Patton Books

This is a really good book. Jack London was one of the greatest writers in history. The story if you don't know is about a refined man who is on a ship and it goes down only for him to be "rescued" by another one. I put rescue in quotes because the ship he gets on (the Ghost) is ruled over by the legendary Sea Wolf Wolf Larsen. Larsen does not believe in any sort of moral code and also thinks that might makes right. As such, he commands his ship with a system of fear and intimidation and refuses to take Humphrey(the rescued man) back ashore. Instead, Hump, as he is referred to by the other sailors, is forced to stay aboard and goes from being a meek rich-boy whose never worked to a hardened man of the seas. The story is basically a brutal and savage one with London showing all of the ways Larsen can punish his crew and how Hump responds. Larsen is no mere man. He is extremely intelligent and well-read and that's why he keeps Hump on. The other men are not intellectual in the slightest but brutes. The only way Larsen is able to keep control is because he is also strong, nearly inhumanly so. In fact, in one scene, the mean attempt to throw him overboard after knocking him out. He climbs back on the ship and then goes down into the sleeping quarters where he is heavily outnumbered. There the men enact their plan to take over the ship. He fights off like a dozen men and survives, torturing his crew afterwords. Along the way, they meet up with his brother Death Larsen, but he isn't ever more than a faceless phantom. It is here that the book loses steam. They take on a woman who is a writer. Hump naturally develops feelings for her. They escape eventually to an island and, without giving away the ending, have a few problems there also. All in all, this is a really good, kept from true greatness perhaps by the inclusion of the woman at the end and the island. Except for that it's practically perfect. I highly recommend it.

The Sea Wolf is Jack London's classic tale of one man's personal journey. Enter Humphrey Van Weyden a self-proclaimed "softie" who is rescued on the high seas by a ruthless Schooner Captain named Wolf Larsen. Larsen lives up to his first name by putting Van Weyden-or "Hump" as Larsen calls him -through a series of trials and hardships on his ship the GHOST, which serve to mold the previously docile Van Weyden into an independent man. Along the way "Hump" witnesses the cruely and inhuman nature Larsen demonstrates towards his crew.

I wont ruin the end for you but this is one adventure on the high seas that deserves to be read as its message still rings true even to this day.

The Seawolf is a great story, definitely written in the early 1900s style, similar to Jules Verne, etc. In a way, it makes you want to be out on the open sea!

The Sea Wolf contains familiar themes of other Jack London books. Man (or animal) from a comfortable background thrown into in a life and death struggle with the forces of nature due to a bad twist of fate.

Also the Wolf Larsen characters philosophizing in this book led many to believe that the book Might is Right (which Anton Lavey later plaigarized and renamed The Satanic Bible) was ghostwritten by Jack London. I dont believe London wrote Might is Right because after doing the math he would have had to have been a teenager when he wrote it however I do think its possible that he read it and the rants in it may have influenced him and his creation of Wolf Larsen. I saw a documentary on Lavey where he talked about what a profound influence the Wolf Larsen character in the Sea Wolf was on his own personal outlook.

Overall this is one of my favorite books. Anybody that appreciates Jack Londons other work should read this.

My son needed this book for assigned reading at school. The book quality itself is as with any new book, perfect. As for the story line, like I said, it was assigned reading. Jack London has written some classic stories, but I can't say they are considered to be among the books that your child "just can't put down" while reading.. (except for the fact that we won't let them put it down until they are done with the assignment) My son is in 6th grade, but I believe this book is most likely for 8th grade or higher when given as assigned reading for school, since he goes to a gifted school. They typically read books 2 - 3 grade years ahead in his classes. It will go on the book shelf in our home library among the classics, though not among the most cherished for enjoyment.

Look. It's not his best work--it is "disjointed," lacking the narrative unity of even his other not-so-great Across the River and into the Trees. But I quickly got over the different interpolations and relished in the characters and the dialogue. The opening reads like the beginning of an Elmore Leonard novel. Maybe H. just needed the money. Still, when a great writer produces crud, it's still crud of a quality that no other writer could squeeze out. But I'm a die-hard H. fan. So there.

The original New York Times review in 1937 put it this way:
"Mr. Hemingway has been for some years an outstanding figure in American literature; he has influenced greatly men a little younger than himself, and they have paid him the tribute of imitation. Whatever he does is of interest because he has, unquestionably, a very real talent. What has he done with it in To Have and Have Not?"

It's a good question, and one that hasn't really been answered in the 70 years since then. Some have said Hemingway hated the book himself and only wrote it to fulfil some kind of contractual obligation. But how could he be contractually obliged to write an awful book? Even if somebody did set the subject matter, surely he could have produced something better than this?

The main problem with the book is that it is schizophrenic. It's a cross between an adolescent high-seas adventure story and a social analysis of the effects of the Great Depression. Even if both could be crammed into one book, it's probably safe to say that fans of one genre are unlikely to be fans of the other.

The writing style, too, is schizophrenic, lurching from first person to third person, from one character's point of view to another's. Harry Morgan's character, too, changes. He starts out as a hard-drinking, hard-fighting Hemingway hero, but later on, as the whole idea of the book seems to change midstream, he becomes more of a Steinbeck-style poor old victim of the system. His wife and children then appear in the book, looking as if they have been grafted on to make him appear more sympathetic. Then rich people start to appear, being vile and self-obsessed but never fully drawn as characters. Their only role appears to be to act as "haves" to contrast against the "have nots".

