At the end of BITTERROOT, rodeo cowboy Wyatt Dixon - 'the most dangerous, depraved, twisted and unpredictable human being I ever knew' - was sentenced to sixty years in Deer Lodge Pen for the murder of a biker in the Aryan Brotherhood. Now, one year later, he's out, due to the DA's failure to disclose a piece of evidence. Among his many crimes, Wyatt once tortured Billy Bob's wife, Temple, when she was a cop. Dixon declares to Billy Bob that he's a reformed character and he needs his help in a venture to raise rodeo livestock. But how can Billy Bob believe him?
Meanwhile Johnny American Horse, a possible descendent of Crazy Horse, whose worst offences till now have been the odd bout of drunkenness and a propensity to believe his dreams, is caught carrying a gun. He tells Billy Bob he needs it for protection; in a dream he saw two men coming for him. Sure enough, those men in Johnny's dream are heading West, with Johnny as their target. Soon Johnny's in serious trouble with only one man to turn to, Billy Bob - and Billy Bob finds himself pitched into a complex battle that pits him not only against Wyatt Dixon, but against the very government he has sworn to support.
This is James Lee Burke at his compelling best: a novel defined by stunning plot twists, breathtaking suspense and a cast of unforgettable villains - a combination that has earned Burke outstanding critical praise and a bestselling readership.
James Lee Burke is the author of many previous novels, several featuring Detective Dave Robicheaux. He won the EDGAR AWARD in 1998 for CIMARRON ROSE, while BLACK CHERRY BLUES won the EDGAR in 1990 and SUNSET LIMITED was awarded the CWA GOLD DAGGER in 1998. He lives with his wife, Pearl, in Missoula, Montana and New Iberia, Louisiana.
Title: In The Moon of Red Ponies
Author: Burke, James Lee
ISBN: 9780752861104
Binding:
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
Publication Date: 2004-07-29
Number of Pages: 336
Weight: 0.5808 kg
James Lee Burke is the heavyweight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed. * Michael Connelly *
A gorgeous prose stylist. * Stephen King *
Richly deserves to be described now as one of the finest crime writers America has ever produced. * Daily Mail *
There are not many crime writers about whom one might invoke the name of Zola for comparison, but Burke is very much in that territory. His stamping ground is the Gulf coast, and one of the great strengths of his work has always been the atmospheric background of New Orleans and the bayous. His big, baggy novels are always about much more than the mechanics of the detective plot; his real subject, like the French master, is the human condition, seen in every situation of society. * Independent *
The king of Southern noir. * Daily Mirror *
His lyrical prose, his deep understanding of what makes people behave as they do, and his control of plot and pace are masterly. * Sunday Telegraph *
One of the finest American writers. * Guardian *
When it comes to literate, pungently characterised American crime writing, James Lee Burke has few peers. * Daily Express *
'Of all American crime fiction writers James Lee Burke could be described as the most literary, with his grand themes of redemption and atonement. In this .... Burke addresses the big question of the human potential to do good or evil.' * DAILY MAIL *
'Rich, lyrical narrative, peopled by ghosts and visions ... What he's really writing about, I suspect, is redemption and he does so with passion, skill and a generous heart. Read it and be refreshed.' -- Philip Oakes * LITERARY REVIEW *
'Cryptic and clever' * THE MIRROR *
'Burke's lyrical descriptions of the beauty of the boundless skies, mountains, forests and wildlife of Montana are a constant counterpoint to the brutality that Billy Bob has to deal with. His sympathy for the plight of Native Americans and regret for all they have lost push this book way beyond thriller, yet Burke manages to drive the story along with relentless pace and ever-mounting suspense.' * IRISH INDEPEDENT *
'The best book James Lee Burke has written ... it's likely to be a very long time before anything as good, let alone better, comes along.' -- TJ Binyon * EVENING STANDARD *
'What keeps the pages turning is the pace and unpretentious clarity of the writing, along with the tension generated by the unpredictable collison of motives and interests.' -- Mike Philips * THE GUARDIAN *
'Burke has got it right this time, creating a modern western in which Holland oscillates between courtroom law and the law of the gun. Like all his fiction, it deftly blends lyrical passages and penetrating psychological studies' * SUNDAY TIMES *
'Thrilling stuff.' * THE OBSERVER *
'Burke's distinctive narrative style and a story which grips from the beginning make a another first-rate read.' -- Susanna Yager * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *
'...he writes like an angel' -- James Naughtie * THE HERALD *
