James Lee Burke

 "But perhaps age has taught me that the earth is still new, molten at the core and still forming, that black leaves in the winter forest will crawl with life in the spring, that our story is ongoing and it is indeed a crime to allow the heart's energies to dissipate with the fading of light on the horizon. I can't be sure. I brood upon it and sleep little. I wait like a denied lover for the blue glow of dawn."

The last paragraph of the book Heaven's Prisoners. Written by James Lee Burke.

Do you understand why I love this man?

I have always needed a go to author. Someone I can consistently go back to for comfort reading.

I read two or three heavy books in a row; then I need a guy I can depend upon to make me feel at home. It is as much a physical sensation as an emotional one.

James Lee Burke has been that guy for years now.

The last author I was into in that way was Lawrence Sanders. Loved the man. I was privileged to pass that love along to my son Keith.

Sanders wrote multiple series of books. The Edward X. Delaney series, the Peter Tangent Series, the Commandment series, the Timothy Cone series, the Archie McNally series.

Every series with a different twist and amazingly memorable characters. Absolutely delicious.

James Lee Burke has the Dave Robicheaux series, the Billy Bob Holland series, the Hackberry Holland series, the Holland Family Saga series.

Every series with a different twist and amazingly memorable characters. Absolutely delicious.

When I read these authors it's like taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly. They calm me down. They make me smile in appreciation. They distract me from the problem of the day. They entertain me, challenge me, and sooth me.

It's like having my own live-in psychiatrists.

I don't know how I come across these authors. It happens magically and saves me eternally.