Another major problem I had with the book was its racism. You could argue that Hemingway was showing his characters to be racist, but still the constant, overwhelming use of words like "n---er" and "ch--k" really shocked me and immediately put me off the book. And worse than the words themselves were the way the characters of other races were described as objects more than people, with no characters beyond crude racial stereotypes like lazy blacks and untrustworthy Chinese. They are hardly ever even given names, but just referred to by their race: "the [insert racial slur] said...."

Well, I suppose every good writer has a clunker. I still like Hemingway's writing, particularly in For Whom the Bell Tolls. So this book did teach me one thing: don't judge an author by one book alone. If this had been my first Hemingway book, I'd probably never have read another, and as a result I'd have missed out on some fantastic writing.

This paperback is a handsome edition of the work. It took me several goes to read it all the way through and I was frustrated and puzzled by the novel until I read that the first two sections were originally published as short stories. Then I realized that the difficult third section, the largest of the three, might be another sequence of short stories, so that the book would be a sequence of short stories collectively making up a novel. I haven't tried reading it that way yet but the problem with the book as a novel is that the narrative keeps switching around and so does the character thread, and it feels difficult to hang on. However the writing and its evocation of the setting is superb and this is a book I shall keep.

TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT is nothing like the Bogart movie of the same name. Hemingway's book is much more hard-hitting, his sparse prose reminding the reader of a taut thriller by Elmore Leonard.

Havana and Key West play prominent roles in this gulf sea adventure. The other factor is unemployment, made more scary by a series of bad luck incidents to Hemingway hero Harry.

Without a job, Harry can't take care of his kids and his loving wife. So, he takes some risky jobs running rum or immigrants for some really dangerous criminals.

The views of the keys and the water in the gulf are beautiful, treacherous and challenging. The writing style is earthy, full of insults and political-incorrectness.

But the Hemingway hero is exactly what you might expect: strong, loyal, smart, sexual and deadly when he has to be.

by Larry Rochelle, author of GULF GHOST

Typical of 1930's Hemingway, To Have and Have Not is a frustrating novel, equal parts exhilaration and disappointment. The main story involves the tragic life of Harry Morgan who shuttles back and forth between Key West, Florida and Havana, Cuba, taking odd-jobs so that he can support his family. No job is too dirty or too dangerous for Harry, and he quickly gets caught up in smuggling, kidnapping, and anything else that will make him decent money. Harry's sections of the novel are violent and grim, full of double-crosses and bloody shoot-outs. It may be a little bit shallow for Hemingway's talent, but all the action and adventure make for a fascinating read. Rounding out the story of Harry's exploits is the beautifully drawn character of Marie Morgan, his devoted wife. Nowhere else in Hemingway's fiction will you find a female character so lovingly rendered.

Unfortunately, this rousing tale gets derailed about halfway through the novel by an abstract social commentary artlessly forced into the text. Describing the lives of a number of well-off residents and visitors of Key West, Hemingway spends several interminable chapters contrasting the ennui and shenanigans of the wealthy yacht-owners and writers with the down-to-earth goodness of characters like Harry Morgan. Hemingway pokes fun at the sexual intrigues and pointless drama of the wealthy, while glorifying the ernestness and devotion of the Morgans and their peers. It is a simple and banal observation, completely overblown and out of place, and it almost ruins the entire novel.

But the book concludes with Marie's painful inner monologue, written in Faulknerian stream-of-consciousness, and a tender description of the boats and the water around the Keys, causing the reader to forget all that drivel that has passed before and reflect on the beauty and danger of the world that Hemingway has created.

To Have and Have Not would have been stunning as a novella about Harry Morgan with maybe a few minor asides about the idiocy of the wealthy (which Hemingway shows perfectly in an early incident where Harry tries to teach a clueless vacationer how to fish). Or it might even have worked as a long novel (around the size of For Whom the Bell Tolls), exploring the climates of Key West and Havana in vast detail. But as it stands, the novel Hemingway wrote is too disjointed and confused to qualify as a classic (though still worth reading for fans of the author).

What a great crime story! Burke weaves a complex plot that not only involves current characters but has historical roots in scenes that are gritty as well as true to life. The reader is clear about the bad guys from the start but suspense builds as the exact nature of the crime is a mystery until the last chapter. The lives of many characters are intertwined in interesting connections, revealing Burke's art as a story teller. The author is also an artist, painting word pictures that are sharp and descriptive while employing economy in his words. There is no fluff, reflecting the nature of the hard hitting, no nonsense main character. The descriptions of the treatment of Black prisoners is brutal and yet there is tenderness in the writing as grief over departed loved ones is explored. My favorite character was an IRA hit man who is presented in an almost likeable portrayal as he guards the decent people and eliminates even more dastardly beasts.

