Bitterroot

When Billy Bob Holland visits his old friend Doc Voss, he finds himself caught up in a horrific tragedy. Doc's daughter has been brutally attacked by bikers, and the ringleader, Lamar Ellison, walks free when the DNA samples 'get lost'. Then Ellison is burned alive and Doc is arrested.

So much for Billy Bob's vacation - Doc needs a lawyer, and fast. And that's not all. Newly released killer Wyatt Dixon has tracked Billy Bob to Montana, bent on avenging the death of his sister for which he holds Billy Bob responsible. And Wyatt is only one thread of a tangled web of evil that includes neo-Nazi militias, gold miners who tip cyanide into the rivers, a paedophile ring, and the Mob. As the corpses of the guilty and innocent pile up, Billy Bob stands alone.

“There are not many crime writers about whom one might invoke the name of Zola for comparison, but Burke is very much in that territory. His stamping ground is the Gulf coast, and one of the great strengths of his work has always been the atmospheric background of New Orleans and the bayous. His big, baggy novels are always about much more than the mechanics of the detective plot; his real subject, like the French master, is the human condition, seen in every situation of society.”

James Lee Burke is the heavyweight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed Michael Connelly
Richly deserves to be described now as one of the finest crime writers America has ever produced. Daily Mail
The king of Southern noir Daily Mirror
When it comes to literate, pungently characterised American crime writing, James Lee Burke has few peers. Daily Express
Gripping stuff from the great American crime writer OK Magazine
Burke is the master of his material. His reflective style infuses the book with a kind of sombre grace . . . As a thriller Bitterroot is never less than gripping. The twists and turns of the plot are deftly handled and he has an ear and an eye for nuance that allows him to create characters which manage to be both credible and archetypal, as if Burke is writing contemporary myths. The beauty and wildness of the Montana countryside, lovingly and vividly described, is both a fitting backdrop and a counterpoint to the savagery of the characters. Burke's most recent books, especially the Billy Bob Holland series, are powerful meditations on a wild, rural America that seems little changed from the world evoked by John Steinbeck. It is fine writing, that is far above the crime-fiction norm and it manages to stand comparison with the very best contemporary novels Sunday Express
James Lee Burke's heroes are driven men, flawed by guilt and a deep rate. His books depict a modern America which still lives by the ideals of the old West . . . The beauty of Burke's lyrical writing does not mask the ugliness of the story . . . It's powerful stuff and confirms Burke's place in the forefront of contemporary American crime fiction Sunday Telegraph
Still the greatest, bar none . . . there's nothing currently on show to match, let alone better, Burke's latest. His ambitions, like his achievements, remain unequalled. When he reaches for the top he shows every reader what's possible. Good gets better. The best is yet to come Literary Review
As ever the sense of place is overwhelming, as Burke's Texas lawyer comes face to face with an old nemesis among the customary savage mayhem Guardian
The 19th book from the Pulitzer Prize nominee, Burke's talent for weaving a compelling yarn will have readers glued to the pages FHM
The hills and valleys, rivers and plains of the Bitterroot are lyrically described but are also seen as places of great potential danger . . . Bitterroot is beautifully written and still stands head and shoulders above most other crime fiction Observer
James Lee Burke could not write badly if he tried: his evocation of the natural beauty of the mountain valley is brilliant, and some individual scenes, heavy with unstated menace and latent violence, are extremely powerful Evening Standard
James Lee Burke is one of literature's finest cartographers of the dark side of the human heart . . . As usual the plot is labyrinthine, the characters lavishly drawn and Burke's writing sensational - especially his rendering of Montana . . . there is plenty here to enjoy, and if you manage to complete Bitterroot without planning a trip to Montana then you must have already seen Eden The Times
The story itself is marvellously constructed but what makes Bitterroot a marvel are the characters, including two fearsome psychopaths, and the quality of Burke's writing . . . Bitterroot is of exceptional quality, a must-read of which Rendell herself would be proud Scotsman
Burke's great strengths as a writer are in evident abundance here: Bitterroot is densely plotted, full of narrative urgency and a boiling anger at what the world has become and how vulnerable we are to its violence . . . This is truly excellent stuff from a stalwart of American crime writing Uncut
Burke writes an intense, breathless prose that eminently suits his tales of dark passion and disturbed emotions Irish Times

James Lee Burke is the author of many previous novels, many featuring Detective Dave Robicheaux. He won the EDGAR AWARD in 1998 for CIMARRON ROSE, while BLACK CHERRY BLUES won the EDGAR in 1990 and SUNSET LIMITED was awarded the CWA GOLD DAGGER in 1998. He lives with his wife, Pearl, in Missoula, Montana and New Iberia, Louisiana.

When Billy Bob Holland visits his old friend Doc Voss, he finds himself caught up in a horrific tragedy. Doc's daughter has been brutally attacked by bikers, and the ringleader, Lamar Ellison, walks free when the DNA samples 'get lost'. Then Ellison is burned alive and Doc is arrested. So much for Billy Bob's vacation - Doc needs a lawyer, and fast. And that's not all. Newly released killer Wyatt Dixon has tracked Billy Bob to Montana, bent on avenging the death of his sister for which he holds Billy Bob responsible. And Wyatt is only one thread of a tangled web of evil that includes neo-Nazi militias, gold miners who tip cyanide into the rivers, a paedophile ring, and the Mob. As the corpses of the guilty and innocent pile up, Billy Bob stands alone.

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