In the Moon of Red Ponies

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

In In the Moon of Red Ponies, Billy Bob Holland discovers that jail cells have revolving doors and the bad guys are back and aching for revenge.

Johnny American Horse is a young activist for land preservation and the rights of Native Americans. He is charged with the murder of two mysterious men, who recently tried to kill Johnny, or at least scare him off his political causes. Billy Bob discovers a web of intrigue surrounding the case and its players: Johnny's girlfriend, Amber Finley, seems as reckless as she is defiant; Darrel McComb, a Missoula police detective who is obsessed with Amber; and Seth Masterson, an enigmatic government agent, who makes Billy Bob wonder why Washington is so concerned with an obscure murder case on the fringes of the Bitterroot Mountains.

As the dead bodies multiply, Billy Bob is drawn closer to the truth behind Johnny American Horse's arrest, and discovers a greater danger to himself and to his whole family.

©2004 James Lee Burke (P)2004 Simon & Schuster Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division

Critic reviews

"Top-notch." (Publishers Weekly)
"James Lee Burke writes exceptionally clean, unforced prose that has a pronounced streak of poetry in it." (The New York Times)
"Burke's writing is masterful." (The Washington Post Book World)

Somewhat disappointing

This book was pretty good until the ending, which was very stupid. Apparently a case where the author just said I quit and I don’t want to write this anymore.

Billy Bob Moves to Montana

James Lee Burke gets better with age. While I still prefer the trashy underworld and Cajun swamps of Dave Robicheaux, the move to Montana for Billy Bob Holland suits him. Burke brings the Big Sky Country alive with his lyrical prose. Of course it's predictable, but in a comfortable way, like an old shoe. The narrator does an above average job.

Long ago my first James Lee Burke

Far and away my favorite book by one of my all time favorite authors! This is one worth many listens.

Where oh where is Will Patton?

Great book, but Will Patton IS the voice of James Lee Burke's characters, and it was disappointing not to hear him.

Good Will Hunting. . .

I have not yet been disappointed by the writing of James Lee Burke and this novel is no exception. I agree that the narrator is "above average", as another reviewer has described, however, contrary to the narration listing, it is not Will Patton. If you are a Will Patton fan you might be disappointed.

Good book!

The story takes place in Masoula, MT. The reader is excellent and the story is engaging. Recommended.

Characteristic JLB

Native mysticism, fundamentalist Christianity, chilling violence, natural beauty, human corruption and redemption, flawed heroes, veiled conspiracies, right-wing oppressors and liberal underdogs... all classic James Lee Burke, and present in force. These themes persist through most of his work. I personally could do without the Michael Moore anti-right conspiracy stuff (wicked, shadowy right wing forces are--fill in the blank, depending on the time of day--killing innocent natives, polluting rivers, starting wars on phony premises, etc.), but I love Burke's stuff nonetheless. I just shrug and enjoy the colorful characters, the righteous crusades, and the overarching human themes. Nobody like Burke, and I read everything of his that I can get my hands on.

Food for thought

In addition to being an engaging story, I appreciated the fact that it contains a thought-provoking theme. Without revealing too much of the plot, the theme revolves around the idea that people whom you may associate with a particular stereotype (e.g. psycopathic criminal or redneck bully cop) may surprise you with hidden depths. Not a bad idea at all.

My only niggle is with some of the character voices. The wife and the son of the main character particularly bothered me. The former was supposed to have a Texas accent, but it sounded more like Arkansas to me. The latter had a dopey "Far out, Dude" kind of voice that I don't think was congruent with his character.

But these are niggles. I enjoyed the book, and recommend it to others.

The BEST of the Holland family series!

4 stars for performance, only for mispronunciation of Spokane and Ronan. ;-)

LOVE a story based in my hometown. Missoula!

Haunted Characters

Once over the initial shock of not hearing Will Patton, I did enjoy this book. Most of Burke's main characters are haunted by something and Billy Bob is no exception, LQ shows up regularly for short visits and encouragement to keep Billy Bob from being wishy-washy. The bad guys are reminiscent of real characters and you wonder if this is modeled on Halliburton. All together a good read!