James Lee Burke is a talented writer. His descriptions of New Orleans and the bayou country are first rate. He creates fascinating characters and an interesting plot line. Like most crime and mystery novelists he has the problem of trying to tie up all the loose ends at the end. I did not find his resolution satisfactory in this novel. Others may disagree.
But I have a particular complaint. New Orleans was always the most ethnically diverse city in the old South. Cajuns, Creoles, American Blacks, Irish, Italians, etc. The Italian American population is quite large and have had an important role in the life of the city. I don't object to Burke's including the mafia in his novel. After all it's a crime story. And I don't object to his portrait of Mafiosi as coniving murderers. That's what they are.But Burke deals sympathetically with every other group in the city showing the good and the bad, but the only Italian Americans in the book are moral degenerates. Only the mobster Sammy Fig is treated with any sympathy although not much. Burke uses the term "greaseball" far too much. Only the ignorant or evil characters in the novel use pejorative terms for the blacks, for instance, but even the heroes in the book consistently call the Italian American characters "greaseballs". Once again since these characters are all criminals the term wouldn't be too offensive if there were any Italian Americans in the book who weren't "greaseballs". I grew up in New York City the son of Italian immigrants. The word was used when someone was looking to start a fight and usually that's what happened. I heard it in the Army too and in those days you couldn't make a complaint against your drill sergeant so you just had to take it. I graduated from an Ivy League Law School and achieved success in my profession but the term still gets under my skin. At least when it's used as here as more or less a synonym for Italian American.

The Last Car To Elysian Fields has a main story line with several branches.Everything comes together at the end. The story is easy to follow and entertaining. Burke's descriptions of the homes and the towns are good and make you want to go to Louisianna. There's alot of violence and not just coming from the bad guys. There are "bad" guys who redeem themselves at the end. This is Dave Robicheaux after his wife Bootsie died. There's a mystical element to this story towards the end. I read this story everytime I had a chance.

"Last Car" is enjoyable but you have to put aside the standard mystery - thriller structure and just sit back and enjoy the ride. And by "ride" I mean a slow trip in a quiet canoe through the still waters of a swamp. The plot drifts and meanders, with Robicheaux moving things along ever so gently. What I'll call the Max Call sections generated the most jolt and suspense but the various other threads of this multi-dimensional plot never quite packed the punch until the end, which takes some time to reach. Some beautiful James Lee Burke descriptions provide the glue and there's no doubt where the "action" takes place, but if you're looking for a feeling of tension and excitement, this might not be the ticket.

This is a wonderful story, but not the best JLB novel I've read. This has quite a bit of introspection and psychology, but not enough action. the imagery is unbelievable. Buy this and read this but demand more.

I expected biography and military analysis; it's Victor's personal opinion of 3 military leaders, filtered through his PC ideology. In fact, he doesnt like the military at all. What he likes are unwashed armed mobs who prevail over people who bathe.

He has few kind words for the great military leaders of history.

This is the sort of twaddle pedagogues cobble together today.

This is an interesting and thought-provoking book. It brings to light little-known facts about three important warriors, and is probably the most coherent account of WIlliam Sherman that I have read, more insightful even than the excellent biography of Sherman, "A Soldier's Passion for Order". There is perhaps a willingness to push opinions to extemes - it seems unlikely to me that Alexander's campaigns, or those of Napoleon or even of Julius Caesar were entirely expressions of their commanders' egotism without any moral component, for instance.

Hanson's views of Spartan society and of antebellum Southern society are dark indeed, but I think that he supports them well enough. The evil of Nazi government needs no elaboration.

Hanson, as one might expect, writes well, and yet ... I wouldn't say that he is exactly repetitious, but he will discuss a subject, go off on another, and then circle back to the first, adding new information and insight. It is an imperfect style, but it does get across a complex of information in a way that a more linear approach might not.

In The Soul of Battle, Victor Davis Hanson traces the historical development of Western methods of battle and also of the free Western societies from which great democratic armies have arisen, starting with the Greeks. If you are interested in the sources freedom and prosperity in a society, and the way wars have been fought, and won, by free democratic armies since the Greeks, this book is illuminating and essential.

In The Soul of Battle, VDH describes the military campaigns of three commanders who led the army of a Western democracy: Epaminondas in ancient Greece, William Tecumseh Sherman in the American Civil War, and George S. Patton in World War II. VDH describes the military tactics and strategies in fascinating detail. He describes how each commander led an army of free, independent individuals, well-trained to act with consummate levels of discipline and camaraderie, to destroy their opponent's ability to wage war, thus to end each war sooner, and thus actually to save lives. He describes that they fought with ingenuity and discipline because they wanted to preserve the freedom they had at home, and to make it safe for their freedom-based way of life to continue.

But perhaps more importantly, VDH describes the social conditions that allow the creation of this kind of democratic army: freedom, self-reliance, property ownership, individualism, civilian control of the military, ability to innovate, freedom of self-expression and inquiry, and equal protection of private property, to name just a few. VDH describes how these conditions created societies of strong, individualistic, freedom-loving citizens, who, when stirred by great urgency, became soldiers, who came together only for the purpose of winning a war as quickly and completely as possible, then disbursed immediately thereafter to their homes to go on with their lives.

This book reveals the line of civic freedom that started with the Greeks and runs through Rome, to Europe, to America and all the western-style democracies we have in the current day all over the world. This book shows how war and battle have fit into the picture through the centuries. Perhaps most importantly, this book helps the reader to see which parts of our laws and customs help to ensure freedom for the future, and thus must be cherished and protected.

