Customer Reviews

Heartland

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After a hiatus that lasted much longer than any of us thought we could endure, David Wiltse has finally brought us a new book. While Heartland does not feature John Becker, it has a protagonist that will seem familiar in many ways. After enduring a terrifying standoff in which his partner was killed, Secret Service agent Billy Tree retreats to his boyhood town of Falls City, Nebraska to re-evaluate his life. An Irish-American who often reverts to a thick Irish brogue, Billy Tree is viewed as something of an outsider, even though the townspeople of this middle American, Small Town USA grew up with him.

The Heartland of America, with it's silos and pick-up trucks is a far cry from the sophisticated flavor we tend to associate with Wiltse's works. It is the perfect setting, however, for Billy Tree, who seems to be existing throughout this story as a man with one foot in each world.

The simplicity of life in Falls City Nebraska paints a jarring contrast to the complexity of the internal war Billy Tree is fighting. When he is called upon to aid the Sheriff in a murder investigation, Billy is forced to face demons he has been fighting to suppress. Readers of Wiltse, who will find this a familiar theme, will not be disappointed in the ease with which the author reintroduces this trait in the form of a new character. If you liked John Becker, you will love Billy Tree. And for those who are wondering if Wiltse has maintained his talent for that torridly sexual encounter his protagonist is capable of bringing to the fore, the answer is a resounding, "Yes!".

Heartland is a book written with the intensity and intelligence we have come to associate with David Wiltse. The plot is tight, the characters are vivid, the protagonist will win you over, and you will not put the book down until the last page. I read all night. Don't put this one off!!

I can think of no book that I've looked more forward to than Heartland by David Wiltse. I must admit at first I was let down that this wasn't a John Becker book. That disappointment lasted about five breathtaking pages before I was quickly sucked into the story of Billy Tree, and I found him to be as compelling, if not more so, than John Becker. Both Billy Tree and John Becker are complex characters, but that is where the similarity ends. Billy is still grounded by his family, particularly his sister. He even takes on the brogue of his Irish ancestors as he takes over the book and the reader's imagination.

After being wounded in a shootout, Billy returns to his home in the heartland of America. His memories of small town USA are slowly replaced by those of a town that is not isolated from the woes of the big city. Before he has time to lick his wounds, he is helping the man he most admired, the town sheriff, solve a murder.

I've learned to expect excellence in books by David Wiltse and consider Heartland to be his best book. The plotting is superb, the characters well drawn and intriguing, and his depiction of the heartland is unblinkingly honest. I absolutely could not put this book down, and I did something I seldom do. I read it again immediately cover to cover. If you are looking for a book with intense and exciting action filled characters you can't seem to leave, I recommend you read Heartland immediately. It is the best book I've read this year, and I sincerely doubt anything will be able to top it. I'm on tenterhooks awaiting information on the next book by Wiltse.

This is my first book by David Wiltse, but it certainly won't be my last. It is a fascinating story of a Secret Service agent, wounded in body and psyche who returns to Falls City, Nebraska, his home town on the prairie, to recuperate and find his spirit again. Terrified of guns after being nearly killed (and possibly killing his own partner)Billy Tree becomes embroiled in what appears to be a shooting of school teachers by a deranged student. I don't want to give away the plot,but it is a gripping story with far more characterization and psychological insight than in most such tales, and the writing is on a higher level altogether. I'm hooked and can't wait for the next Wiltse book.

Billy Tree is ex-Secret Service agent who returns to his small home town in Nebraska after experiencing a rather tragic event that took the life of his partner, causing him to resign. Old friends and bullys, cornfields and silos, along with murder and gossip are just some of the things that will be facing Billy Tree when he returns. This average thriller has an edge all its own. Though the story moved at a steady pace and kept you supplied with a good dose of suspense, I felt that except for the protagonist, the characters seemed shallow and lacked depth. It would have been nice to know a little more about some of the characters.

Recommended...Lightly

He's done it again. I just love this author, he's so much better than all of the more famous thriller writers. Why isn't he better known? Why doesn't he write more books? Something is askew here if such a treasure lies undiscovered.

This one is about a new character, Billy Tree, not John Becker who featured in many of his earlier, excellent works. Billy Tree is an even more complicated, more interesting, maybe more human creation that Becker, whom I love...Boy, do I like Wiltse. Unlike so many of the famous guys, he can really write. It's like reading a literary novel but with a thriller plot.

This is my first read by Wiltse and it looks like I am 3 yrs behind the crowd. I use the library exclusively for my reading material. So this one did not come to me with reccommendation by a friend. I grew up on the "prairie" and his descriptions are so on target it is scary. I had an uncle die in a grain storage accident so it happens for sure. By the end and the unveiling of one of the guilty parties, I was left to wonder which of the characters now living or dead were actually guilty of what.
Wiltse is a very decriptive writer and I laughed til I couldn't see with some of the scenes, especially the "stinking condition" Billy would get himself into. Wiltse has my vote however belated.

David Wiltse knows how to write amd Heartland is a great read. Billy Tree is a washed out Secret Service agent who got shot up doing his job. So he retires to safe, serene Falls City, Nebraska.

WRONG!

Falls City has more than its share of bad guys, horrid secrets and interesting characters. What I loved about his writing was that his characters drove the action. You understand or suspect their motives. Every so often Billy stumbles across another body and the portrait of small town America shifts again.

This is a very well written and well constructed story. Take the time and get acquanted with David Wiltse's other books. I know I will.

Finally, David Wiltse is back after all these--has it been years and years, or does it just seem that way? This book is a bit of a departure from the Becker books with more characterization (not that it was lacking in the others) and fascinating ambience that made it a unique reading experience. The plot concerns a wounded Secret Service agent returning to his hometown and his efforts to deal with a web of murder and conspiracy that awaits him there. As usual with Wiltse, the plot is a lively one, with twists and turns impossible to anticipate. Bravo! Just don't go away for so long again, please, please.

How to explain that this guy is not the best selling writer of thrillers in the country? He is simply the finest, most entertaining of the bunch, and the reason lies not only in the plots, which are fine, but in the writing, the characters, the humor, the grit. A character like Billy Tree just doesn't come along very often....Never mind the story, you don't need an outline, just buy the book and do yourself a favor.

Billy Tree, Secret Agent, is scouting for trouble in advance of the President's route. Along with his partner, they stop to question Avi Posner in his home. After a confrontation, Billy the soon-to-be-hero, will plead for his life. Horribly wounded and embarrassed, he is treated for wounds both mental and physical. He then will return home, to Nebraska, still very affected by his experience. Demons will haunt him.

One of the things that makes this book so special, is the characterization of Billy Tree. Not often does a reader see such a severely haunted "hero", carry on so heroically. The peaceful town he has returned to, has turned out to be not so peaceful. It's a town full of secrets, and every kind of "bad guy" you could think of.

Besides Billy, the reader meets sister Kath, friend Joan, the sheriff who is also the coroner, and the tough guys and hoods from Billy's childhood. Those tough guys have sons, and they will be part of the force that drives Billy to help with a school shooting.

There's not a page to be turned in this action-packed book, without something happening. Besides the action, there's a mystery, some romance, and of course the small-town experience. Heartland is a great read.