James Lee Burke Books in Order
James Lee Burke has written 49 books, published between 1965 and 2026. The first book is Half of Paradise (1965) and the newest is The Hadacol Boogie (2026). Publication order is the reading order below. 25 of the 49 books listed here are in the Dave Robicheaux series, which has its own page: Dave Robicheaux books in order.
- Books
- 49
- Published
- 1965–2026
- Confirmed
- 48 of 49 titles
- Pages on record
- 15,064 in 40 of 49 books
- Reading time
- 251–377 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 15,064 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 40 of 49 titles with a page count on record.
Dave Robicheaux, a Louisiana detective, is the figure most associated with James Lee Burke, who also writes the Holland family novels around Billy Bob, Hackberry and Weldon Holland. Burke's 49 catalogued books stretch from Half of Paradise (1965) to The Hadacol Boogie in 2026, a span of six decades. Hard-boiled crime in Louisiana and Texas is the core subject. Median length is 387 pages, with the 2000s as the peak decade.
The Billy Bob Holland novels follow a former Texas Ranger who becomes a defense lawyer in Texas. His law-enforcement past resurfaces in each case, bringing him into contact with old enemies and criminals. The series centers on cases involving corruption and betrayal, and on the boundary between upholding the law and defending clients.
How many James Lee Burke books are there?
James Lee Burke has 49 books, released between 1965 and 2026. They include 5 series and 1 title listed outside any series.
James Lee Burke Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 49 James Lee Burke books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119652883/4
- 219702243/4
- 319713203/4
- 419821483/4
- 519851953/4
- 619863763/4
- 719873203/4
- 819883203/4
- 919893263/4
- 1019903843/4
- 111992303/4
- 1219924644/4
- 1319934163/4
- 1419945024/4
- 1519954473/4
- 1619964644/4
- 1719963874/4
- 181997–3/4
- 1919993903/4
- 2020003874/4
- 2120014703/4
- 2220023053/4
- 2320024493/4
- 242003–3/4
- 2520043223/4
- 2620054834/4
- 2720064874/4
- 2820072403/4
- 2920073733/4
- 30The Tine Roof Blowdown2008 · confirmed 1/42008–1/4
- 3120084023/4
- 3220094343/4
- 332010–4/4
- 3420114633/4
- 3520125283/4
- 3620135483/4
- 3720144353/4
- 3820154353/4
- 3920163833/4
- 4020184473/4
- 4120194643/4
- 4220203843/4
- 4320212563/4
- 442022–3/4
- 452023–3/4
- 462024–3/4
- 472024–4/4
- 4820253683/4
- 492026–4/4
James Lee Burke series and characters in order
Each link below opens a reading-order page with every book in publication order.
- Dave Robicheaux books in order 25 books
- Billy Bob Holland books in order 4 books
- Hackberry Holland books in order 13 books
- Holland Family books in order 13 books
James Lee Burke books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. A group whose heading is a link has its own reading-order page; the other groups have no page of their own on this site.
Hackberry Holland books in order
7 books by James Lee BurkeJames Lee Burke Standalone Novels
5 books5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
James Lee Burke Short Story
3 books3 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Weldon Holland in order
2 booksJames Lee Burke Short Stories/Novellas
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Holland Family Universe in order
1 bookStandalone books
1 book1 James Lee Burke title here is not listed as part of any series.
James Lee Burke Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the James Lee Burke books run from Half of Paradise (1965) to The Hadacol Boogie (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for James Lee Burke in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read James Lee Burke books in order?
You only need to read James Lee Burke books in order within each series: the books listed here span 5 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with James Lee Burke
Start with the first book of the James Lee Burke series you want to read: Dave Robicheaux starts with The Neon Rain (1987), Billy Bob Holland starts with Cimarron Rose (1997) and Hackberry Holland starts with Lay Down My Sword and Shield (1971). The earliest catalogued title overall is Half of Paradise (1965).
What is the newest James Lee Burke book?
The Hadacol Boogie (2026) is the newest James Lee Burke book released so far.
Is there a new James Lee Burke book coming?
No next James Lee Burke book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards James Lee Burke has won
Wikidata records 4 awards for James Lee Burke. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- German Crime Fiction Award2015Won
- Gold Dagger1998Won
- Grand Prix de Littérature Policière1992Wonfor Black Cherry Blues
- Edgar Awards1990Won
James Lee Burke at a glance
- Still publishing
- James Lee Burke published a book as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- James Lee Burke books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 15,064 pages across the 40 of 49 books with a recorded length, a median of 387 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most James Lee Burke books, 13 of 49, were published in the 2000s.
- Corroboration
- 10 of the 49 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and 48 in at least three.
What the James Lee Burke books are about
41 of the 49 James Lee Burke books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: dave robicheaux (fictitious character) is tagged on 17 of 41. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Dave Robicheaux (Fictitious character) 17 of 41 books
- Private investigators 16 of 41 books
- Mystery & detective 14 of 41 books
- Robicheaux, dave (fictitious character) 14 of 41 books
- Louisiana 9 of 41 books
- Police 7 of 41 books
- Mystery & detective, hard-boiled 5 of 41 books
- Billy Bob Holland (Fictitious character) 4 of 41 books
- History 4 of 41 books
- Mystery & detective, police procedural 4 of 41 books
- New iberia (la.) 4 of 41 books