Feast Day of Fools

A Novel

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 16 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Celebrated crime master and two-time Edgar Award winner James Lee Burke returns with a gorgeously crafted, brutally resonant chronicle of violence along the Texas-Mexico border.

Sheriff Hackberry Holland patrols a small Southwest Texas border town, meting out punishment and delivering justice in his small square of this magnificent but lawless land. When an alcoholic ex-boxer named Danny Boy Lorca begs to be locked up after witnessing a man tortured to death by a group of bandits, Hack and his deputy, Pam Tibbs, slowly extract the Indian man’s gruesome tale. It becomes clear that the desert contains a multitude of criminals, including serial murderer Preacher Jack Collins (whom The New York Times called “one of Burke’s most inspired villains”).

Holland’s investigation leads him to Anton Ling, a mysterious Chinese woman whose steely demeanor and aristocratic beauty compel Hackberry to return to her home again and again as the investigation unfolds.

James Lee Burke is at his engrossing and atmospheric best in this, his 13th novel, as Hackberry plumbs the depths of man’s inhumanity to man - from killers-for-hire, to the U.S. government, to the misguided souls in search of a better life across the border.

©2011 James Lee Burke (P)2011 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“[O]utstanding.... The richness of Burke's characters, always one of his strengths, reaches new heights.... The intricately plotted narrative takes numerous unexpected turns, and Burke handles his trademark themes of social justice and corruption with his usual subtlety.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“As Burke steers the elaborately structured narrative toward its violent conclusion, we are afforded looks inside the tortured psyches of his various combatants, finding there the most unlikely of connections between the players. This is one of Burke’s biggest novels, in terms of narrative design, thematic richness, and character interplay, and he rises to the occasion superbly, a stand-up guy at the keyboard, as always... Though he is best known for his Dave Robicheaux series, the broader canvas of this Hackberry Holland adventure makes a fittingly grand stage on which to play out such a landmark event in American publishing.” (Bill Ott, Booklist)

“The dialogue scenes, along with the action sequences, the South Texas landscape and the indelibly conflicted characters make you want to give Burke a medal.” ( Kirkus Reviews)

Good Book

Burke has become one of my favorite authors. I've read all of his Holland series books, both Hackberry and Billy Bob. I've also read several of his Dave Robicheaux books. He knows how to write, and his characters, and stories are always entertaining.

Shoot Out at the More-Than-OK Corral

Most of the reviews I've read thus far, in spite of the disparity they contain, have valid points. I'll offer what I think is probably most helpful to someone considering this book: Burke is flat out a magnificent writer, his command of language, his artistic prose, his adeptness at continuity, and his strong characters. I don't know that anyone, besides Cormac McCarthy, can tell a such a raw story more beautifully, which is some feat when it comes to describing horrific gore and violence. But he does so in a disconnected slow motion way that makes it tolerable and crucial to the story. He does not seem to worry about abridgement--and why should he? People crave fast action, in-your-face stories, and Burke doesn't write for that market. He could be accused of filling the pages with, as one reviewer put it, "kitchen sink" characters and plots--so may be best enjoyed in small doses rather than devoured in a 16 hr. marathon. (*Possibly consider the abridged edition?) This is not fast food, but rather a dining experience. It is intense, rich, and can give you something like heartburn if you consume it all at one sitting; you need to walk away from this feast every now and then to avoid overload. The landscapes are so vividly described you all most choke on the dust, the characters, especially Hackberry (who ironically accuses himself of speaking too many "idle thoughts") is amazingly sculpted by Burke. This is not a book that will sit nicely in your head, but savored in bits is a great read. Will Patton is flawless in his narration, where in Rain Gods (previous novel about Preacher Collins) I thought his twang was heavy and distracting. If you know what your getting in for, I highly recommend.