All Victor Davis Hanson's books about battle and society are excellent. His thesis that freedom in a society and the ability to win wars are inextricably linked to traditions of liberty, independence and free inquiry, is illustrated by different battles and different adversaries in each book. VDH argues convincingly that these keys to freedom and liberty also account for the prosperity, commitment and know-how that create the ability to win wars in societies that inherited or adopted the traditions of Western culture. In his books, he traces the development of the traditions of freedom, self-expression and individual innovation from ancient Greece through the development of battle techniques and civic traditions in Europe and then to the United States and the rest of the world.

The Soul of Battle is an awesome book, wonderfully interesting, about fascinating events, told so that the reader can see what is important to preserve freedom in our current times. I highly, highly recommend it. Read it. It is simply outstanding. Then read Carnage and Culture, another VDH book. I think you will love it.

This book explores three immensely effective generals: General William Tecumseh Sherman, General George Patton and the lesser-known Epaminondas of Thebes. General Sherman planned and led the infamous "march to the sea" during the U.S. Civil War. This campaign annihilated everything in its path, including the city of Atlanta. However, this march did shatter the spirit of the Confederates and was instrumental in securing the victory for the North.

Patton was an innovative general who always demanded hot meals and clean socks for his men but also expected prompt compliance, tidy appearance and flawless execution of his edicts. Patton is also known for his ruthlessly efficient campaigns in North Africa, Sicily as well as his leadership during the Battle of the Bulge and his blitzkrieg-like march from Normandy to Czechoslovakia.

Epaminondas is a little known general from the Greek city-state of Thebes who heroically led his people out of subjugation from the brutal Spartan rule. Unfortunately, I found this section more difficult to read, as I had almost no prior context of knowledge of Epaminondas to build on.

Hanson draws many convincing parallels between the three. All three enjoyed legendary success during their military campaigns. All three also understood the unfortunate necessity of engaging in total war when forced into war with an ideological enemy. Moreover, all three led highly controversial campaigns despite being instrumental in winning the war. Sherman is known for the devastation that he left behind him in Atlanta. Patton's career was nearly ended for slapping a weeping soldier who claimed to suffer from battle fatigue.

Most importantly, all understood the importance of moral conviction. Hanson persuasively argues how having moral certainty was crucial to the success of each of these leaders. Each recognized that they were combating a true evil (Epaminondas - Spartan oppression; Sherman - chattel slavery; Patton - Nazism). Sherman would frequently write about the savage racism and the brutal treatment of slaves that he observed in the South. Patton would constantly make fiery moral condemnations of Nazi Germany. Contrast the success of these conflicts to the failures of conflicts when one army lacked the moral certainty to fight (e.g., U.S. in Vietnam or Athens during the Peloponnesian war.)

Overall, despite some unnecessary repetition, this book is well worth reading simply as a biography on these three great generals. Moreover, Hanson's thesis is fairly good, but it can certainly use some polishing. In particular, I would have preferred to see Hanson delve into what these men were fighting *for*; not just what they were fighting against. Hanson does repeatedly claim that they fought for "democracy". However, since Hanson never really clarifies what the essentials of a democracy are (i.e., Is it the democratic elections? Is it the limited government? Is it the fact, for Sherman and Patton, that they fought for a country whose government was established to protect individual rights?). Unfortunately, this makes Hanson's thesis more superficial than it could be.

If you enjoyed this book, then I also highly recommend Six Days of War by Michael Oren and Old Soldiers Never Die: A Biography of General Douglas MacArthur by Geoffrey Perret. Lastly, I encourage you to brace yourself for Nothing Less Than Victory: Military Offense and the Lessons of History by John David Lewis, which should be available around March of 2009!

Victor Davis Hanson's "The Soul of Battle: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, How Three Great Liberators Vanquished Tyranny" is a thought-provoking, interesting, but too-lengthy study of three great democratic military leaders: the Theban Epaminondas, Sherman, and Patton. Hanson argues that the democratic armies under these three leaders, engaged in noble fights to save the oppressed and end tyranny, used their moral soul to defeat enemies that most considered superior.

Hanson devotes one section to each of the leaders, giving brief biographies as well as highlighting their major campaign: Epaminondas' successful campaign to free the Spartan helots; Sherman's march through Georgia; and Patton's breakout from the Normandy beachhead. Hanson eschews traditional narrative history and tells the stories of these campaigns in a random order, sometimes starting at the end and working backwards, hopping around at other times, and never leaving any doubt or suspense about the conclusion. The book reads more like a discussion of the subject than actual history.

Hanson harps on his thesis that, by fighting to free the helot slaves in Sparta, black slaves in the American South, and Jews and many other minorities being exterminated in the Greater Reich, the democratic armies' moral ascendancy translated into ascendancy on the battlefield; and that great military leaders with a vision, leading these armies, can ignore traditional military tenets and crush enemy forces: Epaminondas' army of farmers attacked the heretofore invincible Spartan professional army and homeland; Sherman cut his supply lines and marched through the heart of enemy territory; and Patton succeeded when all other Allied generals were too timid and could have ended the war in 1944 if he was not held back.

