SummaryIn James Lee Burke's last novel featuring Billy Bob
Holland, Bitterroot, the former Texas Ranger left his home
state to help a friend threatened by the most dangerous
sociopath Billy Bob had ever faced. After vanquishing a
truly iniquitous collection of violent individuals, Billy
moved his family to west Montana and hung out a shingle for
his law practice. But in In the Moon of Red Ponies, he
discovers that jail cells have revolving doors and that the
government he had sworn to serve may have become his enemy. His first client in Missoula is Johnny American Horse, a
young activist for land preservation and the rights of
Native Americans. Johnny is charged with the murder of two
mysterious men -- who seem to have recently tried to kill
Johnny themselves, or at least scare him off his political
causes. As Billy Bob investigates, he discovers a web of
intrigue surrounding the case and its players: Johnny's
girlfriend, Amber Finley, as reckless as she is defiant --
and the daughter of one of Montana's U.S. senators; Darrel
McComb, a Missoula police detective who is obsessed with
Amber; and Seth Masterson, an enigmatic government agent
whose presence in town makes Billy Bob wonder why
Washington has become so concerned with an obscure murder
case on the fringes of the Bitterroot Mountains. As complications mount and 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. How Billy Bob strikes back at evil
and protects his kin is the masterful triumph of In the
Moon of Red Ponies. Beautifully written, with an intriguing plot and characters
whose conflicts seem as real as life itself, this novel
shows James Lee Burke again in the top form that has made
him a critical favorite and a national bestseller.
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