James Lee Burke
Books in Order
Name: James Lee Burke
Born: 5 December. 1936
Place of birth: Houston, Texas, USA
Resides: Lolo, Montana, USA
First book: Half of Paradise
Previous employment: social worker
Fun fact #1: James nearly gave up writing when The Lost Get-Back Boogie was rejected by almost 100 publishers.
Fun fact #2: by teaching creative writing at a variety of colleges, James doesn’t just write best sellers but has helped other would-be authors achieve their goals.
Awards (not an exhaustive list):
- Pulitzer Prize nomination
- Edgar Award
- Louisiana Writer Award
James Lee Burke Book List & Suggested Book Order
James Lee Burke Biography
James Lee Burke was born on the 5th of December in 1936, which was a Saturday. For those readers interested in all things astrological, that makes him a Sagittarius, which is one of the Fire signs.
James came into the world in Houston, a city of around 2.5 million people in Texas, a state located at the bottom and right in the center of the United States of America. His father, James Lee, Sr., was a gas engineer, while his mother, Frances, was a secretary. Though he was born in Houston, he also spent part of his early years in New Iberia, which is a small town of around 30,000 people in the south of Louisiana.
In Houston, he attended Lamar High School, which is quite a large school with around 3,200 pupils. Unfortunately, he didn’t do too well. In fact, he did very badly – he was in the bottom 50 of the 200 students in his year.
In his late teens, he attended the Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). And that started out just the same way his school days had ended – he got a steady stream of Ds on his papers. A kindly English teacher took pity on him – Lyle Williams said his work really deserved an F, but she told him she’d upgraded him to a D purely because his writing showed true heart. She spent time on the weekend helping him develop his English skills until he could get a solid B. Without her, there would be no Dave Robicheaux!
To continue reading, get the full 1000-word biography in James Lee Burke Books in Order.
If you love James Lee Burke’s books you need the most comprehensive book list available, which includes a check list, alternative titles, page counts, movie adaptations, co-authors, star ratings, and a host of other features, plus:
- Dave Robicheaux series in order
- Hackberry Holland books in order
- Billy Bob Holland books in order
- Holland Family books in order
- a complete list of short stories & standalone novels
James Lee Burke Interview
James discusses his Dave Robicheaux series and the moment he knew he had a character truly worthy of being called a hero, then comments on the coming of age of the crime novel.
Authors You Might Like
Why Read the James Lee Burke Dave Robicheaux Books in Order?
Born in Texas, USA, in 1943, author James Lee Burke almost gave up writing because of the constant rejection from the 'experts' in the publishing industry, yet today, he has legions of fans and multiple successful series featuring a whole host of the Holland family, plus his pièce de résistance, the thriller series featuring Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux.
This James Lee Burke book list not only gives all the James Lee Burke books in chronological order, but lets you see the characters develop and witness events at the correct time, just as James intended.
So, if you've ever wondered about the James Lee Burke book order or the Hackberry Holland books, or wanted to read the Dave Robicheaux series in order, here's your chance.