Despite Hanson's eloquent writing, he is numbingly repetitious: at times it feels as if he's repeatedly beating you over the head with the same point or quotation. Readers familiar with his writing will again see his sweeping generalizations repeated while he ignores or belittles opposing viewpoints without giving them due consideration. (And anyone with any sympathy for the Southern viewpoint in the Civil War will not like Hanson's vitriolic condemnation of almost every aspect of the antebellum South.)

As sympathetic as I am to Hanson's argument that a democratic army fighting tyranny is superior to all others, I found this book intriguing and persuasive, but ultimately unconvincing. Hanson could have made the same ambitious arguments without the lumbering repetition or overstated conclusions, expanded his narrative history to tell the whole story instead of part of the story, and still written a much shorter book. Ultimately, despite these shortcomings, this is a stimulating book that anyone with a serious interest in military history should read.

Combine part juvenile eroticism with a near genius style of narrative and insight into human nature and you have The Fermata. This is one I have re-read many times and each time another concept seems to leap out at me. If the mature themes of "Vox" or "The Fermata" are a put off, try "The Mezzanine" or "U and I". In every book, Baker's ability to create tangential meanderings through many everyday situations that we often pay too little attention to and as a result never gain the the threads of connection that runs though our thoughts and deeds never ceases to leave me awestruck and left to ponder a million thoughts all at once.

The other 1-star reviewers are right: this book is a HUGE disappointment. I got both so bored and disgusted, I couldn't even finish it. The idea of being able to stop time is wonderful and exciting, but this author does absolutely nothing with it but masturbate. On top of it, it's very sexist, even though he tries to argue that he really isn't all that bad. He is. What a sick mind! The protagonist and author show zero respect for women and try to make you believe that everyone would act exactly as he does. This world would be a lousy place if he were right. I really loved The Mezzanine, though, what a pity.

This book is interesting just from the responses people have toward it. Just read the other reviews and you get a flavor. I have given this book to guys and they mostly enjoy it. However, the women who I have given it to have largely disliked it and even been offended. However, I did pass this book onto a woman who worked in a patient care profession in a hospital. She passed it along to her coworkers, all women, who read it and just loved it. I got my very worn copy back several months later.

This book must have literary merit that is beyond me, but I don't understand the reviews it has been getting.

The book is about what this guy does when he stops time. While most of his activities he does are sexual in nature, they come across as very bland.

I left this book thinking, here is a guy who has the power to stop time, and yet, I can not imagine a life that is more boring then his.

The short summary of this book is that it's about a guy who can stop time. He uses his talent mainly to undress women without them knowing. He's a nice guy about it so nothing overly disagreeable happens to them, he pretty much just looks, no harm done (arguably).

Having read the reviews for this book, I was expecting a book that approached sexuality in a thoughtful way. I knew the book would involve a lot of sex, but was expecting it to be done in an insightful way. Indeed, the first quarter of the book was really well done, just what I was hoping for. The writing was beautifully done and there were thoughts every few pages that would make me stop and think for a minute. And the titillating plot kept things moving at a nice pace.

Unfortunately, after the first quarter or so the book turns into pornographic garbage. Eventually the main character decides to write erotica in order to leave it for the women he undresses. To me this seems like an excuse for the author to indulge himself and try to pass it off as literature. There's nothing thoughtful about these situations involving the UPS man, the lawn-boy, the lonely divorcee, and way too many dildos.

Overall the book was disappointing. Oh, it's entertaining. I even enjoyed much of it just for the shock value, but that's all it was. And it certainly isn't enough to consider this a "good book". It depends what you're looking for I suppose.

James Lee Burke is one of my favorite authors. His work is good and easy read. However, this book was not easy for me to relate to as I am not from the south, nor do I have experience with some of the lingua that was used. This did not detract me from the story which was excellent!

James Lee Burke, who is almost a neighbour (I live across the state line of the Bitterroots, in Wallace, Idaho) just gets it. He writes sentences you want to shout aloud, and draws a description you can just step right in to. This is a man who loves words and does not use them unnecessarily. Bitterroot puts the Neo-Nazi (Neocon?) cancer in a clear perspective, but the battle is not about guns. It's about souls. One minor technical point: in Wallace, we had 4 whorehouses, not just the one.

This is a first read of James Lee Burke for me in Bitterroot! It is a very powerful book told mostly in the 1st person. The characters were well drawn, I could envision them all. His bad guys were never to be forgotten and you want them gone!!!

I will certainly read some more of this books. His English is intelligent and usage is even and succinct. Wonderful read. This book makes you think! I put him right up there with my favorite authors: Dennis Lehane and Robert Crais.

"Bitterroot" by James Lee Burke, is another in his Billy Bob Holland series: Billy Bob being a former Texas Ranger, currently an accredited Texas attorney. After a few Texas adventures/misadventures in earlier Burke books, Billy Bob hereby begins his part of the year relocation to Montana, as did his creator. Mind you, a reader can't easily distinguish between Billy Bob, and Dave Robichaux, Burke's New Orleans detective. Only difference I see is that Billy Bob is more accepting of the supernatural. Furthermore, as a rule, I prefer the Robichaux books. Burke is a New Orleans man, and his language in describing his native turf, is frequently superb, deeply-felt. Descriptions in the Texas and Montana books, while very good, just don't rise to that level.

