'James Lee Burke is a genius' Guardian. He has won the Gold Dagger once and the Edgar Award twice. His previous novel, THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN, increased is readership even further, and received superb reviews: 'It's been a long time since a crime novel made me cry. It's been a long time since a crime novel made every hair on my body stand on end. THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN did both' Independent on Sunday. 'THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN is the novel James Lee Burke was born to write ... the passages describing the actual flooding are tremendously powerful but Burke also weaves a fully satisfying novel into this extreme event' Evening Standard. 'The story, about greed and murder and redemption, contains some of Burke's most brilliantly realised characters ... a compelling and moving narrative, punctuated by his devastating descriptions of the ravaged city' Sunday Telegraph. Shortlisted for the Galaxy British Book Awards, Best Crime Novel 2008.

When it comes to literate, pungently characterised American crime writing, James Lee Burke has few peers. * Daily Express * One of the finest American writers. * Guardian * 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 * The king of Southern noir. * Daily Mirror * 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 gentle giant of US crime writers, Burke always ensures that his Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux grapples with hot topics as much as with his own inner demons. * i newspaper * Richly deserves to be described now as one of the finest crime writers America has ever produced. * Daily Mail * A gorgeous prose stylist. * Stephen King * James Lee Burke is the heavyweight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed. * Michael Connelly * With its trademark mix of brutality and poetry, Swan Peak is a brilliant piece of work from an American master. * Observer *

James Lee Burke is the author of many previous novels, many featuring Detective Dave Robicheaux. He won the Edgar Award in 1997 for 'Cimarron Rose', while 'Black Cherry Blues' won the Edgar in 1989 and 'Sunset Limited' was awarded the CWA Gold Dagger in 1998. He lives with his wife, Pearl, in Missoula, Montana and New Iberia, Louisiana.