Customer Reviews

Bitterroot

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I read a review of this in _Booklist_ or _Library Journal_ or somewhere which suggested that the characters of Billy Bob Holland and David Robicheaux were becoming almost indistinguishable. So I was very worried about how this book would read, since this is something I've noted before, particularly in the last Billy Bob book, _Heartwood_, which really did read like a retread of a Dave Robicheaux book (_Cadillac Jukebox_), with little but the names of characters changed. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Even though he's dealing with the same concerns that he deals with in other books, _Bitterroot_ is entirely new and different territory for James Lee Burke.

Perhaps it's because the setting has moved from Texas to Montana, also the setting for the Edgar-winning _Black Cherry Blues_ from his Robicheaux series. But this doesn't read like a retread of the Robicheaux books. It's got the same mix of dangerous, lowlife characters whom our protagonist can't seem to stop stirring up. But the fresh locations help to revive and invigorate the proceedings.

Billy Bob isn't just a mirror image of Dave Robicheaux--he's much more extreme than Dave. His attraction to violence seems much more ingrained and difficult to overcome, and he spends quite a bit of his time in the book musing about this fact. Sometimes, you just want to whack Billy Bob (or Dave, for that matter) on the head and tell him to stop messing around with the lowlifes, but he just can't seem to help it. And, ultimately, this is what we read Burke for: the battle of good vs. evil.

Coming on the heels of _Purple Cane Road_, _Bitterroot_ suggests that Burke has found a second wind to his writing and I, for one, could not be more excited to see what's next.

Billy Bob Holland lives with the ghost of his best friend, L.Q. Navarro, the man he accidentally killed when they chased after drug smugglers in Mexico. Billy Bob actually sees and talks with Navarro, but cannot form any relationships with living people because of his all-consuming guilt.

When his friend Doc Voss invites Billy Bob to visit him in Bitterroot Valley, Montana, he closes his law practice and goes. Upon arriving, he finds Doc at war with a local militia, bikers, and a mining company destroying the ecology. When Doc's daughter is raped, her assailants turn up dead shortly afterward. The police arrest Doc, who is defended by Billy Bob. However, the lawyer has his own problems caused by a sociopath blaming Billy Bob for the death of his sister.

BITTERROOT is one novel in which the thrills never stop coming and every scene is loaded with action. The talented James Lee Burke gets readers interested even in his most vile character as well as the anti-hero Billy Bob, a believer of justice and not necessarily the law. Billy Bob is the focus of the tale, a flawed individual taking responsibility for something he will regret until he dies.

Harriet Klausner

I made a promise to myself after reading HEARTWOOD last year that I'd buy the next "Billy Bob Holland" novel in hardback when it came out, rather than waiting for the paperback edition. It's a promise I'm glad I kept. In James Lee Burke's newest novel, BITTERROOT, ex-Texas Ranger Billy Bob Holland is back in true form, ready to protect his family and friends, and to put down anyone who gets in his face. When Billy Bob goes to Bitterroot, Montana to visit his old friend, Tobin "Doc" Voss, he expects to have a nice, relaxing vacation with maybe a little "fly" fishing thrown in. It turns out, however, to be anything but relaxing. It seems that a local mining company is polluting the rivers around Bitterroot with cyanide and Doc Voss is trying to put a stop to it. The mining company decides to fight back by hiring some hard-nose bikers and members of a certain white supremacist group (led by Carl Hinkel) to try and intimidate Doc. Since Doc is a former SEAL and did his fair share of killing in Vietnam, he's not the kind of guy who generally backs down. When Doc's sixteen-year-old daughter, Maisey, is brutally raped by three bikers, everything takes a turn for the worse. The men suspected of the crime are released from jail due to a lack of evidence and then are murdered, one by one, by an unknown assailant. Because of evidence found at the crime scenes, Doc is the number one suspect for the murders, and he has to ask Billy Bob to represent him as his lawyer. As if Billy Bob doesn't have enough to deal with, an ex-con by the name of Wyatt Dixon shows up in Bitterroot, seeking revenge against the former Texas Ranger for the death of his sister (a woman who killed all of her children). Then, there's a mobster by the name of Nicki Molinari, who's trying to retrieve some stolen money from a woman Billy Bob happens to be sexually involved with. All of this is just the tip of the iceberg. Before the novel is over, the body count is going to be sky high, and Billy Bob is going to have to answer some tough questions about love, family, friendship, and his violent nature. Not even the ghost of his late friend and partner, L.Q. Navarro, will be able to help him with this. In BITTERROOT, James Lee Burke shines at his brightest as he juggles a dozen or more subplots, spinning and weaving them into a gripping tale of violence, suspense and redemption. The character of Billy Bob Holland will have to delve deeply into his heart and examine his feelings for his close friend, Carol Temple, while at the same time, acknowledging that his son, Lucas, is now a man and must be allowed to make his own decisions, right or wrong. Billy Bob must also find a way to deal with his violent tendencies, understanding that he only feels alive when putting down men who deserve to be killed. This is especially true for the character of Wyatt Dixon, a man who's as deadly as a rattlesnake and is determine to teach Billy Bob a thing or two about revenge by going after the people he loves the most. Though the book is filled dozens of main and secondary characters, Mr. Burke manages to breathe life into each and everyone one of them through the use of individual quirks and nuances. Few authors have the skill to do this. The writing, of course, is sheer poetry to read. Mr. Burke has a finely tuned ear for dialogue and a vivid eye for description, bringing words together that reach into the reader's heart and soul, making him or her at one with the story. I have to say that, after three novels, the character of Billy Bob Holland is beginning to remind me more and more of Dave Robicheaux. Both men are filled with guilt at the lost of a close friend or wife. Each one also has a strong loyalty to friends and family, not to mention a strict code of honor that enables them to do whatever is necessary in order to protect the weak and innocent. There's even a rumor floating around that Mr. Burke will eventually bring both characters together in one book. That is definitely something all of Mr. Burke's fans would happily die for. Read BITTERROOT and find out why James Lee Burke is now considered to be one of America's best writers, then check out the "Dave Robicheaux" novel, PURPLE CANE ROAD, and discover why millions of people are addicted to this great author.

