A billy bob and hackberry holland ebook boxed set : in the moon of red ponies, rain gods, excerpt from feast day of fools

Overview: James Lee Burke is an American author best known for his mysteries, particularly the Dave Robicheaux series. He has twice received the Edgar Award for Best Novel, for Black Cherry Blues in 1990 and Cimarron Rose in 1998. The Holland boys are back in town. Billy Bob and Hackberry Holland are two hard-nosed Texas lawmen who just happen to be cousins. This boxed set includes In the Moon of Red Ponies , a Billy Bob Holland classic, and Rain Gods , where Hackberry Holland makes his full-length debut, plus a sneak peek at its sequel, Feast Day of Fools . New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke is a rare winner of two Edgar Awards and in 2009 was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. In the Moon of Red Ponies Former Texas Ranger Billy Bob Holland has hardly settled his family and his business in their new home in Montana when trouble finds him once again. His first client in Missoula is Johnny American Horse, a young Native American activist 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; Darrel McComb, a Missoula police detective who's obsessed with Amber; and Seth Masterson, an enigmatic federal agent—and a greater danger that threatens himself and his whole family. Rain Gods Hackberry Holland became sheriff of a tiny Texas town near the Mexican border hoping to leave certain things behind: his checkered reputation, his haunted dreams, and his obsessive memories of his late wife, Rie. But the discovery of the bodies of nine illegal aliens, machine-gunned to death and buried in a shallow grave, soon makes it clear he won't escape so easily. The key to the case seems to lie with Pete Flores, a damaged young Iraq veteran, and his girlfriend Vikki Gaddis, who have disappeared. For Hack and Deputy Sheriff Pam Tibbs to untangle the threads of this grisly case, they'll have to find Pete and Vikki before the FBI, Border Patrol, and a host of cold-blooded killers—including the enigmatic Preacher Jack Collins—catch up to them... Feast Day of Fools (excerpt) Still mourning the loss of his cherished wife, and locked in a perilous almost-romance with his much younger deputy, Hackberry Holland feeds off of the deeds of evil men to keep his own demons at bay. And when a local drunk named Danny Boy Lorca comes to town dead sober, telling gruesome tales of torture and murder and begging to be locked in the drunk tank, it becomes clear that the desert holds all the evil Hack can handle. It seems the ruthless serial killer Preacher Jack Collins is alive and well in the harsh Texas wilderness—alongside illegal aliens, federal agents, and a mysterious Chinese woman whose steely demeanor and aristocratic beauty remind Hack of his deceased wife, and who may or may not be drawing him into a deadly trap. Haunting suspense and captivating villains, the hallmark of James Lee Burke's bestselling novels of evil and redemption, are brilliantly evoked in his new Billy Bob Holland opus, the follow-up to the popular and critically acclaimed Bitterroot . "James Lee Burke tells a story in a style all his own, in language that's alive, electric. He's a master at setting mood, laying in atmosphere, all with quirky dialogue that's a delight." —Elmore Leonard In 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 US 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. "In James Lee Burke{u2019}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{u2014}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{u2014}and the daughter of one of Montana's US 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{u2019}s arrest{u2014}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"-- Goodreads.com. When Hackberry Holland became sheriff of a tiny Texas town near the Mexican border, he'd hoped to leave certain things behind: his checkered reputation, his haunted dreams, and his obsessive memories of the good life with his late wife, Rie. But the discovery of the bodies of nine illegal aliens, machine-gunned to death and buried in a shallow grave behind a church, soon makes it clear that he won't escape so easily. As Hack and Deputy Sheriff Pam Tibbs attempt to untangle the threads of this complex and grisly case, a damaged young Iraq veteran, Pete Flores, and his girlfriend, Vikki Gaddis, are running for their lives, hoping to outwit the bloodthirsty criminals who want to kill Pete for his involvement in the murders. The only trouble is, Pete doesn't know who he's running from: drunk and terrified, he fled the scene of the crime when the shooting began. And there's a long list of people who want Pete and Vikki dead: crime boss Hugo Cistranos, who hired Pete for the operation; Nick Dolan, a strip club owner and small-time gangster with revenge on his mind; and a mysterious God-fearing serial-killer-for-hire known as Preacher Jack Collins, with enigmatic motives of his own. With the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and a host of cold-blooded killers on Pete and Vikki's trail, it's up to Sheriff Holland to find them first and figure out who's behind the mass murder before anyone else ends up dead. In this thrilling and intricate work, James Lee Burke has once again proven himself a master storyteller and a perceptive chronicler of the darkest corners of the human heart "America's best novelist" ( The Denver Post ) brings back one of his most fascinating characters—Texas sheriff Hackberry Holland, cousin to lawman Billy Bob Holland—in this heart-pounding bestseller. In a heat-cracked border town, the bodies of nine illegal aliens—women and girls, killed execution-style—are unearthed in a shallow grave. Haunted by a past he can't shake and his own private demons, Hack attempts to untangle the grisly case, which may lead to more bloodshed. Damaged young Iraq vet Pete Flores, who saw too much before fleeing the crime scene, and his girlfriend, Vikki Gaddis, are running for their lives. Sorting through the lowlifes who are hunting down Pete, and with Preacher Jack Collins, a Godfearing serial killer for hire, in the mix, Hack is caught up in a terrifying race for survival—for Pete, Vikki, and himself. With the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and a host of cold-blooded killers on the trail of an Iraq veteran and his girlfriend, it's up to Texas Sheriff Hackberry Holland (cousin of Billy Bob Holland) and his deputy Pam Tibbs to find them first and figure out who's behind a mass murder of illegal aliens before anyone else ends up dead ELDERLY TEXAS LAWYER-TURNED-BORDER-SHERIFF HACKBERRY HOLLAND UNCOVERS THE MASS GRAVE OF NINE ILLEGAL ASIAN ALIENS. IRAQI VETERAN PETE FLORES REPORTED THE MURDERS TO AUTHORITIES AND THEN FLED WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND VIKKI. DEPUTY SHERIFF PAM TIBBS, THE FBI, ICE, AND THE KILLERS ALL SEARCH FOR THE COUPLE. VIOLENCE AND STRONG LANGUAGE. 2009.