At any rate, Billy Bob goes to Montana to help out his old friend "Doc" Voss, who's getting himself into trouble. Of course, Billy Bob being the man he is, he helps Doc get himself into deeper trouble. Add to the stew Wyatt Dixon, just released from jail in Texas, and Montana-bound: he's got some issues with Billy Bob. Then there are some mafia types, some bikers, some environmental nutters, some pedophiles, a downbeat sheriff, an Indian or two, Billy Bob's short-term love interest. A gold mining company dumping cyanide into a river. Billy Bob's illegitimate son and private investigator, up from Texas. A famous, alcoholic writer, and his famous, beautiful, cocaine-sniffing actress wife. Also some feds, still looking for instigators of the Oklahoma City bombing of the federal Alfred P. Murrah building, and some of the militias at which the feds are looking.

Can't forget L.Q. Navarro, Billy Bob's former Texas Ranger partner, whom he accidentally gunned down while the two of them were having fun killing drug dealers in Mexico, leaving playing cards in their mouths. For a dead guy, L.Q. sure has a lot to say. So it's quite a stew, some of the ingredients being readily recognizable to regular readers of Burke; some of the ingredients being readily recognizable cliches of the genre.

Still, Burke's writing is brawny. He gives this line to Cleo Lonnegan, short-term love interest: "Pacifists in Montana get about the same respect as vegetarians and gay rights advocates." He describes the atmosphere of the state: "Montana was filled with ghosts. Those of Indians massacred on the Marias River, wagoners who died of cholera and typhus on their way to Oregon, the wandering spirits of Custer and the soldiers of the Seventh Cavalry, whose bodies were sawed apart with stone knives and left on the banks of what the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne called the Greasy Grass."

Finally, despite all the criticisms of the book that I've just leveled, Burke is able to build to a strong emotional climax. And his sucker punch knocked me out.

I enjoy James Lee Burke. I suppose I'm a bigger fan of the Robicheaux series than BB Holland, but I'll take it. He always tells a good tale, and always with his capturing, flowing style. Sometimes he gets his characters into situations that I don't like...when Maisy goes off on her dangerous night out in the biker bar...I read quickly through that section fully expecting the author to have it end badly for her...but wait, well...read it. JLB and I are roughly the same age, so with any luck when he can no longer see to write I won't be able to see to read, and I would consider that good timing. Many more James, please.

Burke has created an imperfect protagonist with Billy Bob Holland, and although the book has some complex plots and subplots that may seem a bit conventionalized, the strength of the descriptive writing is such and the broad swath of characters he creates makes up for it. But more significantly is that James Lee Burke has in his more recent books created reverberations between the local and the culture at large. Virtually every law enforcement organization from the feds to the Mexican federales are shown to be not the law abiding and enforcing institutions they claim to be, and it's about as accessible a metaphor to the degradation of the cultural ideas of fairness, goodness, concern for the underdog and the perversion of personal independence that seems to have befallen a good number of Americans. You can read it for the language, the characters, the attention to emotional and physical detail, but when all is said and done, you have a portrait of America that is not very pretty and not painted by a so called 'liberal' but by a protagonist who, as Hemingway said every good writer should have, "A built-in Sh-T detector."

I have read quite a few of Burkes books and am getting a bit bored with his reference to vietnam and LQ in all his Billy Bob books. Like the characters though and will continue to read James Lee just ready for another plot line will try Whit Dove next

If you want a good mystery with Texas flavor and a touch of darkness - this is a great read.

Defense attorney Billy Bob Holland is an ex-Texas Ranger who has taken a murder case where the chief suspect is his illegitimate son. But this isn't a simple plot; it involves his father and his great grandfather's diary as well. The past also haunts him literally-in the form of L.Q. Navarro. As a Ranger, Billy Bob accidentally killed his partner and friend. Periodically L.Q. appears to Billy Bob and offers him advice. The intricate plot and fluid writing definitely draw you into the Billy Bob's world in Deaf Smith. For instance, there isn't just one villain; the novel is full of unsavory characters. I fell in love with the lyric images floating from the pages and atmosphere, but I have to admit the ending was a bit confusing.

Fans of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux/cajun cop series now have a new series with Texas lawyer Billy Bob Holland. If this had been the first Burke book for me, I would have rated it higher.

The main plot involves Billy Bob defending his illegitimate son against a murder charge in a fishy-smelling situation involving a rich kid deviant with fetal alcohol syndrome and speed on the brain, a former football hero, DEA officers, and a sociopath named Garland T. Moon.

The inner plot involves Billy Bob wrestling with ghosts and demons from his past, namely private conversations he has with his old partner from their Texas Ranger days. There is also some mystery surrounding the death of Billy Bob's father in 1965.

Burke does an excellent job weaving all of the plot threads together, and the characters are believable. His descriptions are spare and elegant, and he has the ability provide sensory detail in a few short sentences.

One word of warning is that the cast is a rogue's gallery, like other Burke novels, and features a very flawed protaganist, but one we can root for just the same. Still, we're in some dark territory here, and Burke's writing is edgy, graphic and not for everyone.

