In the Moon of Red Ponies

I can understand why some reviewers were not entirely pleased with this Burke book, as it is less stark in its depiction of the good guys vs. the bad guys. If you like your hero to be entirely noble and your bad guys to be all evil than you might wonder why that is not the case here. Billy Bob Holland (the protagonist) while a very good person, in this book, does some things which he is ashamed of, even condemning himself as a coward at one point. And the evil Dixon is also now more human than an embodiment of a pure devil on earth. What results, in my opinion, is a novel of more realistic human beings than the usual "good vs. evil" novel. And Burke's excellent, even poetic prose is still a wonder. A very good book.

I'm not into long, dense reviews. Plainly put, this is a great read. Highly recommended. City of Fire

James Lee Burke seems to have reached a new and much higher level with this book. Having read several of the Dave Robicheaux novels, I knew he could write scene descriptions, but to me his characters seemed one dimensional, and the level of gratuitous violence, destructiveness for the sake of "fun", bothered me a lot. There almost is none of this in "Ponies". Burke's excellent descriptions of the natural world surrounding his characters is still there. New, to me, are a very welcome complexity and ambiguity in his characters. Most people here are not "all bad" or "all good". The good guys have some serious flaws. A few of the bad guys are unrelievedly bad, but a few others have some redeeming traits - or at least, traits which are almost redeeming. You can really empathize with some of the good guys, finding yourself hoping against hope that somehow they'll turn out intact by the end of the book. The plot is complex and fast-moving, with lots of the twists and turns which any good thriller has. Burke is very skillfull at weaving several disparate plot threads, which come together in a single driving story line, making the book difficult to put down. There's violence in this book too, but most is presented mostly by implication. Again, that's a welcome change from earlier Burke books. This is by far the most enjoyable Burke book I've read so far. I was sorry to see it end - and I mean that as a sincere compliment to the book, and to Burke. Bill Hansen

James Lee Burke is simply a master of his craft and a prolific one at that. In this tale, Billy Bob Holland, former Texas Ranger, and lawyer is living in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. Trouble arrives with release of Wyatt Dixon, a psychopath who had buried Holland's wife alive. Native Americans are active in their protests and Johnny American Horse, a client of Holland's, is the target of local law because of his environmentalism. A few bodies start showing up here and there along with a reclusive billionaire, a U. S. Senator and some other interesting characters. Burke's characters are rich. No people popping in and out here just to keep the story moving: when Burke introduces someone, they play a part. Burke's plotting is superb. The story moves smoothly without the need for invention to cover his tracks. Burke is a read for any day of the week. He's pure pleasure and the only disappointing part is finishing the novel and wanting more. Jerry

I never thought I'd love a book where the main character is named Billy Bob! The other reviewers have already summed up the plot so I won't rehash that, but let me say this is the best of the Billy Bob Holland books. In fact, I think this is as good as any of the Dave Robicheaux novels (which are my favorites!). The book is beautifully written, with a complex plot and wonderful characters who seem to jump from the pages (or from real life). Mood, dialog, and plot Mr. Burke give it all to us!