Bitterroot

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

Following his acclaimed bestseller Purple Cane Road, James Lee Burke returns with this gripping tale of justice and danger as Billy Bob Holland battles his tormented past and a vengeful foe.

Set in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, home to celebrities seeking to escape the pressures of public life, as well as to xenophobes dedicated to establishing a bulkhead of patriotic paranoia, Burke’s novel features Billy Bob Holland, former Texas Ranger and now a Texas-based lawyer, who has come to Big Sky Country for some fishing and ends up helping out an old friend in trouble.

And big trouble it is, not just for his friend but for Billy Bob himself—in the form of Wyatt Dixon, a recent prison parolee sworn to kill Billy Bob as revenge for both his imprisonment and his sister's death, both of which he blames on the former Texas lawman. As the mysteries multiply and the body count mounts, the reader is drawn deeper into the tortured mind of Billy Bob Holland, a complex hero tormented by the mistakes of his past and driven to make things—all things—right. But beneath the guise of justice for the weak and downtrodden lies a tendency for violence that at times becomes more terrifying than the danger he is trying to eradicate.

As USA TODAY noted in discussing the parallels between Billy Bob Holland and Burke’s other popular series hero, David Robicheaux, “Robicheaux and Holland are two of a kind, white-hat heroes whose essential goodness doesn’t keep them from fighting back. The two series describe different landscapes, but one theme remains constant: the inner conflict when upright men are provoked into violence in defense of hearth, home, women, and children. There are plenty of parallels. Billy Bob is an ex-Texas Ranger; Dave is an ex-New Orleans cop. Dave battles alcoholism and the ghosts of Vietnam; Billy Bob actually sees ghosts, including the Ranger he accidentally gunned down....But most of all, both protagonists hold a vision of a pure and simple life.”

In Bitterroot, with its rugged and vivid setting, its intricate plot, and a set of remarkable, unforgettable characters, and crafted with the lyrical prose and the elegiac tone that have inspired many critics to compare him to William Faulkner, James Lee Burke has written a thriller destined to surpass the success of his previous novels.

Good Book - Narrator has Quirks

Any additional comments?

I like all of James Lee Burke's books. The narrator for the Billy Bob Holland series is good but he has two odd quirks: 1-He can't pronounce words that end in "r-n" correctly. He says "Northerun," "Southerun," and "lanterun." Not a huge problem, but wierd. 2-He makes Lucas sound like a total moron. I keep waiting for him to say, "Tell me about the rabbits, George," or "Which way did he go, George? Which way did he go?"

Big novel for the Big Sky!

I find it impossible to stop listening to Burke's work. His characters are engrossing and his story telling is riveting.

As I've mentioned before, Tom Stechschulte is a fantastic narrator, just as good as Will Patton who reads most of Burke's more current works. This is the third novel in the Billy Bob Holland series. I actually tried to listen to the 2cd novel in the series called Heartwood, which is a favorite of the author, but the narrator's exaggerated southern accent was so convoluted I got a refund. It's a great illustration of how important the reader's performance is for any book.

This book and really the series is less violent and more thoughtful in mystery than the Robicheaux series.

Really bad narration

It is a shame when the narrator completely ruins a good story.
This guy is no Will Patton. Thats for damn sure.

Reflects true violence of american era.

Rich geographical descriptions of rural mountain life, rodeos, attitudes towards flat landers;; fly fishing gkgdxkhf djhfdn gfjhx kddjurbj hfdkjfd

Vacuous Characters in an Absence of Poetry

Two of the most colorful characters in audio fiction are Dave Robicheaux and Cletus Purcel of James Lee Burke's Iberia Parrish. Contrast them with this novel's Billy Bob Holland and Doc Voss and the reader/listener of Bitterroot is left asking the question, "Why so flat?"

Holland and Voss might be good at slugging it out when pressed (or if the virtue of a female character has been besmirched), but their inept emotional responses to truly terrifying and painful traumas in the lives of loved ones makes them seem like a couple of dullards. Dave and Clete wear their emotions like tattoos on their biceps...that's what makes them compelling, particularly Clete whose "take no prisoners" response to threats on those he loves is raised to a unique art form.

Something else is missing from this story of Mafia Meets Western Motif; there is none of the painfully beautiful prose to describe the striking Montana landscape that listeners experience when they hear Burke's descriptions of Bayou Teche, Louisiana, or New Orleans (pre and post-Katrina). Montana may be a rugged and forested landscape in reality, but in Bitterroot it is a pancake-flat character. In Dave Robicheaux novels setting is character. In Bitterroot, Billy Bob, Doc, and the mountains from which the title derives are mere obstacles the reader must endure as he/she passes the hours waiting for the story to erode.

Not bad, but I miss Will Patton

I kept waiting for Will Patton to co-narrate this book as advertised, but kept waiting for Godot. That must be a mistake on Audible's part, because he wasn't part of the performance.

I've become used to Tom Stechshulte's narration, and now associate his voice with Billy Bob. He did a great job with the Wyatt Dixon character. That being said, no one brings it home in a Holland story like Will Patton. One major distraction was Stechshulte's narration for Lucas' character. He sounds like a moronic version of Forrest Gump. Alan Sklar narrated a Billy Bob Holland book, and the Lucas character sounded normal, not like a complete imbecile, which is how Lucas comes across in Bitterroot.

This story was not at tight as Cimarron Rose or any of the Hackberry Holland books, but it is still readable. There is a cycle of Billy Bob visiting someone, trading insults, and then leaving with little/nothing being accomplished. The Hackberry Holland characters (both generations) and Wheldon Holland are more complex and interesting subjects. I do like the interactions between Billy Bob and the deceased best friend that still exists in his subconscious.

VERY DISSAPOINTING

I usually love his books and I am struggling to get thru part One not worth the effort will save until I am out of books and need to listen to something

Trilogy Complete?

As usual, JLB creates such word pictures and screen plays of good versus eveil, nature vs. progress and man vs him/herself. love his work.

Distraction

The narrator distracted me from really enjoying this book. His mispronunciation of "slough" and "Raton " and "Clark's Fork" grated on my Northwest Wyoming ears.

Montana saga- Bitterroot

To me there were too many “ bad guys” to be dealt with. This created confusion as to who to deal with next. I found Billy Bobs conversations with these people to not be believable. I also found the ending unbelievable when considered with all prior behavior and events. If this were the first of the authors books I had read it would probably have been the last. The author has many good books. I did not find this to be one of them