<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Lee Burke</span>

James Lee Burke

<p><b>James Lee Burke</b> (born December 5, 1936) is an American author, best known for his <a href="/en/Dave_Robicheaux" title="Dave Robicheaux" class="wl">Dave Robicheaux</a> series. He has won <a href="/en/Edgar_Award" title="Edgar Award" class="mw-redirect wl">Edgar Awards</a> for <i>Black Cherry Blues</i> (1990) and <i>Cimarron Rose</i> (1998), and has also been presented with the Grand Master Award from the <a href="/en/Mystery_Writers_of_America" title="Mystery Writers of America" class="wl">Mystery Writers of America</a>. The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen, first by <a href="/en/Alec_Baldwin" title="Alec Baldwin" class="wl">Alec Baldwin</a> (<i><a href="/en/Heaven's_Prisoners" title="Heaven's Prisoners" class="wl">Heaven's Prisoners</a></i>) and then <a href="/en/Tommy_Lee_Jones" title="Tommy Lee Jones" class="wl">Tommy Lee Jones</a> (<i><a href="/en/In_the_Electric_Mist" title="In the Electric Mist" class="wl">In the Electric Mist</a></i>).</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">American author</div>
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<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: James Lee Burke, Born, Occupation, Nationalit...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox vcard mobile-collapse-element"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above" style="font-size:125%;"><div style="display:inline;" class="fn">James Lee Burke</div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="line-height:1.2em; padding-right:0.65em;">Born</th><td class="infobox-data" style="line-height:1.4em;"><span style="display:none"> (<span class="bday">1936-12-05</span>) </span>December 5, 1936<span class="noprint ForceAgeToShow"> (age<span>&nbsp;</span>86)</span><br><a href="/en/Houston" title="Houston" class="wl">Houston</a>, Texas, U.S.</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="line-height:1.2em; padding-right:0.65em;">Occupation</th><td class="infobox-data role" style="line-height:1.4em;">Writer, novelist</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="line-height:1.2em; padding-right:0.65em;">Nationality</th><td class="infobox-data category" style="line-height:1.4em;">American</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="line-height:1.2em; padding-right:0.65em;">Children</th><td class="infobox-data" style="line-height:1.4em;">4 (including <a href="/en/Alafair_Burke" title="Alafair Burke" class="wl">Alafair Burke</a>)</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Website</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data" style="line-height:1.4em;"><span class="url"><a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="http://www.jamesleeburke.com/" class="external text" target="_blank">www<wbr>.jamesleeburke<wbr>.com</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'><b>Close</b> <span class='arrow'>▲</span></footer></div>
<p>Wirt Williams, reviewing Burke's first novel, <i>Half of Paradise</i> (1965), in the <i>New York Times</i>, compared his writing to <a href="/en/Jean-Paul_Sartre" title="Jean-Paul Sartre" class="wl">Jean-Paul Sartre</a> and <a href="/en/Ernest_Hemingway" title="Ernest Hemingway" class="wl">Ernest Hemingway</a>, but concluded "Mr. Burkes' literary forebear is <a href="/en/Thomas_Hardy" title="Thomas Hardy" class="wl">Thomas Hardy</a>."<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span></p>

<p>Burke's 1982 novel, <i>Two for Texas</i>, was made into a 1998 TV movie of the same name. Burke has also written five miscellaneous crime novels (including <i>Two for Texas</i>), two short-story collections, four books starring protagonist <a href="/en/Texas" title="Texas" class="wl">Texas</a> attorney Billy Bob Holland, four books starring Billy Bob's cousin Texas sheriff Hackberry Holland, and two books starring Weldon Avery Holland, grandson of legendary Texas lawman Hackberry Holland.</p>



James Lee Burke is an American author, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won Edgar Awards for Black Cherry Blues and Cimarron Rose , and has also been presented with the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen, first by Alec Baldwin and then Tommy Lee Jones . Wirt Williams, reviewing Burke's first novel, Half of Paradise , in the New York Times, compared his writing to Jean-Paul Sartre and Ernest Hemingway, but concluded "Mr. Burkes' literary forebear is Thomas Hardy." 