This is a great book. Texan Billy Bob Holland struggles and often fails to control his capacity for violence. He goes to visit a friend in Montana, Doc Voss, who similarly battles his urges to settle things with guns and fists. After Doc nearly kills a biker in a bar fight, three bikers rape his daughter in an apparent act of revenge. But there are so many awful and violent people populating the town, all with mixed up motives and impulses, that the answers to the book's riddles are far from apparent. Billy Bob frequently talks to the the ghost of his friend LQ Navarro, whom he shot accidentally during a gun battle with Mexican drug dealers, adding a melancholy personification of his inner battles. Burke brings a strong literary touch to the tough guy genre. His books are packed with imagery and his characters are all unique (don't buy into the Robicheaux and Holland are the same character foolishness). This book is fabulous. You may find yourself compelled to read it in a single sitting.

Billy Bob gets a call for help from old pal Doc Voss who has relocated in Montana; I would say "remote" except the farm is only about a half hour from Missoula. In Montana terms, that is almost urban. Billy Bob closes up shop in Deaf Smith,TX for a three-month visit to the Big Sky Country. He does not explain how an attorney with an active practice can do this, but ours is not to question.

It seems Doc has offended every segment of society in his new home: corporate types, bikers, militia leaders, mobsters and the local law. Billy's arrival is the catalyst that sets off brutal rape, murder and mayhem. There are so many differing situations and motivations; it is difficult to keep score. As usual, Mr. Burke is lyrical in his scenic descriptions, though in this particular book, I could have done with a little less. There is hardly anyone to like or root for; Billy Bob is carrying such a load of anger and angst, it is hard to accept and sometimes even sympathize with many of his actions. But there is no one like James Lee Burke to capture an emotion and crystallize it:

"I knelt in the back of the church and prayed to be relieved of the anger that still throbbed in my wrists and left my mouth as dry as paper and my thoughts like shards of glass."

There are many characters and Burke makes each one memorable, if not likable. The only member of the cast that had my wholehearted support was the local sheriff who retained his sanity throughout.

I was drawn to buy "Bitterroot" because I enjoyed Billy Bob's first outing in "Cimarron Rose." This book does not have the centeredness of the latter. There are too many angry people.

In Bitterroot, the Billy Bob Holland and Dave Robicheaux characters become very similar. The stylish differences between them introduced in Cimarron Rose are almost entirely missing here. If you like the most violent and vicious of the Robicheaux novels of good versus evil, you will find Bitterroot equally appealing. If you get tired of reading about disgusting crimes and abuse of power against women, children, and the innocent, you will find much of the detail of this book repulsive. I graded the book down for having overdone those qualities and for having abandoned the story within a story element for developing Billy Bob's character that made Cimarron Rose so fascinating.

Billy Bob Holland is taken temporarily away from his normal haunts in Deaf Smith, Texas to the apparently tranquil, rural setting of Montana, near Missoula. His friend, Doc Voss, has given Billy Bob an invitation for a visit of indefinite length. Packing up his fishing gear, he hopes that ghosts don't cross state lines. But they do. However, the spirit of his old Texas Ranger partner, L.Q. Navarro, isn't present as often here as in the other Billy Bob Holland novels, and mainly plays the role of clue giver. Once there, Billy Bob finds that Doc Voss has everyone in an uproar. Voss is challenging the gold miners for dumping arsenic into the land. He takes on the local militia. Voss also runs afoul of those who just want to keep things peaceful.

