Cimarron Rose

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

James Lee Burke, bestselling author of the Louisiana-based Dave Robicheaux crime fiction series, now begins a new series with a new landscape. In Cimarron Rose, Burke brings his talent for lyrical writing and hard-edged suspense to the American West.

Billy Bob Holland is a lawyer for the people of sunbaked Deaf Smith, in southern Texas. Although occasionally he is haunted by memories of a violent past, his life is serene—until a local guitarist, Lucas Smothers, lands in jail for raping and murdering a young woman. As Billy Bob gathers information to defend him, the evidence soon points to the son of a wealthy local businessman. In the ensuing battle, money is pitted against the law. But a deeper struggle also arises, for Lucas is Billy Bob’s illegitimate son.

©1997 James Lee Burke (P)1998 Recorded Books

Never disappointed with JLB!

The BIGGEST and only complaint is the constant mispronounciation if the word CHAPS! It is derived from a Mexican/ Spanish word, therefore pronounced with a SH sound not a CH sound! Don't Amercanize the word . Please let the world know!

Play it straight.

The narrator has Lucas sounding like Forrest Gump. the accent of the Texas hill country is profoundly different from that of South and Coastal Georgia. Regional accents are difficult to portray. If one is not up to the task, best to "play it straight".

It was okay

Let me start by saying I LOVE James Lee Burke. This book wasn't my favorite of his though. I think it may have been the narrator that let it down. When listening to his other novels, the narrator made the story come alive for me, this time, not so much. It was worth a listen, but if you are a first time Burke reader chose one of his others first.

The ending is rushed and does not complement the book.

James Lee Berg is a phenomenal writer and I love all of his stuff. I highly recommend you read all of his books. However, the ending on this book is not done well. It leaves a lot of questions and the main characters are just finished off in a hurry pace without any real understanding of how the whole thing plays out and for what reason.

Burke Grabs you from the start

...as usual. But not entirely "it could happen " believable. As a trial attorney specializing in criminal defense, i found this a bit of a stretch. Nonetheless, he captured regional patois...not entirely delivered by the narrator's seeming struggle with accents.

Close but no cigar.

Plot and storyline needed more work. Not a great character development for Billy Bob Holland.

Mehhhh.

Ehh. This is just so so. And without Will Patton this becomes average and forgettable.