James Lee Burke is the heavyweight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed. * Michael Connelly *
A gorgeous prose stylist. * Stephen King *
Richly deserves to be described now as one of the finest crime writers America has ever produced. * Daily Mail *
There are not many crime writers about whom one might invoke the name of Zola for comparison, but Burke is very much in that territory. His stamping ground is the Gulf coast, and one of the great strengths of his work has always been the atmospheric background of New Orleans and the bayous. His big, baggy novels are always about much more than the mechanics of the detective plot; his real subject, like the French master, is the human condition, seen in every situation of society. * Independent *
The king of Southern noir. * Daily Mirror *
His lyrical prose, his deep understanding of what makes people behave as they do, and his control of plot and pace are masterly. * Sunday Telegraph *
One of the finest American writers. * Guardian *
When it comes to literate, pungently characterised American crime writing, James Lee Burke has few peers. * Daily Express *
With a plot full of twists and turns, this is another exciting crime thriller from Burke. Right now, there's no one better in the game when it comes to style: the heat of Texas practically burns off the page, leaving you feeling as if you're right in the middle of the action. * WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY *
No one matches Burke for unveiling the seedier side of the American Dream. * OBSERVER *
`an absorbing novel of depth and intelligence far superior to all but a few of his fellow crime writers - Burke is the most lyrical and poetic of US crime authors, his central characters the most three-dimensional, his atmosphere the most moody.' -- Marcel Berlins * THE TIMES *
`One of the things that makes James Lee Burke both one of the best of thriller writers, and something more as well, is that he has always been fascinated by grace. Rain Gods [is] one of Burke's most powerful books for some time.' * THE INDEPENDENT *
Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men won a lot of praise as a kind of modern western but for my money he's no match for James Lee Burke. ... Burke's a terrific writer, who specialises in poking a light into America's dark places and chronicling the country's descent into confusion and immorality. * THE SUN *