While the book was well-written, I didn't get enough distance between Dave Robicheaux and Billy Bob Holland, who are essentially the same character. Both are men in their forties who stay in good shape, have father issues, and share similar demons in their past. The same self-righteous attitude was evident in both men. I hope that Billy Bob's voice takes a different shape in future novels of this series.

The other problem is that Burke is starting to recycle some of his details. The wealthy southerners always hold glasses wrapped with paper napkins secured with a rubber band. He's used this one a lot. There's also one where the night smells of fish spawning that's been used multiple times.

Still, this was a gripping read filled with tension on every page that made me want to know what was going to happen next.

This is a pure scam by some compete idiot claiming to be "Jesus" who should be put into a mental institution immediately. This guy has no idea what he is talking about except putting out lies in the form of "autobiography". One other reviewer has pointed out various faults, along with which I would like to add, the state of "Orissa" did not exist at that time, where this fraud claims to have gone. I don't know what kind of "authentic" research was carried on. But this guy is definitely in the long line of fake writers just to fool some people and make money.

The resonance within my cellular stucture tells me that this book is in alignment with the integrity of the Christ Conciousness. The truth that we are all ONE, that Love is the frequency of our origin, and Faith is our passage to remembrance is the real message here. Humanity is ready to release the illusions of fear that bind us to poverty, corruption, destruction and hate. The tide is changing. The seeds of Truth that have been dormant within us these thousands of years are now ready to awaken. It is the brave Soul's like Richard Patton who are here to show us the way. For those of you who read to "prove" or "disprove" his claim, I ask you to read again. This time, to hear the message. Congratulations, Mr. Patton. May your LIGHT always shine bright for those who are ready to see.

This is the most uproariously funny book I've read in a decade. Absolutely mind-blowing hash of an India travel brochure and a London-based Indian eatery menu. Rarely does one find such a potboiler of anachronism and ignorance. Let me describe some gems here.

Jesus attempts to learn his "Hindi" [p24] (a language that was developed in the later half of the 2nd millennium CE in India) and likes his "Bindi Baji" [p20] (sic. Bhindi bhaji: fried okra; modern Indian eatery menu) that the Jains in India cook for him as much as he loves his cuppa "piping hot Chai" [p46] (Chai: milky tea; English beverage popularized in India in 19th c.). India is renowned for scores of ancient languages with several classical ones, but the author is remarkably ignorant.

Jesus is addressed as a colonial "sahib" [p72] (a Hindi call meant for 19th c. British colonial rulers) by the "Hari-jans" [p59] (first defined by MK Gandhi in 20th c.) who were, we learn, even poorer than the boys "pulling rickshaws they could never hope to own" [p59] (rickshaw: a Chinese contraption introduced in India in 19th c.). Absurdly funny (you can compare Jesus being called a "sahib" to the Dalai Lama being called a "dude")!

The Islamic invaders entered India in the beginning of the 2nd millennium CE, yet Jesus meets Muslim characters (with Arabic names) aplenty in India - from prince Gohar [p25] to "Ali the driver" [p79]. His most significant meeting with a spiritual leader happens to be with a lady from Allahabad [p63], which is, in reality, a town founded by the 16th c. Mughal ruler Akbar and named after Allah!

The author has absolutely not a shred of an idea what he is writing about (e.g. 'Jagannath' the chief deity of Orissa turns out to be a place in India [p22] visited by Jesus); in particular about any scholarly term, e.g., 'Hindu law' [p25] (according to which it was - as the author muddles up with Islamic law - considered "kindness" to remove a man's offending hand!). Such profound gems of ignorance make this book absolutely hilarious and invaluable!

It is quite likely that several core teachings of Christ might have been colored by the Indic (both Hindu & Buddhist) schools of thought whose strong influences could be traced up to the ancient Middle East/Mesopotamia, irrespective of whether Jesus himself had visited India or not. Check out the momentous `The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You' by Paramahansa Yogananda in this respect.

In contrast, the author has a prominent agenda of bashing the Indian caste system with images of infliction and gore that falls flat in the face of modern history research (e.g., `Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India' by the eminent Columbia Univ. professor Nicholas Dirks) that shows how the colonial rulers and the Christian missionaries got together to construe the "demon" of a system as we know it in the West today in order to justify their colonial rule and proselytization (`caste' comes from the Portuguese word `casta'; the Portuguese were the first colonizers in India).

Extending such harmful "Orientalist" stereotypes of exoticization, real and imagined exotica abounds everywhere in this book - like "women... kissed the Baba's (sage's) flaccid penis" [p36]. With lepers and rickshaws thrown in, the India connection can read like a cross between Mother Teresa type propaganda and Spielberg's nonsensical depiction in 'Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom'. Of course, this doesn't take you any closer to truth; sensational, may be yes.

The book carries a Money-back guarantee; but never even think about returning it. Holy crap doesn't get better than this!

Truth or not, Patton's book powerfully tells the "Truth" of Oneness and it's purest conscious expression in the earth, Jeshua, as "One" of the Oneness. Believe? Ofcourse! Jeshua raised back into consciousness That Love is. Love is all there is!I Love you Richard.

With very little religious background I was able to understand just who Jesus was. With Da Vinci's Code just about to be released the author should be ready with a screenplay. Mel Gibson look out!!!

