In the moon of red ponies : a novel /

The similarity between Burke's more recent Billy Bob Holland series and his celebrated Dave Robicheaux novels inevitably interferes with our ability to give the Hollands their due. Yes, former Texas Ranger turned Montana lawyer Holland is, in many ways, a Big Sky version of ragin' Cajun Robicheaux. They have both found a corner of paradise and want desperately to protect it from the encroachments of modern life; they both are prone to violence and often jeopardize their loved ones out of the all-consuming desire to protect them; and they invariably must tangle with one or both of Burke's twin towers of evil: malignant white trash and viciously bent rich people. But despite all that, despite our wish that a writer of Burke's great talent might have used a new series to head toward uncharted waters, it's time to stop picking on Billy Bob Holland. This latest entry in the series, in which Holland attempts to help an idealistic Indian ecoterrorist and winds up antagonizing a power-broking congressman, offers the perfect opportunity to let Billy Bob stand on his own feet. The familiar themes are all here, but Burke puts some new spins on them: the white-trash antagonist reveals surprising depths of character; Billy Bob stops to smell the roses; and even the square-off with the power broker feels less like an Old Testament free-for-all and more like the kind of attenuated skirmish that defines our more circumscribed contemporary world. Yes, Billy Bob is cut from familiar cloth, but admit it, he wears it well. --Bill Ott Copyright 2004 Booklist

Narrator Stechschulte does an excellent job giving voice to the many eccentric characters in Burke's fourth novel starring former Texas Ranger Billy Bob Holland, last heard from in Bitterroot (2001). Billy Bob and his private investigator wife, Temple, have relocated to a ranch in Missoula, Mont. Not long after he hangs his attorney's shingle, Billy Bob receives a visit from ex-biker/rodeo clown Wyatt Dixon, who he helped send to jail for life in Bitterroot. Wyatt, free on a technicality, once buried Temple alive before spending time in federal prison. Now a born again Christian, he wants Holland to represent his horse-trading business. Here Stechschulte's talent truly shines. His portrayal of Wyatt's vacuous politeness is unnerving. Billy Bob doesn't trust him, nor does the listener. But should we? This is just the tip of a complicated ecoterrorist plot chock full of multifaceted characters, including an ex-mercenary police detective, a Native American Desert Storm hero/activist and a shady U.S. senator. Stechschulte penetrates the psyche of each of these players with incredible acuity, making this an excellent summer listen. Simultaneous release with the S&S hardcover (Forecasts, May 24). (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Burke seems to absorb the mythos of the land he inhabits and then, remarkably, rework the spirit of these legends into his novels. In this fourth Billy Bob Holland tale, Billy now lives Missoula, MT, where he has opened a law practice and, along with his wife and son, has moved the ghost of his former partner in the Texas Rangers, L.Q. Navarro. Billy's first client is Johnny American Horse, a Native American activist who has more problems than Billy can see. In addition, Wyatt Dixon, the man who tried to murder Billy's wife, has been released from his 60-year jail sentence-and has decided to get reacquainted with the Holland family. Burke is able to bring all these stories together in another nonstop-action thriller. At the same time, he shows how a violent man can find redemption through forgiveness and how those ghosts from our past can sometimes show us the right path. An exceptionally good book, performed admirably by Tom Stechschulte; highly recommended for all libraries.-Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Wyatt Dixon, the psycho Billy Bob Holland put away forever in Bitterroot (2001), is back--but he's the least of Billy Bob's troubles this time. When a small-town lawyer who's been a Texas Ranger and an assistant US attorney moves to Montana along with his wife, a former deputy sheriff and corrections officer, you might expect he'd have a little peace and quiet. And peace-and-quiet are Dixon's refrain when his conviction is overturned on a technicality and he's back in Billy Bob's face. All he wants is a lawyer who'll handle his horse-trading, he insists; Jesus and his chemical cocktails are keeping him on the straight and narrow. Whether or not the persistently creepy Dixon can be believed, there's plenty of other trouble close at hand. A break-in at the Global Research lab is widely assumed to be the work of homeless half-Lakota Johnny American Horse and his girlfriend, Senator Romulus Finney's wild daughter Amber. Whoever's got the records stolen from the lab, and whoever knows where the thieves or the papers are, is in the sights of blandly ruthless Karsten Mabus, millionaire CEO of Global's parent company. Darrel McComb, the racist detective with a thing for Amber, goes after Johnny; Mabus sics his hirelings on Billy Bob and his vulnerable family. It's all familiar to fans of Burke's thoughtful, volcanic studies of violence and redemption (White Doves at Morning, 2002, etc.). What's new is the implication of this backwoods intrigue in national politics and the determined attempts of several key characters to change their natures. It's a wrenching process; you can hear the gears strain and shriek as they slip their paths. Required reading for anybody who wonders whether mystery plotting has a future in mainstream fiction. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.