According to Joseph T. "Cap" Shaw, former Black Mask editor and one of the driving forces behind the development of hardboiled crime fiction, "character conflict is the main theme; the ensuing crime, or its threat, is incidental." In The Neon Rain, Burke fulfills this edict admirably, even if the numerous crimes take more than an "incidental" role in the novel's plot. Robicheaux conflicts with practically every other character in the novel, including his half-brother, Jimmie, whose criminal associations Robicheaux disapproves; his girlfriend, Annie, who refuses to recognize the legitimate place of violence in Robicheaux's world; his partner, Clete, who ends up on the wrong side of the law and actually working for the team that seeks to discredit Robicheaux; and his boss, Captain Guidry, though on his side, suspends him and warns him against actions which Robicheaux takes anyway. More importantly, the conflict between Robicheaux and Philip Murphy...