The Dave Robicheaux is a Crime Fiction / Mystery series by James Lee Burke, made up of 24 books published between 1987 and 2024. It begins with The Neon Rain (1987), and is best read in publication order. The most recent entry is Clete (2024), spanning 37 years of storytelling.
Dave Robicheaux series: frequently asked questions
What order should I read the Dave Robicheaux series?
Start with The Neon Rain (1987), the first book in the Dave Robicheaux series by James Lee Burke. Follow the books in publication order for the best reading experience.
How many books are in the Dave Robicheaux series?
There are 24 books in the Dave Robicheaux series by James Lee Burke, published between 1987 and 2024.
What is the first book in the Dave Robicheaux series?
The first book in the Dave Robicheaux series is The Neon Rain, published in 1987 by James Lee Burke.
What is the latest book in the Dave Robicheaux series?
The most recent book in the Dave Robicheaux series is Clete (2024) by James Lee Burke.
About the Dave Robicheaux series
James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux novels are widely considered some of the most beautifully written crime fiction in America. Robicheaux is a Cajun detective and recovering alcoholic in Louisiana's bayou country, a man haunted by Vietnam and by violence, struggling to hold onto grace in a corrupt and brutal world.
Burke writes like a poet — lush, elegiac prose about the Louisiana landscape, the weight of history, and the thin line between justice and vengeance. The plots are dark and often violent, anchored by Robicheaux's volatile friend Clete Purcel.
Read in order from "The Neon Rain" to follow Dave's recovery, family and demons, though Burke's atmosphere makes nearly any entry a rewarding place to start.