Heaven's Prisoners(novel)
 | |
| Author | James Lee Burke |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Dave Robicheaux |
| Genre | Detective novel |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | 1988 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 292 pp |
| ISBN | 0805006656 |
| Followed by | Black Cherry Blues |
Heaven's Prisonersis acrime novelwritten byJames Lee Burkeand published bySimon & Schusterin 1988. The fictional work followsDave Robicheaux,a retired police officer and army lieutenant, who finds himself in a situation where he must protect his wife and a plane-crash survivor from a local drug kingpin.Heaven's Prisonersis the second novel by James Lee Burke featuring Dave Robicheaux, and was adapted into afilmin 1996.
Plot summary[edit]
Once an officer for theNew Orleans Police Departmentand before that aU.S. Armyinfantrylieutenantwho fought in theVietnam War,[1]Robicheaux is living a quiet life in the swamplands ofLouisianawith his wife Annie. The couple's tranquility is shattered one day when a drug smuggler's plane crashes in a lake, right before their eyes. Robicheaux succeeds in rescuing a lone survivor, aSalvadorangirl, whom he and Annie quickly adopt and name Alafair.Drug Enforcement AdministrationAgent Minos P. Dautrieve, however, tells Robicheaux that the plane was connected to Bubba Rocque, the leadingdrug kingpinin the area, and Robicheaux's childhood friend fromNew Iberia.Robicheaux must now defend Alafair and Annie from a world of murder and deception.[2]
Reception[edit]
Publishers Weeklysaid, "This is a mystery fans will savor for its ruminating intelligence and graceful prose as well as for its heart-stopping suspense."[3]Kirkusgave it a positive review but noted, "Despite careless plotting (constant but unresolved allusions to malfeasance by US Immigration), there is enough colorful action to keep readers turning the pages; but there is also altogether too much introspection by the self-hating, drowning-in-guilt Robicheaux."[4]
Release details[edit]
- 1988, USA, Simon & Schuster, New York,ISBN0805006656
Adaptation[edit]
- Heaven's Prisoners,a 1996 film starringAlec Baldwin
References[edit]
- ^James Lee Burke,Heaven's Prisoners,Simon & Schuster,2018, pages 6-7: "I had seen drowning victims before, and their faces had the same expression as the faces of people I had seen killed by shell bursts inVietnam".
- ^James Lee Burke,Heaven's Prisoners,Simon & Schuster,2018, page 36: "I kept theU.S Army-issue.45 automaticthat i bought inSaigon".
- ^"Heaven's Prisoners".Publishers Weekly.April 1, 1988.Retrieved31 July2021.
- ^"Heaven's Prisoners".Kirkus.March 15, 1988.Retrieved31 July2021.