Bitterroot (Billy Bob Holland Series #3)

Bitterroot

I have read all of his books, and this one, in my opinion is his best!
It has all the positive characteristics of his writing, is suspenceful, exciting and just seems to flow beautifully. Loved it. Didn't want it to finish.

A Terrific Mystery

Billy Bob, the ultimate dysfunctional protagonist, is forced to confront the same flawed familial relationships many readers have. The deeply flawed characters in Bitterroot seem to come together under Burke's literary tutelage to make a great mystery.

THE BEST CRIME WRITER ON THE PLANET?

Billy Bob Holland rides again: this time the ex-Texas Ranger/lawyer ventures into the beautiful Big Sky country of Montana. He goes fishing ... and catches chaos, mayhem, violence and death. I agree that Billy Bob is becoming more like Dave Robicheaux - but is that a bad thing? I think not! The only other crime novel I've read this year that matches this is POWER OF ATTORNEY by (UK bestseller and attorney) DEXTER DIAS. It ALSO feature an ex-cop who has turned lawyer. Both books beat anything else in crime/thriller writing around at the moment. After class crime novels? Do read BITTERROOT and POWER OF ATTORNEY.

good action

A notable thriller with an interesting story. Mr. Burke does a fine job.

BURKE SIMPLY HAS NO EQUAL!!!

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 fare 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. This is a skill few other authors seem to have. 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 i

Burke Sets High Standard

Bitterroot was another excellent James Lee Burke offering - he still remains the best in the genre as far as I am concerned. The only downfall to this third in the Billy Bob series - is that most will compare it to the Dave Robicheaux series. While I like to see writers branch out, Burke has made Dave Robicheax almost real - to the point that I feel cheated when a new Billy Bob book comes out - that means he spent time not working on a Dave Robicheaux offering. Burke has hit such a high standard with his original work - that even a very good read like Bitterroot sometimes seem disappointing.

the thrills never stop coming

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

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