21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A modern morality tale, June 12, 2004
With his recent mystery novel, Burke is back! The last book I read by this author was The Last Car to Elysian Fields, a Dave Robicheaux novel, which I found a disappointment, to say the least. I was afraid the author had fallen victim to his publisher's pressure to produce more novels than his talent could bear, as has happened with so many in this genre of late. I am happy to say that this talented writer has produced the kind of work that made me a fan in the first place. It's not so much the wild assortment of eccentric characters or the plot that so deftly layers complicated social issues, but the surety with which the author writes.
A good novelist tells a story, one that can inform and educate the reader on the vagaries of human nature. In this Montana-based suspense/mystery, filled with eccentric personalities, government drones and truly wicked people, Burke tackles the nature of good and evil. More specifically, the way the two intermingle in support of a cause, blurring the lines of what is acceptable behavior in achieving a goal, the age-old conundrum of whether the end justifies the means. Add in a liberal dose of the Patriot Act in law enforcement and the ubiquitous government agencies are involved in areas formerly restricted to them.
Burke constructs a folksy tale of honorable men versus miscreants in a setting as close to the primitive origins of the West as is possible to find today. Like the clever populist nursery rhymes of old England, political tracts in the guise of children's stories, Burke cloaks his morality play in the costumes of cowboys, FBI agents and mercenaries. When Billy Bob Holland, attorney and ex-Texas Ranger, undertakes the defense of a local Indian, Johnny American Horse, the case appears simple. But Detective Darrell McComb pushes the confrontation up another level, although Holland still believes the deal can be negotiated legally.
Circumstances are beset with ambiguity in the form of Wyatt Dixon, a nightmare from Holland's past; there is serious bad blood between the two men. As far as Holland is concerned, forgiveness is not an option. Unfortunately, Wyatt has been "saved", claiming he is a changed man on the path of righteousness. Knowing Wyatt's sociopathic nature, Holland can't digest the new image. Besides, Holland is fighting his own demons, coming to the realization that Johnny American Horse is the perfect fall guy for whatever nefarious activity is really going on. Strange bedfellows being what they are, Holland experiences considerable discomfort when Wyatt hovers on the sidelines, offering his help. Meanwhile the bodies pile up.
Burke is back in the saddle with this book and knows where he is going, never giving away too much information, but leaving breadcrumbs along the trail. Identifying all the players in this book may require a score card, but it is Burke's talent that pulls the novel together in an obscure but believable trek into the dark heart of the American wilderness, where greed eats away like acid at the last frontier. Luan Gaines/2004.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I go Robicheaux, August 28, 2004
Billy Bob Holland is back, ghost partner and all, but now we also have Native American visions and presences. Maybe this worked better in In The Electric Mist With Confederate Dead because bayou swamps are more conducive to visions than the clear air of the mountains. For avid Burke readers, this may mark an important artistic move by the author. He may be attempting the sort of shift into psychological probing of the character as happened in the Robicheaux series as in Mist, Dave became more than just a two fisted, alcoholic ex-New Orleans cop, and Burke showed us his own and his character's history and attachment to the culture of Louisiana. I did not really like that work, but looking back I see how Burke was making a shift from merely popular to what is a Faulknerian view. Although I cannot recall which novel has the line to the effect "When I hear that song [Jolie Blonde] I could cry for the culture that is disappearing," it certainly places that series in important company.
This is by way of excuse for a much lower opinion of Moon of Red Ponies. Now, I have read Burke's earlier work. Rifle toting, mountain loggers and cowboys. Out of work and out of Jail, or in. So I see he might be trying to develop his ex-Ranger hero along the lines of Dave Robicheaux; he hasn't done it yet. No sympathetic Alafair , no Baptiste, no colleagues with some understanding, just Billy Bob and his hot tempered wife against the world.
If you are reading this review to decide on spending the full retail, I say go ahead if you are an experienced Burke reader and want to understand his entire corpus. If you are just starting to read Burke, however, go back and get a copy of Jolie Blon's Bounce, Cadillac Jukebox or even Last Car to Elysian Fields or maybe White Doves, hold off on this one until you are a fan.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
We need the real Burke back, March 30, 2005
I am a huge Burke fan, having read virtually all that he has written. This book and the previous one for that matter are decided drop offs from previous work. The story, plot, his fascinating sentences are just not up to his previous works. I used to read his books slowly to just enjoy the dialogue and the fellings his stories evoke. I read this book just to be finished so I could go on to something else. Read his early books they are brilliant, some of the best books I've ever read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
