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Start giftingHalf of Paradise
Discover James Lee Burke’s debut novel—before the creation of his now-famous Cajun detective Dave Robicheaux—as he follows the lives of three very different young Louisiana men, each of whom finds himself in desperate circumstances.
Toussaint Boudreaux, a black longshoreman in New Orleans, tolerates his co-workers’ racism because he has to, and moonlights as a heavyweight boxer. J.P. Winfield, with his gift for twelve-string guitar, finds his break into showbiz, which ultimately leads to the flipside of the American dream. Avery Broussard, descendant of once-prosperous land owners, has a weakness for alcohol and succumbs to his demons when what remains of his land is repossessed...
The intertwining stories of these three men are a testament to the realities of life in 1950s Louisiana, their destinies seemingly fixed by fate. Yet each hopes for redemption...
James Lee Burke is a New York Times bestselling author, two-time winner of the Edgar Award, and the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in Fiction. He has authored forty novels and two short story collections. He lives in Missoula, Montana.