James Lee Burke is the author of eighteen previous novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Sunset Limited, Cimarron Rose, Cadillac Jukebox, Burning Angel, and Dixie City Jam. He lives with his wife in Missoula, Montana, and New Iberia, Louisiana.
Critical acclaim for James Lee Burke and the Billy Bob Holland
Series:
"Burke is a master at setting mood, laying in atmosphere, all with
quirky, raunchy dialogue that's a delight."
--Elmore Leonard
"Billy Bob Holland is as angst-ridden and morally shell-shocked as
Dave Robicheaux ever was, but like Robicheaux, Holland's moral
compass always points to true north...Don't miss out."
--Rocky Mountain News
"Burke [is] one of the best writers of our time. His
plots build tension to such a pitch that it tempts one to rush
through his books. But his writing demands that his
works be savored."
--Denver Post
"Burke is known for the lush bayou cadences that give solid flesh
to his longtime series hero, deputy sheriff Dave Robicheaux, and
this prose style moves easily to the steamy precincts of southeast
Texas."
--Chicago Sun-Times
James Lee Burke is not just a great writer of crime fiction. He is, without doubt, one of the greatest living American novelists. His books, whether set in the bayous of Louisiana or the plains of Texas, are so wonderfully redolent of their settings, so peopled with flawed and fascinating characters, so incisive in their insights into the human condition, that they deserve every accolade that I can think to bestow on them. And Heartwood, the second of Burke's titles to feature Texan lawyer Billy Bob Holland, shows the author at his best. With a story-line as portentous as those of the ancient Greek dramatists, this novel of hatred and love and everything in between is a truly wonderful read. Like Dave Robicheaux, Burke's other antihero (soon to be immortalised on the cinema screen by Tommy Lee Jones - what perfect casting!), Billy Bob Holland wrestles with his personal demons while trying to make sense of a morally ambiguous world. Defending many-time loser Wilbur Pickett on a charge of theft, Billy Bob is unwillingly instrumental in the destruction of the wealthy and powerful Deitrich family. History, as Burke is wont to tell us, will out and though successful in defending his client, Billy Bob's victory is ultimately a Pyrrhic one. Heartwood is a crackerjack novel. Read it, enjoy it and weep for all we poor mortals in the process. Virginia Maxwell is a Melbourne-based reviewer. C. 1999 Thorpe-Bowker and contributors
Burke's newer series hero, Billy Bob Holland (Cimarron Rose, 1997), could have been separated at birth from Burke's long-time protagonist, ex-New Orleans cop Dave Robicheaux. Although Holland is a lawyer in the rolling hill country north of Austin, Tex., he shares Robicheaux's sensibilities: he's brutally honest, haunted by his past, kind to children, protective of the underdog, a lover of the beautiful country in which he lives. Most of Burke's villains are arrogant millionaires; here, the dark heart belongs to Earl Deitrich from Houston, who spread his money around the town of Deaf Smith and married the prettiest girl, Peggy Jean Murphy, Holland's high-school sweetheart. Deitrich's pervasive evil extends from threatening Kippy Jo and Wilbur Pickett into ceding him the oil-rich Wyoming property Kippy Jo inherited from her grandfather, to arranging the false arrest of a business victim, to arson and murder in an alliance with a San Antonio Chicano gang. Meanwhile, Deitrich's insolent son Jeff elopes with the sister of the gang's leader; their breakup places Holland's own, illegitimate son in peril. Despite a circuitous, often confusing plot, the novel compels for its lush portrayal of exquisite countryside; its beautifully composed, mood-setting scenes that pace the action; and the leisurely introductions that give dimension to the many eccentric characters. At one point, a Deitrich victim sums up a consistent Burke theme: "Law punishes a poor man. Rich man don't have to account." Holland agrees, but succeeds in turning the tables in this rewarding novel. Major ad/promo; author tour. (Aug.) FYI: Cimarron Rose won the 1997 Edgar Award for Best Novel. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Critical acclaim for James Lee Burke and the Billy Bob Holland
Series:
"Burke is a master at setting mood, laying in atmosphere, all with
quirky, raunchy dialogue that's a delight."
--Elmore Leonard
"Billy Bob Holland is as angst-ridden and morally shell-shocked as
Dave Robicheaux ever was, but like Robicheaux, Holland's moral
compass always points to true north...Don't miss out."
--Rocky Mountain News
"Burke [is] one of the best writers of our time. His plots build
tension to such a pitch that it tempts one to rush through his
books. But his writing demands that his works be savored."
--Denver Post
"Burke is known for the lush bayou cadences that give solid flesh
to his longtime series hero, deputy sheriff Dave Robicheaux, and
this prose style moves easily to the steamy precincts of southeast
Texas."
--Chicago Sun-Times
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