[***** = breathtaking, **** = excellent, *** = good, ** = flawed, * = bad]

I'm not a worshipful fan of every single thing that Burke writes, but I found Black Cherry Blues one of his best. Robicheaux gets framed on a murder charge, and once he's out on bail, he must travel to Montana to investigate an illegal Mafia take-over of tribal lands that, in a complicated way, pertains to his murder trial.

The character interactions are nothing short of amazing. I found myself shaking my head again and again at the foolish actions of has-been singer Dixie Lee, mentally urging Robicheaux to get the heck away from him, and simultaneously kind of liking him for being so colorful! And Clete Purcell ... words fail me. Was there ever a cop who was more out-of-control than this self-destructive hellraiser? His hospital scene with Robicheaux made me burst out laughing at the same time that it almost brought a tear to my eye.

Definitely read this book. There are scenes that give you the chilling feeling that you are one imperfect guy with the impersonal forces of the universe arrayed against you. The book puts you deep into Robicheaux's psyche. Longer review at the Mystery Books site on BellaOnline (BellaOnline.com).

Black Cherry Blues is my second James Lee Burke read - I also enjoyed Pegasus Descending. I think this is the superior book in my opinion but nevertheless I'm now hooked on the Dave Robicheaux series and have to get them all.

I would compare Burke's writing to Michael Connelly in regards to a dark element in all the characters - "good" and "bad" ones. These are flawed characters who've lived hard lives. Dave Robicheaux is like your "Harry Bosch" character of Michael Connelly's except with a more small town Louisiana/Cajun flavor.

Burke has a real talent for taking you to Louisiana and back - the anecdotes about growing up cajun are fascinating and warmly sentimental.

The rich descriptions, atmosphere and cultural flavor coupled with a strong Clint Eastwood type of character make these stories winners. There is a sort of noir feel like the old Clint Eastwood movies.

Pegasus Descending got me interested but this book hooked me and made me a serious fan.

I highly recommend - especially if you like Michael Connelly's work.

My first book by this author, and definitely not the last. There is quite decent plot in it, even though sometimes one asks oneself, is the main character masochist or what? Some outcomes are predictable, but generally a good mystery book. I also like the description of Montana.

James Lee Burke has a way with words that captivate you from the first sentence. The first page of this book will have your heart racing towards the end! Will Patton has to be from Louisiana.He has a natural southern draw I have been hearing all my life. Very good Book!!

Narrator was excellent but James Lee Burke flowers descriptions up too much like he is being paid by the word wow. I work from home and listen to so many audio books. Black cherries Blues I couldn't concentrate on it after two cassettes I had to stop I was day dreaming too much so started a different audio book with a different author fully engrossed in it instantly from the first line. If James Lee Burke would just get on with the storyline which is actually quite OK more people would follow his books. sorry will never buy another James Lee Burke again.

I like Burke's work but something steamed me in this book. His title is steeped in the mystique of "confederate dead," and a poignant character is the ghost of General John Bell Hood. Then later, another character, who is showing Dave a book talks about Hood saying (and I paraphrase) "It says here in this book that Hood was the leader of the Texas Brigade, a famous *cavalry* unit..." when in no way was the Texas Brigade ever a cavalry unit. It makes one wonder then what effort Burke made in research on this character, and the publisher's fact checking (if such facts are checked). Can't wait to see the flick to see if this erroneous line is in the dialogue. I realize that some historical facts are changed at times, but there was no reason for it here and seems to be just a sloppy, and uncaring disregard for historical facts.

James Lee Burke writes novels that are very atmospheric and rich in dialogue and characters. This is one of the early Dave Robicheaux crime novels. A movie ( financed by the mob) is being made around New Iberia. At the same time Dave is investigating a serial killer and the murder of a black man (over 30 years old). He is also having encounters with the spirit of a conferate general. Dave is investigating the serial killings with a female FBI agent who has her own demons.Somehow everything comes together at the end. This is a dark tale . James Lee Burke makes Louisanna a very interesting place.

I no longer believe James Lee Burke ever set out to write mystery novels, as his Dave Robicheaux series is characterized. Or if he did, that purpose was usurped some years ago.

James Lee Burke is a precious, national treasure. He writes to me of sights and sounds and smells. His character invokes a longing and a quest for purpose and redemption midst the imperfections of the human spirit. James Lee Burke is a poet.

In this book, Mr. Robicheaux is reconciling his past and present, and his spirit challenges his mind with what it already knows. Sometimes the spirit must intrude to teach the mind its lessons.

I found "In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead" to be one of Burke's most lyrical and self-possessed novels. If there is hope for Robicheaux, there is hope for me. I feel blessed to read James Lee Burke and heartily recommend all his books.

This book was highly enjoyable, and JLB is one of the finest writers you'll find today. He paints a picture that few writers can. Highly recommended!

I loved it. Wonderful hokum. Exciting enough to keep me up till 4:00 a.m. but still pretty clean and very moral, with lots of believable details. The only crime writer I can read. His descriptions are beautiful, he moves the story well, he telegraphs his punches just enough, and the story doesn't seem formulaic. Masterful plotting, especially in the set-up with the hooker in the Buick. Great characters. At the ending, which is predictable but still great, I laughed out loud and cheered, almost at the same time. What fun.