White Doves at Morning » (Reprint)

James Lee Burke was struggling through some lean times as a novelist -- he had published only one book in 15 years -- when a friend and fellow writer suggested he take a stab at crime fiction. The result was The Neon Rain, the first book in his successful Dave Robicheaux books. With a complex moral protagonist and a lush writing style, the series evokes the heady environment of the Louisiana bayou country.

Drawing on his personal family history, James Lee Burke crafts a story of enormous scope about three best friends from Louisiana who -- despite their own misgivings about the "Cause" -- enlist in the Confederate Army and set off to war. Willie Burke, the character based on Burke's own great, great uncle, befriends an attractive and uncommonly bright young slave and teaches her how to read in violation of local laws. White Doves at Morning is a rich love story set in a time of upheaval that affected all men and women, from slave to enlisted man to plantation owner. Listeners will hear Burke at this finest-this is a genuine masterpiece combining enthralling storytelling; controlled, lyrical prose, and astutely drawn characters.

Publishers Weekly

Following the publication of his 11th Dave Robicheaux thriller, bestselling Burke (Bitterroot; Purple Cane Road) keeps the action in Louisiana, turning back the clock to the Civil War. Central to this brooding saga are hotheaded young idealist Willie Burke, son of a boardinghouse owner, and a beautiful slave girl named Flower Jamison. She is the illegitimate daughter of Ira Jamison, the callous owner of the infamous Angola Plantation. Flower's mother was murdered by a brutal overseer, Rufus Atkins, just after she gave birth, and Rufus has been a malevolent presence in Flower's life ever since. Secretly taught to read and write by Willie Burke, she now does laundry for the town brothel. Befriended by Abigail Dowling, a young Yankee abolitionist who is helping slaves escape the South, Flower clings to the hope that Jamison will acknowledge her as his daughter; meanwhile, Jamison has his eye on Abigail. The war gets into full swing, and Willie loses his best friend at Shiloh because of Jamison's cowardly dereliction. Wounded and left to die, Willie is saved by Abigail, who brings him home and nurses him back to health. Against her protests, he attempts to return to battle but is taken captive and-the war now over-escapes to confront racist vigilantes intent on shutting down Flower's school for ex-slaves. Burke has created a cast of strong, if somewhat stereotypical, characters; readers will warm to outspoken, irrepressible Willie as much as they deplore the evil Atkins. Although at times a bit forced, this moving morality play shows a different dimension of this gifted writer. Agent, Phillip Spitzer. (Nov.) Forecast: Fans of John Jakes will particularly enjoy this rare historical offering from Burke. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.