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Heaven's Prisoners (Hardcover)

by James Lee Burke (Author) "I WAS JUST OFF Southwest Pass, between Pecan and Marsh islands, with the green, whitecapping water of the Gulf Stream to the south and the..." (more)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 292 pages
Publisher: Mysterious Press (April 12 1990)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0712636609
ISBN-13: 978-0712636605

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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This is item 2 in The Dave Robicheaux Series.

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

First met in Burke's excellent mystery, The Neon Rain, Dave Robicheaux is a driven mandriven by his constant battle with alcoholism; by memories of his past as a detective on the New Orleans police force; by his need for order; by his obsession with the seedy, aberrant side of New Orleans life. Trying to put his own life together again, Dave has married Annie and now runs a small fishing rental business in the Louisiana bayou. When he and Annie witness the crash of a small plane, in which four peopleobviously illegal aliensdie, and only a little girl survives, Robicheaux is drawn to the trail of a network of crimes that suggests a Central American dope-running ring operated with the connivance of federal agents. Violence ensues, and Robicheaux, no stranger to tragedy, must confront it again when Annie becomes a victim. Haunted by guilt, deeply depressed, in constant danger, Robicheaux trusts no one, including the cops, for he knows that they too, are capable of skirting the law. Burke beautifully evokes New Orleans and the mysterious bayous, and he skillfully depicts the different lifestyles that distinguish the Gulf region. Robicheaux is a complex character whose integrity and high principles are always in conflict with the darker side of human nature. This is a mystery fans will savor for its ruminating intelligence and graceful prose as well as for its heart-stopping suspense.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The Cajun hero of The Neon Rain returns in a very intense and atmospheric, if not obsessive, story of personal revenge. Former homicide cop Dave Robicheaux, now proprietor of a bait and boat rental business on the Louisiana bayou, rescues a terrified illegal immigrant girl from a small plane that crashes into the Gulf. The other four passengers die, but when newspapers report only three, Dave decides to investigate. His first-person narrative provides character insight, immediacy, and authentic glimpses into a disappearing way of life. For most collections. REK
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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First Sentence
I WAS JUST OFF Southwest Pass, between Pecan and Marsh islands, with the green, whitecapping water of the Gulf Stream to the south and the long, flat expanse of the Louisiana coastline behind me-which is really not a coastline at all but instead a huge wetlands area of sawgrass, dead cypress strung with wisps of moss, and a maze of canals and bayous that are choked with Japanese water lilies whose purple flowers audibly pop in the morning and whose root systems can wind around your propeller shaft like cable wire. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Robicheaux's best, May 31 2004

By	Denny Gibbons (Champaign, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heaven's Prisoners (Paperback)

If I could do it all again, I'd almost be tempted to read this book and not read any more of the Dave Robicheaux series, due to the incredible similarity of plots. In almost every novel, the trouble starts because Robicheaux finds something in a body of water, whether that be a bayou, a lake, an ocean, a pond, et cetera. Then all these interested parties start hounding Robicheaux because of what he's uncovered. However, this book remains the best in the series.

In this entry, Robicheaux and his wife Annie witness a small single-engine plane crash into the water while they are out on their boat, and Robicheaux rescues the only survivor: a young girl of about toddler age. Soon after, he finds himself being hounded by INS representatives, a DEA agent, and some very unpleasant people who are interested in keeping the crash a secret.

This book finds Robicheaux at his most hard-boiled, the plot is very much character driven, and it makes for an intriguing story all around. I would highly recommend this book, but only this book of the Dave Robicheaux series.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Reading Twice, April 27 2004

By	Dr. Christopher Coleman (HONG KONG) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heaven's Prisoners (Paperback)

I've read most of Burke's Dave Robicheaux series, and enjoyed them quite a bit. Heaven's Prisoners is one of the two best, the other being In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead. Mist is Burke at his most exotic--Dave's on an acid trip for a substantial part of the book; Heaven's Prisoners is Burke at his darkest. I'm unwilling to go into the plot; in fact I strongly urge you not to read further reviews as there are substantial spoilers in many of them that will ruin the experience for you. Suffice it to say there's plenty of action, plenty of suspense. Of course, most any thriller or action novel today promises that; where Burke is unusual is in his ability to handle language. He writes like he's in love with language, and it's a pleasure to read him. Mickey Spillane once said about himself that he didn't write novels, he wrote books; Burke definitely writes novels, and extremely literate ones at that. He's one of a generation of novelists, along with Michael Connelly, James Hall, and Dennis Lehane, who have inherited the mantle of Raymond Chandler and wear it with pride; in Burke's case, he seems also to draw inspiration from William Faulkner. Robicheaux's a complex man, tortured by his own inadequacies and yet immensely strong simultaneously, and he's a prisoner of the dark, decaying Southern environment he was raised in. If you prefer simple action, plots, and characters like Mike Hammer or Robert Parker's Spenser, you'll surely think Burke is overwritten. But for a real literate treat, with an electric story, fantastic dialogue and descriptions, and characters you'll want to revisit, read Heaven's Prisoners. I almost never reread a fiction book, except by accident--there's just too much new stuff out there; but I deliberately read this one again, and enjoyed it just as much the second time.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The best way to start the Robicheaux series., Mar 5 2004

By	Brad Cooper "Author of Guilty by Association" (Beckley, WV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Heaven's Prisoners (Paperback)

"The Neon Rain" is the first book in the series, but this is the book to start with. I had actually seen the movie first, and liked it so much that I decided to give the book a try. As is normally the case, the book is even better. Burke has done a great job in creating a realistic hero in Dave Robicheaux. Rather than your typical perfect, mistake-free protagonist, Robicheaux is clearly flawed but you want to root for him. The heart of the Vietnam vet, retired homicide detective, and recovering alcoholic comes through particularly well because of Burke's exceptional first-person writing style. This is truly a work of art, and it sets the tone well for the rest of the series.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Lacks heart
Plot-wise and writing-wise, this book is as good as Burke's others. But it lacked heart, considering Dave's loss. Read more

Published on Sep 4 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars HEAVEN'S PRISONERS --A GOOD READ!!!!!
This is the second in the Dave Robicheaux series. I am trying to read them in order. Dave has quit the New Orleans police department and is running a fishing camp. Read more

Published on Jun 16 2001 by Mac Blair