Matters are soon complicated by the arrival of a nemesis for Billy Bob, Wyatt Dixon, who has just been released from county jail in Texas. Dixon left behind a drawing of a wheelbarrow full of severed heads . . . one of which belonged to Billy Bob. "I don't know him, Sheriff," replies Billy Bob to the warning. Dixon is the brother of a client of Billy Bob's who smothered her children. Dixon blames Billy Bob for her early death while in prison. Dixon soon lets Billy Bob know that he is in jeopardy, as well as those he loves and cares about.

The rest of the slimy characters aren't nearly as interesting or dangerous as Dixon. They include members of a biker gang, the local militia types, celebrities, money launderers, and aggressive law enforcement officers.

Soon Temple Carroll, his investigative assistant, and Lucas, his son, arrive for a spot of vacation, and are drawn into the conflict. If you like Temple Carroll and Lucas from earlier novels, you will be pleased to see both of their characters developed further in Bitterroot.

As crimes and threats bandy about, the dangerous situation takes on the element of a classic mystery. Doc Voss becomes suspect number one for many of the crimes, and Billy Bob begins to represent him. However, Billy Bob draws more on his Texas Ranger experience than his legal skills. The resolution is an interesting one in which Billy Bob uses his understanding of the psychology of each villain to set them in conflict with one another.

Unlike Cimarron Rose, there is no brilliant courtroom drama in this book.

Billy Bob also comes to terms with some of his guilt, and starts to connect to other people in new ways.

Phrase crafting is the strength of the book. Mr. Burke continues to have a way with words that can turn even horror into beautiful prose. In the process, he transforms everything he imagines into something unique to share with you. Without the beautiful writing, this clunky plot and gratuitous ugliness would be at best a two star book.

After you read this book, ask yourself how many of your problems are created by yourself. In this book, Doc Voss clearly attracts lots of evil-doers by his own actions. How could Doc Voss have accomplished more and risked less? What are the lessons for your life?

Whether it's Billy Bob Holland or Dave Robicheaux, it really doesn't matter, James Lee Burke always seems to manage to make the story compelling.

This time it's Billy Bob, the ex-Texas Ranger turned lawyer. The setting, however, is a little different. Billy Bob travels north to the Bitterroot Valley, Montana and becomes embroiled in the problems of an old friend there.

As if the problems he's stumbled onto weren't enough, a psychopath who is convinced that Billy Bob is responsible for his sister's death has also followed him.

Billy Bob Holland is a tortured soul who is having trouble dealing with his past while, at the same time, trying to ensure his own safety now. Like the other James Lee Burke books, there is no shortage of action and intrigue mixed with a very interesting, while troubled, main character.

The Montana Chamber of Commerce would probably rather that this story had been put in another setting. We don't think of Montana as being a haven for mobsters, pedophiles, neo-Nazis and others given to abherrant behavior, but Bitterroot Valley seems to have them in fair abundance. Also there to stir up the pot are an undercover ATF operative named Sue Lynn Big Medicine, an alcoholic mystery writer, his cokehead actress wife, and in the center, stirring the pot for all that it is worth are Tobin "Doc" Voss a pacifist - turned Navy SEAL - turned poet - turned physician and his friend Billy Bob Holland who has had quite a career as well (Houston cop, Texas Ranger, Phoenix US Attorney and now a private attorney from Deaf Smith, Texas).

Doc's daughter is raped and eventually Doc is charged with murdering one of the suspects. Billy Bob agrees to represent him. However, don't get ready for any court room scenes, because this plays out in a convulted fashion in which scores are settled and people get what they deserve.

Well crafted dialogue is a strength of the author, James Lee Burke, and he outdoes himself in this book. The discussions between Billy Bob and the local sherrif, J.T. Cain are something to look forward to.

This book will hook you as you try to figure out what is going to happen next and with all of the characters twisting through the book there is a lot happening. James Lee Burke has been awarded two Edgars in the past for hit literary efforts. I'm not sure this one will rise to that level, but is definitly worth your time.

Bitterroot is a dark, violent, brooding, magnificent book. Burke is in top form. I just wish he'd write two books a year.

Billy Bob Holland has his own troubles. He's torn up over accidentally killing his Texas Ranger partner and talks to his partner's ghost. When his friend Doc Voss asks him to come to Montana to help out, though, Billy Bob can't say no.

Voss has taken unpopular stands against mining the mountains and has earned himself some enemies--enemies dangerous enough to rape his young daughter. When Voss is accused of murdering the lead suspect in the rape case, Billy Bob (a lawyer) takes on the case. Yet he knows that Voss could have killed--he, like Billy Bob, is definitely morally complex.

Not morally complex at all are the band of sociopathic suspects that Billy Bob faces. These include white supremicists, bikers, and old-fashioned Mafia types as well as an emotionally disturbed woman Billy Bob finds himself attracted to.

In BITTERROOT, the battle is not between good and evil so much as between black and gray. Only those who adopt something of the evil they face can beat it, yet who do they become in the battle.

Author James Lee Burke grabs you and drags you through the mud in this powerful novel. I didn't like everything I read, but I couldn't put it down. At the end, I felt like I'd been taken through a beating myself.

BooksForABuck