• Cimarron Rose

  • A Billy Bob Holland Novel, Book 1
  • By: James Lee Burke
  • Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
  • Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (496 ratings)

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Cimarron Rose  By  cover art

Cimarron Rose

By: James Lee Burke
Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
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Publisher's summary

Texas attorney and former Texas Ranger Billy Bob Holland has many secrets. Among them is Vernon Smother's son, Lucas, a now-teenaged boy about whom few know the truth - Lucas is really Billy Bob's illegitimate son. When Lucas is arrested for murder, Billy Bob must confront the past and serve as the boy's criminal attorney.

Billy Bob knows the propensity of the town, Deaf Smith, Texas, to make scapegoats out of the innocent and to exploit and sexually use the powerless. During Lucas's trial, Billy Bob realizes that he will have to bring injury upon Lucas as well as himself in order to save his son. As a result, Billy Bob incurs enemies that are far more dangerous than any he faced as a Texas Ranger.

With the same electric language and hard-edged style that brought James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux novels to the forefront of American crime fiction, Cimarron Rose explodes with a new, evocative setting that will establish Billy Bob Holland as James Lee Burke's next great character.

©2012 James Lee Burke (P)2012 Simon & Schuster Audio

What listeners say about Cimarron Rose

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Buy the other version

Any additional comments?

I would like to start this review by saying, I am only halfway through the book right now. The story line seems good just as I expected, but unfortunately, the narration could use a little work. I recently discovered that this same book is available on audible with narration by Will Patton, so buy that addition, I'm sure it is much better. In this edition, the narrator makes one of the main characters sound incredibly stupid, which may not sound that bad, until you hear it. It keeps throwing me off every time the guy says something, it's almost agonizing. As for the other edition, Will Patton may be one of the most skilled narrators alive, and he has a whimsical way of delivering The story. So that being said, it's too late for me, but not for you. Enjoy the book...just not this one.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Burke delivers withanother great mystery/hero!

Where does Cimarron Rose rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

James Lee Burke is perhaps the best author for audible mystery lovers I know of. I'd have to say this one runs a close second to the Hackberry Holland series, my favorite of his works.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cimarron Rose?

The wonderful interactions of the hero Holland interviewing suspects was a lot of fun, but my favorite moments were his conversations with his dead friend.

What does Tom Stechschulte bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Tom caught my attention with his stellar performance in No Country For Old Men. I have loved all of Will Patton's work on most of Burke's novels, therefore I was skeptical over the editors choice of Stechshulte. I needn't have been concerned. He delivered big, so much so, I don't think Patton would have done better.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen to this in one day!

Any additional comments?

Though this novel has fewer colorful and exagerated characters than Burke's other series, I found it refreshing and it even made for a More realistic and superior mystery. I just don't see how anyone would not enjoy this book.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

poor narration

any james lee book not narrarated by wiil patton or mark hammer is simply a shame. this guy tom, however you pronounce his last name, was unprepared and completely out of his depth with the task of telling this story. it’s a shame too, it’s a really good story.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Don't miss out on this story

This is my first listen from James Lee Burke, and definitely not the last. It's one of those stories that keeps you listening when you know you should be doing other things.
The characters are a colorful lot, with bits of humor, and lots of deception. Billy Bob finds himself defending his illegitimate son, which leads to learning a whole lot of dirty little secrets from many of the town's residents. It's a suspenseful who done it, with a side monologue from Billy Bob's Grandfather telling his own story straight out of the old west.The narrator does an excellent job, capturing the feel of a small town in Texas.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best Author

THE best American author. Past and present.

(nothing else needs to be said but I must post 15 words)

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Slow Moving, Uninteresting

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Perhaps someone more interested in western novels.

Would you ever listen to anything by James Lee Burke again?

I don't think that I would. I read a few reviews that seemed promising but I should have read more. I didn't read the word western in the short description provided, either. I've found that author's tend to write novels of the same genre.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Tom Stechschulte?

I don't listen to or read western novels. Therefore, I don't think I'd be qualified to suggest a narrator who reads western novels.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Cimarron Rose?

The scenes that included Mary Beth, a DEA agent. Her character wasn't developed enough to certify her as having any career.

Any additional comments?

The novel did not interest me, I wouldn't be interested in listening to the second novel in the series, when and if it's ever written.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My First James Lee Burke

Why is it some author’s detailed descriptions annoy me and others work like they’re intended? Aided by the liberal use of metaphor, James Lee Burke and the narrator, Tom Stechschulte (who gave all the characters distinctly different and consistent voices), made listening to this book like watching a movie filmed in Texas with top-notch cinematography. The characters were wonderfully developed. I felt the range of human complexity in all the major players (except for Mary Beth, who remained distant, but I think she’s meant to be)—their emotional pain, their evil, their love, their honor, their savagery. The social commentary added further depth and was integral to the story. There are several plots which intrigue and intertwine, just enough backstory, and a satisfying ending. Although there’s violence aplenty, it never felt excessive, gratuitous, or out of character. Billy Bob Holland is my favorite book boyfriend in a long time. This is my first James Lee Burke, and I’m head-over-heels for his writing.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Classic JLB tale

James Lee Burke can get tied up in his own prose but overall a story that kept me wanting more. Narrator was good

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Well done!

Great story and Tom does the narrative like no other. I have heard him before and he never disappoints. James Lee Burke is a national treasure.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I think I’ve read enough James Lee Burke for now

Good enough, but not enough to completely hold my interest. JLB is about as prolific as Stephen King, but not nearly as good these days

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