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IN THE MOON OF RED PONIES is a surprise on a number of levels. It has been a few years since James Lee Burke has published a Billy Bob Holland novel; the ending of the last, BITTERROOT, could have been the finish to the series had he so desired, and indeed, that appeared to be the case. But here is IN THE MOON OF RED PONIES, and it is more a continuation of the Holland series more than a marking of time between Dave Robicheaux novels. This is the definitive Holland novel and, with BLACK CHERRY BLUES, the definitive Burke novel.
Burke is not afraid to change the landscapes of his characters. He does not do so with gay abandon; the changes are thoughtful and make sense within the context of his work, but are no less unsettling for their occurrence. So it is with IN THE MOON OF RED PONIES, when a newly wedded Billy Bob and Temple Holland find their idyllic relocation to Missoula, Montana abruptly shattered. Wyatt Dixon, the psychotic scourge of the Hollands, was last seen in BITTERROOT headed off to prison for the remainder of his foreseeable existence. Dixon, at the commencement of IN THE MOON OF RED PONIES, is abruptly released back to society and upon Missoula. Dixon immediately seeks out the Hollands, but claims to have cleansed his soul and attained salvation thanks to his work as an itinerant preacher and a daily ingestion of prescribed pharmaceutical cocktails. The fact remains, however, that Dixon is an extremely dangerous man, a loose cannon capable of inflicting permanent damage at a moment's notice.
At the same time, Holland is entangled in his defense of Johnny American Horse, an Indian activist who is as often at odds with himself as he is with those who he sees as despoiling the land that he considers his birthright. When a private research laboratory with extensive government contracts is vandalized and burglarized of sensitive computer files, it appears that American Horse is to blame. Holland finds himself drawn into an unexpected, uncertain and uneasy alliance with Dixon, while at cross-purposes with his client, American Horse, whose actions inadvertently draw Holland and his family into danger of losing everything they hold dear.
Burke brings all of this together without a single misstep. IN THE MOON OF RED PONIES contains one of Burke's more complex plots, yet he lays it out coherently and so subtly as to leave the reader without a hint about what will happen next. The conclusion of this work also leaves enough loose ends to provide fodder for more Holland novels. Amazingly, Burke continues to surpass his previous, already breathtaking, descriptive accomplishments. It is hard to read this book and simultaneously resist the urge to immediately travel to Montana and see for oneself the scenery that Burke so intoxicatingly describes.
Well into his third decade of masterful writing, James Lee Burke has written another masterpiece. IN THE MOON OF RED PONIES will not make you forget Dave Robicheaux, nor should it. It will, however, make you remember Billy Bob Holland and eagerly anticipate the next volume in this series. Very highly recommended.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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