James Lee Burke was the perfect inaugural writer for the Collection. I had read him and loved him so I knew he would do the Collection proud.

I read James Lee Burke's "A Morning for Flamingos" quite a few years before starting the Collection - I think I mentioned that I had read it in my book-club days. Burke is the kind of author you don't easily forget and his books pulls you in and grab you. I had really enjoyed "A Morning for Flamingos" when I had first read it, even as a stand-alone book (at the time). So when I saw it on my bookshelf (I think I may have permanently borrowed it from the book club, that's how much I liked it) when I was about to start by Crime Collection, I was reminded of Burke's vivid writing and his great lead character, and I decided to go back and fill in the blanks of the series. This was 2002 so I had to search for and buy 11 of his original books - his series dated back to 1987! It was a pleasure. I started from the beginning - as I did with all the series - which means I had to find an old copy of "Neon Rain." It was no problem.

Dave Robicheaux, the self-destructive, troubled and magnetic main character, is a former New Orleans detective now a New Iberia, LA, cop. Picture Tommy Lee Jones - he's for sure the guy who should play Robicheaux in the movies (and not Alec Baldwin). His alcoholic past comes back to haunt him in almost every book - and his demons always get the better of him, at some point - yet he finds happiness in his family and friends and in his own path to recovery and redemption. The larger-than-life themes in Burke's books usually transcend the plot itself and his writing is sheer poetry. It took me a few years to fill in the series and, since then, I keep abreast of his new books, which come out about once a year. Whenever I read a lesser writer - and there are, admittedly, one or two in my Collection - coming back to Burke is always a relief and a thrill. Reading "Pegasus Descending" a few weeks ago was a true pleasure, one of those experiences you want to savor forever. Burke is one of the best crime writers around and as soon as I finish one book I immediately start looking forward to the next. It's hard to wait.