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Original Essays | September 23, 2009

Jonathan Lethem: IMG Stops: On Those Things My New Novel Forgot to Be About, Maybe



For me, there's a weird, unfathomable gulf — I almost wrote gulp — between the completion of a novel and its publication. Some days this duration feels interminable, as though the book has... Continue »
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1 Local Warehouse Mystery- A to Z

Rain Gods

by James Lee Burke

Rain Gods Cover

ISBN13: 9781439128244
ISBN10: 1439128243
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

When Hackberry Holland became sheriff of a tiny Texas town near the Mexican border, he'd hoped to leave certain things behind: his checkered reputation, his haunted dreams, and his obsessive memories of the good life with his late wife, Rie. But the discovery of the bodies of nine illegal aliens, machine-gunned to death and buried in a shallow grave behind a church, soon makes it clear that he won't escape so easily.

As Hack and Deputy Sheriff Pam Tibbs attempt to untangle the threads of this complex and grisly case, a damaged young Iraq veteran, Pete Flores, and his girlfriend, Vikki Gaddis, are running for their lives, hoping to outwit the bloodthirsty criminals who want to kill Pete for his involvement in the murders. The only trouble is, Pete doesn't know who he's running from: drunk and terrified, he fled the scene of the crime when the shooting began. And there's a long list of people who want Pete and Vikki dead: crime boss Hugo Cistranos, who hired Pete for the operation; Nick Dolan, a strip club owner and small-time gangster with revenge on his mind; and a mysterious God-fearing serial-killer-for-hire known as Preacher Jack Collins, with enigmatic motives of his own.

With the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and a host of cold-blooded killers on Pete and Vikki's trail, it's up to Sheriff Holland to find them first and figure out who's behind the mass murder before anyone else ends up dead. In this thrilling and intricate work, James Lee Burke has once again proven himself a master storyteller and a perceptive chronicler of the darkest corners of the human heart.

Unabridged Compact Disk Includes a Bonus MP3 CD of James Lee Burke's Cimarron Rose

Review:

"MWA Grandmaster Burke spins a tale replete with colorful prose and epic confrontations in his second novel to feature smalltown Texas sheriff Hackberry Holland (after Lay Down My Sword and Shield). An anonymous phone call leads Holland, a Korean vet who survived a POW camp, to the massacre and burial site of nine Thai women, a crime that brings FBI and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officials running. As a slew of bad guys relocated from New Orleans after Katrina grapple for advantage in new territory, mercurial killer 'Preacher' Jack Collins finds plenty of work. Pete Flores, a possible witness to the massacre, and his girlfriend are targeted by Collins for elimination, and by the FBI for bait. Holland must protect the hapless Flores and his girl from both. Three strong female characters complement the full roster of sharply drawn lowlifes. The battle of wills and wits between Holland and Collins delivers everything Burke's fans expect. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Synopsis:

Another gritty, thrilling Burke mystery with a brand new character: Texas Sheriff Hackberry Holland, cousin of beloved character Billy Bob Holland.

Synopsis:

James Lee Burke, a rare winner of two Edgar Awards, and named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, is the author of twenty-eight previous novels and two collections of short stories, including such New York Times bestsellers as Swan Peak, Tin Roof Blowdown, Last Car to Elysian Fields and Crusader's Cross. He lives in Missoula, Montana, and New Iberia, Louisiana.

About the Author

James Lee Burke, a rare winner of two Edgar Awards, is the author of twenty-three previous novels, including such New York Times bestsellers as Bitterroot, Purple Cane Road, Cimarron Rose, Jolie Blon's Bounce, and Dixie City Jam. He lives in Missoula, Montana, and New Iberia, Louisiana.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Debbie Frizzell, July 26, 2009 (view all comments by Debbie Frizzell)
At some point, Burke's haunted lawmen - Dave Robicheaux, Billy Bob Holland and now small-town Texan Hackberry Holland - might wear thin. But not yet. Sheriff Hack Holland is cursed by his memories of the Korean War, and his experience as a prisoner of war. With echoes of Cormac McCarthy's 'No Country for Old Men', Holland is exposed to evil in the form of hitman Preacher Collins, and the trail of bodies left in his wake. Young Pete Flores reappears from the Billy Bob Holland series, this time as an Iraqi war veteran. There are redeeming and complex characters, and brilliant descriptions of the country along the Rio Grande. Burke has scored again, and I hope he has many more books in him.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781439128244
Author:
Burke, James Lee
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - General
Subject:
Suspense
Subject:
Mystery fiction
Subject:
Sheriffs - Texas
Publication Date:
July 2009
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
448
Dimensions:
9.25 x 6.125 in

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