James Lee Burke

James Lee Burke makes his seventh appearance on the show this week. We discuss his new novel, THE GLASS RAINBOW, published by Simon and Schuster.

This is the 18th novel in the Dave Robicheaux series. Mr. Burke published the first Robicheaux novel, THE NEON RAIN, in 1987. I remember reading THE NEON RAIN in two sittings.

There was something about Burke's writing that transcended the mystery genre. In that first book Dave adopts an orphan who is rescued from a helicopter accident, her name is Alafair.

Alafair has been an important character in the series. Burke's use of Alafair in THE GLASS RANIBOW shows the complex and loving bond between a father and his daughter. Their relationship has matured in the book, and Alafair plays a major role in the plot of the story. Mr. Burke's real life daughter Alafair has become a successful mystery writer as well, and during the interview Mr. Burke discusses their relationship.

THE GLASS RAINBOW also plumbs the depths of the relationship between Clete Purcell and Robicheaux. Clete is up to his normal tricks and vices in the novel, but Mr. Burke brilliantly begins to introduce mortality into their friendship and he shows the acceptance that true friends show each other as they continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. The last two pages of the novel brought me to tears. This is Mr. Burke's most powerful novel since PEGASUS DESCENDING and TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN.

Mr. Burke and I were fifteen minutes into the interview when the subject of the exploitation of his beloved Louisiana by the oil companies came up. As an interviewer you live for the moment when an author opens his mind and heart to you and trusts you with what he is about to say. Mr. Burke and I have had several of these moments over the years, particularly after Hurricane Katrina. James Lee Burke knows the oil business; he has worked on oil rigs and has had friends and family that were and are oil men.

I put my tongue between my incisors and wrote, "SHUT UP", on my note pad when Burke started discussing the BP Oil Explosion. I allowed him to give full vent to his knowledge and outrage of what is going on in the Gulf Coast. Please take the time to listen to what Mr. Burke has to say. It is powerful, and it is the truth.

He loves his native state and our country enough to tell us the truth about how the oil companies operate. I am honored that he chose our show to express his feelings about the explosion (vs. a spill).

James Lee Burke is an important American writer. To classify him as a crime writer is to sell him short. I've said it before and I'll say it again, he is the Dostoevsky of our generation. The depth of his characters, the lushness of his prose, and his command of language make his stories a privilege to read.

Read THE GLASS RAINBOW. And then read the rest of the series. Burke is quite simply the best!

Previously Kacey Chatted With . . .

I have been an admirer of Mr. Turow's work since 1987, when I read PRESUMED INNOCENT for the first time. INNOCENT, Turow's new novel, is the sequel to PRESUMED INNOCENT. It is published by Grand Central Publishing, and it is a beauty. The plot is riveting, and the writing is vintage Turow.

Carol Sklenicka, author of RAYMOND CARVER: A WRITER'S LIFE, spent over a decade researching the life and studying the writings of Raymond Carver. Carver changed the landscape and form of the short story during his writing career. Ms. Sklenicka's biography fills in the gaps of Carver's life that have been missing. She had access to Carver's family, and to Tess Gallagher. The result is a balanced and fair look at Ray Carver the writer, and Ray Carver the man.

Michael Connelly is a guest on the show for the seventh time this week. NINE DRAGONS is Harry Bosch novel. The plot is breathtaking and relentless. The novel begins with Harry and his partner, Ignacio Ferras, waiting for a ‘fresh kill’. It comes in the form of a killing at Fortune Liquors, a store that appeared after the riots in ANGEL’S FLIGHT.

Mr. White's brilliant new novel THE SIEGE, features Sam Purdy, Alan Gregory's buddy. Sam goes to Florida for a brief getaway and is soon pulled into a hostage situation that becomes increasingly dangerous. The stakes become incredibly high.

George Pelecanos makes his third appearance on the show this week. We discuss his new novel THE WAY HOME, published by Little, Brown. The novel is about the redemptive power of love. This is Mr. Pelecano's most mature novel.

I’m delighted to have David Baldacci back for his fifth appearance on the show. We discuss DIVINE JUSTICE, his new novel featuring the return of Oliver Stone.

David Fulmer's Interview is the third Katrina related interview.  This installment covers the musicians of New Orleans. Rescued, on animal rescue, is the second installment in a series of interviews on the Katrina catastrophe Listen also to the first installment which was an interview with James Lee Burke

 

We have lost a great writer . . . Horton Foote 1916 - 2009 I was saddened to read that Horton Foote died March 4, 2009. Mr. Foote was one of our country’s finest writers; his plays, screenplays, and other writings will live on for generations to come. He was one of my first guests in the fall of 2004. Here is what I wrote in 2004, followed by both parts of our audio interview. This interview with Mr. Foote has garnered a great deal of attention since the day I posted it. Here it is in its entirety. I hope you enjoy it!

 

 

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