Sadly the novel had to end

The one major complaint about James Lee Burke's novels is that they end. The writer continues his quest to personify evil. Across his pages come men (I can't remember any women) of iniquitous character and malevolent nature who take the listener's breath away as Will Patton transports them to your elbow. The Feast Day of Fools (great title) has it all: Sheriff Holland and his deputy Pam Tibbs, who have an unusual personal and professional relationship, fight against eclectic array of evil doers including the resurrected serial killer Preacher Jack Collins, a degenerate Russian arms dealer (perhaps the most evil of the lot), strange men named Krill and Negrito, another preacher, Rev. Cody Daniels and a multitude of other criminals. If that were not enough to keep the reader or listener glued to the pages or enthralled by Will Patton's marvelous acting, we encounter an Asian women, Anton Ling, with a murky past whose home is the conduit for starving Mexican workers and their families and finally Danny Boy Lorca, an alcoholic ex-boxer who arrives on the Sheriff's doorstep begging to be locked up.
Enough said! Perhaps to add that this novel is about more than violent actions and evil men. It's an allegory about politics, religion, the environment, energy, the rich and the poor...

A great Hackberry Holland story

I love James Lee Burke: his ability to create a sense of place is superb and I so enjoy his characters. In his latest book about Hackberry Holland, I could feel the heat, smell the smoke and see the sky. I`m not sure who I like the most, Dave Robicheaux or Hackberry Holland but I do know that I am never disappointed when I read a book about either one of them. The performance by Will Patton is wonderful - I can still hear his warm, sure, and wise voice in my head. Highly recommended.

the usual suspects drop by

Jim wrote this one with a cast of people that I would not touch with a ten foot pole, and is all the more reason to stay pretty far from south Texas. The usual suspects are Audie Murphy, Ma Barker and pretty boy Floyd, who strangely inhabit Hackberry's mind as they do Dave Robichaux, Burke's main character, both of these guys are elderly war veterans that spent time marinating in bottles, and that probably says something about the author. The performance by Will Patton could probably be done in his sleep, but is nevertheless quite good and since I read all of Burkes novels, it would seem quite a loss to do without Patton's narration, in fact when I see Patton on TV I start looking around for Clete. How long can Burke continue with his geriatric inebriated Don Quixote's? Well we will see, (or I hope so anyway)?

Perhaps the most violent work or art ever penned.

James Lee Burke is a truly great artist. Yet, his work is a riddle to me, although I take great joy from each page of his books. Yes, I have enjoyed all of the books. What I like about each of them is -- first off -- the quality of his writing. His descriptions of a scene, or a person, or an act of violence are clear and flowing and simply make you wonder why nobody else has ever figured how to use the language in exactly the same way.

What causes me to wonder and question the man is simply where does he get the inspiration for those murderous, terribly violent and shockingly original characters about which he writes. Several of his heroes have been officers of the law. Although they are good cops, they are always deeply flawed. They seen to corner the market on violent acts. Once, one of Burke's characters dumped a whole pot of scalding hot gumbo on the head of a criminal suspect. In Feast Day, the lead character -- Hackberry Holland -- hits a bartender across the mouth with the fat end of a pool cue, just to see if he still had his old swing.

The plots of Burke's books are often so violent that you have to sit back and wonder if there are people in the world who can actually perform such acts. One of the villains in Feast Day has a Thompson .45 machine gun. He uses it frequently and with great joy to dismember his victims

The plot of Feast Day is -- as to be expected -- a bit strange. There's an oriental woman who worked for the CIA. She still feels deep guilt about calling down the wrath of modern day weapons on people who wanted nothing more than life on the land of their birth. There's a nasty Russian who plans to capture and sell to Al Qaida a man who can provide the blueprints for the Predator drone.

You get face to face with a lot of original characters. You almost grow used to the violence. But you never, never have a moment to shift your thoughts to anything outside of the pages of Feast Day of Fools.

Verbose

Although I always enjoy books by this author I wish at times he was not quite as 'descriptive'. Sometimes his descriptions of the sky, scenery etc., detract from the story.

Hackberry hits again!

James Lee Burke has definitely got something going here. This second Hackberry Holland novel matches the previous and then some. Deputy Pam, Preacher Jack Collins and others are fleshed out a bit more and deep. Will Patton, of course, as reader, is a necessity in this series. I cannot think of anyone else doing JLB. Both Rain Gods and Feast Day of Fools are both in audio and hardback in my library. JLB delivers again, as expected. Download both, if you can. You will not be dissapointed.

Burke Should Stick with Dave

While the narrator is very good, as usual, the plot is more contrived and less believable than with Burke's previous books.
I give it only a so- so review.

Very good

Interesting story. Love Will Patton. His voice makes the story come alive. I grew up in south Texas so it was like a visit home.