James Lee Burke, The Neon Rain (1987) — The first Dave Robicheaux novel, set in New Iberia and New Orleans. Burke's Cajun detective series is the definitive fictional treatment of the Teche country and Acadiana — atmospheric, morally serious, and deeply rooted in the specific geography and culture of this part of Louisiana.
James Lee Burke, In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead (1993) — The most atmospheric of the Robicheaux novels, set in and around New Iberia during a film shoot. Burke's descriptions of the bayous, the weather, and the violence beneath the surface of small-town Louisiana are essential reading before or after a visit.
Carl A. Brasseaux, The Founding of New Acadia (1987) — The scholarly account of how the Acadian exiles came to Louisiana after the British deportation of 1755 and built the Cajun culture that still characterises this part of the state. Essential background for understanding what makes New Iberia and Acadiana different from the rest of the American South.