The Neon Rain (1987) Signed First Edition Reference

The Neon Rain was published by Henry Holt in 1987, introducing Dave Robicheaux — the recovering alcoholic, Vietnam veteran, and New Iberia homicide detective who would become one of the most compelling characters in American crime fiction. When Robicheaux pulls a dead girl from Bayou Lafourche, the investigation leads him into a conspiracy involving the DEA, Central American death squads, and the corrupt underbelly of New Orleans.

The Book

The novel establishes every element of the Robicheaux formula: the lyrical prose, the Louisiana setting, the moral complexity, the violence, and Robicheaux’s own demons — his alcoholism, his temper, his guilt, and his fierce compassion. Burke’s voice is fully formed: sentences that sing, characters who breathe, and a sense of place so vivid that readers can smell the crawfish boil and feel the Gulf humidity.

First Edition Identification

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, New York Publication date: 1987 Format: Hardcover in dust jacket

Signed Copy Market Values

• Signed first edition, fine/fine: $400–$1,200
• Inscribed copies: $600–$2,000
• Unsigned first edition: $75–$200

The Robicheaux debut is the Burke trophy. Its modest first printing and the series’ subsequent critical and commercial success have made it one of the most sought-after crime fiction first editions of the 1980s.