The Neon Rain
By James Lee Burke
Release Date: March 27, 1987
Ebook Available from WV Reads!
3 Stars - This old-school neo noir novel reads like a movie, no coincendence that this series was at one time embraced by cinema. Dave Robiceaux is a common hero with a dark past that no doubt influenced countless characters after him. He's a rugged anti hero not so tortured that a reader can't relate but enough that can be fascinating.
The book has many attributes of classic detective novels but is certainly the modern neo noir generation. Dave's a hard working cop who has seen the whole gamut of crime including drugs, prostitution, murder, and more from every race in his hometown of New Orleans. Somehow though he's cynical but not entirely desparaging to listen to. Will Patton's gruff drawl narration really brought him to life and added a lot to the story. The atmosphere is pure New Orleans from the background people to the food to even the surrounding buildings. This was clearly from a time when novels weren't all about large page counts, flashy covers, and cranking out a new novel with a new coauthor every three months.
I'll be honest that I chose this book at the time because of its short length. And this series had been on the back my mental reading list for ages to try. Burke has an amazing way of showing a lot of detail in very few words. He uses quite possibly more visual description than any other that comes to my mind. But I never felt bogged down by the details. The pace is free flowing, the scenes never rushed or jammed together. All that said, admittedly the story itself is not altogether original or different. It's much like a classic 70s action thriller in plot and cast. The sex and violence level increases as pages go by, at times in an uncomfortable way. Clet, Dave's partner, is fun, always giving him a hard time and vice versa. Their boss and Dave's brother also make some of the more memorable appearances. I'd say this is a must for anyone looking for that New Orleans feel or for anyone needing a quick, exciting read particularly fans of Robert Parker, John D. MacDonald, Stephen Cannell, or the more modern series by Steve Hamilton or Stuart Woods.
(NS)
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