to be a bit much. Read Black Cherry Blues, A Morning For Flamingos instead!
Rating: 
Summary: he write with all five senses.......
Review: If you are unfamiliar with this author, this book would be an interesting introduction to the Dave Robicheaux novels by Burke. Burke writes with all five senses in mind. The descriptions of the Southern Louisiana will make you thirst for a sweet tea. The plot revolves around a possible serial murderer of young girls. It also involves the mafia infiltrating his locale through a Hollywood movie making event. The two may be connected. When Dave Robicheaux begins to see Confederate soldiers, and has conversations with them, you wonder, was it Dave Robicheaux' car accident, was it alcohol, or has Mr. Burke opted for a science fantasy turn of events. (No, it is not the latter!) This was an extremely well done novel, not his best of the Dave Robicheaux novels, but still very good. If you haven't read other of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux novels, anytime is a good time to start. If you enjoy Southern Detective/Police mysteries, these will not dissapoint you.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-Written But Typical Robicheaux Mystery
Review: If you're new to the Dave Robicheaux series, this book or the first one in the series (Black Cherry Blues) is a good place to start. Pluses: Excellent writing--smooth flowing, some memorable lines, realistic dialogue. A troubled, introspective protagonist, reminisicent of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee. A fast-moving plot. Change-of-pace fantasy conversations with Civil War figures, brought on by a drink laced with LSD by the bad guy. Minuses: Burke's bad guys are always one-dimensional, sociopathic, no complexity of character. The new skeleton in Robicheaux's closet is one too many; too many bad things have happened to him; not believable. Readers of other books in the series will be familiar with the scene where Robicheaux goes over the edge and gets too violent and the scene where he's on the receiving end. Worth a try if you like good writing and don't mind plot devices similar to other Robicheaux novels.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite of Burke's novels featuring Dave Robicheaux.
Review: In the Electric Mist with the Confederate Dead James Lee Burke Hyperion Publishers Copyright 1993Of all Burke's novel featuring Dave Robicheaux, this is my favorite - a perfect balance of dialogue, action and luscious description. Written in the first person of the flawed hero, Burke limits the perspective and forces us into a raw intimacy with the main character at times uncomfortable but always compelling. The dialogue is written in dialect when necessary - and Burke gets away with it. He has the gift that reflects the sensuous character of the southern Louisiana setting and never seems trite or overdone-just natural. I developed a sinere affection for Robicheaux as he fought his own demons and remained true to his values in the face of powerful exterior and interior forces. His voice aches with with the sadness of resignation, yet his melancholic descriptions and thoughts never totally surrender to those demons. Each time I thought I had had just about enough of his wallowing, he picked himself up by his boostraps and smashed his fist into somebody's sleazy jaw- always well deserved. From the bayou to the city, the complex plot lines weaves a sultry thread throughout the book looping around the many characters of both locales, then pulling the knot ever so slowly. An intriguing concept that glimmers within the plot are communications with a dead Confederate soldier that blur the line between myth and reality. Questions asked but unanswered. Are they buried memories or messages from beyond the pale? Burke intertwines so many elements in this novel -a poetic eye, profound insights, raw violence, gripping action and of course, the ability of his 20th century Lancelot to eke out a victory in spite of his human frailities. A great read.
Rating:
Summary: best yet
Review: It's like you are right there with Dave. R. sweating away in the humid heat. I sure would like to get ahold of some of that food they are always eating! I agree with everyone below. Highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: hot, steamy and dark
Review: James Lee Burke always smacks right up against the crossover with "literature". His words carry you along until you are there feeling the oppressive Southern humidity oozing around you. I always feel like I am stationed back in Charleston South Carolina on a hot day. The man can write. James Lee Burke is one of the very few authors who can convey accurately exactly what it is like to be a drunk or a recovering drunk. Dave could fit in any meeting anywhere. Burke weaves it into the plots smoothly. Dave is Dave and he shares any recovering drunks worry of "What did I do to myself when I was drinking? And when will it show up?" In Electric Mists time gets suspended. Dave is working on cases tied to the past when he starts to think his drinking must have done some damage to his brain. He is understress and part of that is the threat to his family. He suspects he has "lost" it and the damage done by Alcohol is showing up under his stress. He feels he might be hallucinating. He is meeting with Confederate troops from the past. They seem real but they can't be for they have been dead for years. He chalks it up to his prior drinking bringing out these characters to discuss his case with him. After all they can't be real. Ghosts aren't real. If they are he is attune to something defying the reality in which he exists but if they aren't he has damage that will alter that reality anyway. A cop can't hallucinate and be a cop. As he searches for the answers the Confederates messages get more urgent to him. Past pulls on past and the far past until the final climax. Brain Damaged hallucinations? Dave is smart enough when he knows to keep the answer to himself for after all the past is past.
Rating:
Summary: hot, steamy and dark
Review: James Lee Burke always smacks right up against the crossover with "literature". His words carry you along until you are there feeling the oppressive Southern humidity oozing around you. I always feel like I am stationed back in Charleston South Carolina on a hot day. The man can write. James Lee Burke is one of the very few authors who can convey accurately exactly what it is like to be a drunk or a recovering drunk. Dave could fit in any meeting anywhere. Burke weaves it into the plots smoothly. Dave is Dave and he shares any recovering drunks worry of "What did I do to myself when I was drinking? And when will it show up?" In Electric Mists time gets suspended. Dave is working on cases tied to the past when he starts to think his drinking must have done some damage to his brain. He is understress and part of that is the threat to his family. He suspects he has "lost" it and the damage done by Alcohol is showing up under his stress. He feels he might be hallucinating. He is meeting with Confederate troops from the past. They seem real but they can't be for they have been dead for years. He chalks it up to his prior drinking bringing out these characters to discuss his case with him. After all they can't be real. Ghosts aren't real. If they are he is attune to something defying the reality in which he exists but if they aren't he has damage that will alter that reality anyway. A cop can't hallucinate and be a cop. As he searches for the answers the Confederates messages get more urgent to him. Past pulls on past and the far past until the final climax. Brain Damaged hallucinations? Dave is smart enough when he knows to keep the answer to himself for after all the past is past.
Rating:
Summary: One of the author's best works
Review: James Lee Burke is a gold mine! More and more you find yourself swept up in the intrigue and mystery. And New Orleans is the
place to do just that. He is anything but subtle when it comes to a detective noval.
Dave Robicheaux is my hero and proves it in this book! And what
I wouldn't give for a side kick like Clete Purcel.
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