From Publishers Weekly
In this top-notch fourth novel in Burke's series featuring ex–Texas Ranger attorney Billy Bob Holland, Billy Bob has moved his family and practice to the pastoral city of Missoula, Mont., the setting of his last adventure (Bitterroot, 2001), only to discover that the psychopathic ex-biker/rodeo clown, Wyatt Dixon (who buried Billy Bob's private investigator wife, Temple, alive), is out of prison on a technicality and claiming to be a born-again Christian. Billy Bob befriends alcoholic Desert Storm hero Johnny American Horse, a sometime breeder of horses and eco-activist who—when not in the drunk tank—is carrying on a passionate affair with Amber Finley, the daughter of Romulus Finley, a vindictive and bigoted powerful U.S. senator. When Johnny is suspected of murdering the hit man who invaded his home as well as masterminding the burglary of Global Research (a high-tech agricultural lab), making off with its computer files, the action picks up quickly. Noted for quirky characters and intricate plots, Burke introduces demon-driven sheriff's deputy Darrel McComb—an ex–war hero and former mercenary pilot who flew cocaine for the contras—who has an erotic fixation on Amber. Factor in private security agency chief Greta Lundstrum, FBI agent Seth Masterson and Karsten Mabus, CEO of the company that owns Global Research, and the mayhem builds to a gripping, spine-tingling finale. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Bookmarks Magazine
Burke sets his fourth Billy Bob Holland crime drama on the edge of the Bitterroot Mountains in Montana. This fast-paced mystery occasionally slows to a tumbleweed pace so the author can comment on the treatment of Native Americans, corporate misuses of the environment, and governmental intrusion into privacy. But when his intriguing characters demand equal attention, Burke crafts action sequences so realistic you can practically smell the gunpowder and sweat. Some critics cite gratuitous plotting and uneven characters. But with the reappearance of homicidal rodeo clown Wyatt Dixon (who buried the hero’s wife alive in the third installment, Bitteroot), most agree that Ponies is the best yet in the series. Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.


From AudioFile
James Lee Burke is at his gripping best in this story of murder and conspiracy against Johnny American Horse, a decorated Native American war veteran and eco-activist whose mad, bad lady love is the beautiful daughter of a U.S. Senator. Lawyer (and former Texas Ranger) Billy Bob Holland finds his whole family under threat when he tries to defend Johnny. Tom Stechschulte is particularly delicious in his portrayal of the Southern-fried nut job, Wyatt Dixon, who once buried Billy Bob's wife alive but is now out of prison and praising the Lord. But Stechschulte's ease with all the demands of this top-notch thriller, from violence, to breathless panic, to love, is brilliant, the sum even greater than a series of masterful character parts. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
The similarity between Burke's more recent Billy Bob Holland series and his celebrated Dave Robicheaux novels inevitably interferes with our ability to give the Hollands their due. Yes, former Texas Ranger turned Montana lawyer Holland is, in many ways, a Big Sky version of ragin' Cajun Robicheaux. They have both found a corner of paradise and want desperately to protect it from the encroachments of modern life; they both are prone to violence and often jeopardize their loved ones out of the all-consuming desire to protect them; and they invariably must tangle with one or both of Burke's twin towers of evil: malignant white trash and viciously bent rich people. But despite all that, despite our wish that a writer of Burke's great talent might have used a new series to head toward uncharted waters, it's time to stop picking on Billy Bob Holland. This latest entry in the series, in which Holland attempts to help an idealistic Indian ecoterrorist and winds up antagonizing a power-broking congressman, offers the perfect opportunity to let Billy Bob stand on his own feet. The familiar themes are all here, but Burke puts some new spins on them: the white-trash antagonist reveals surprising depths of character; Billy Bob stops to smell the roses; and even the square-off with the power broker feels less like an Old Testament free-for-all and more like the kind of attenuated skirmish that defines our more circumscribed contemporary world. Yes, Billy Bob is cut from familiar cloth, but admit it, he wears it well. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"In James Lee Burke's last novel featuring Billy Bob Holland, Bitterroot, the former Texas Ranger left his home state to help a friend threatened by the most dangerous sociopath Billy Bob had ever faced. After vanquishing a truly iniquitous collection of violent individuals, Billy moved his family to west Montana and hung out a shingle for his law practice. But in In the Moon of Red Ponies, he discovers that jail cells have revolving doors and that the government he had sworn to serve may have become his enemy." "His first client in Missoula is Johnny American Horse, a young activist for land preservation and the rights of Native Americans. Johnny is charged with the murder of two mysterious men - who seem to have recently tried to kill Johnny themselves, or at least scare him off his political causes. As Billy Bob investigates, he discovers a web of intrigue surrounding the case and its players: Johnny's girlfriend, Amber Finley, as reckless as she is defiant - and the daughter of one of Montana's U.S. senators; Darrel McComb, a Missoula police detective who is obsessed with Amber; and Seth Masterson, an enigmatic government agent whose presence in town makes Billy Bob wonder why Washington has become so concerned with an obscure murder case on the fringes of the Bitterroot Mountains." As complications mount and the dead bodies multiply, Billy Bob is drawn closer to the truth behind Johnny American Horse's arrest - and discovers a greater danger to himself and to his whole family.

FROM THE CRITICS

Richard Lipez - The Washington Post

As in the Robicheaux books, the writing in the Holland series is just terrific … With a few incisive strokes, Burke can show all-too-recognizable ruinous arrogance in character and in history.

Marilyn Stasio - The New York Times

Entrusting his many grievances to Billy Bob Holland, the former Texas Ranger and assistant United States Attorney whose mission it is to defend the defenseless in this robust Western series, Burke grinds his teeth over the mistreatment of Indians by corporate crooks, prejudiced lawmen and a judicial system that doesn't seem to care. But he also raises a wide range of hot-button issues -- including questionable F.B.I. enforcement of the Patriot Act and government ties to companies engaged in war profiteering -- that have been pushing the boundaries of crime fiction since 9/11. While the shotgun spray of Burke's political complaints makes mincemeat of the plot, his passion is so real and raw that it redeems the ragged writing, giving voice to the new anxieties surfacing in genre fiction.

Publishers Weekly

Narrator Stechschulte does an excellent job giving voice to the many eccentric characters in Burke's fourth novel starring former Texas Ranger Billy Bob Holland, last heard from in Bitterroot (2001). Billy Bob and his private investigator wife, Temple, have relocated to a ranch in Missoula, Mont. Not long after he hangs his attorney's shingle, Billy Bob receives a visit from ex-biker/rodeo clown Wyatt Dixon, who he helped send to jail for life in Bitterroot. Wyatt, free on a technicality, once buried Temple alive before spending time in federal prison. Now a born again Christian, he wants Holland to represent his horse-trading business. Here Stechschulte's talent truly shines. His portrayal of Wyatt's vacuous politeness is unnerving. Billy Bob doesn't trust him, nor does the listener. But should we? This is just the tip of a complicated ecoterrorist plot chock full of multifaceted characters, including an ex-mercenary police detective, a Native American Desert Storm hero/activist and a shady U.S. senator. Stechschulte penetrates the psyche of each of these players with incredible acuity, making this an excellent summer listen. Simultaneous release with the S&S hardcover (Forecasts, May 24). (June) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Burke seems to absorb the mythos of the land he inhabits and then, remarkably, rework the spirit of these legends into his novels. In this fourth Billy Bob Holland tale, Billy now lives Missoula, MT, where he has opened a law practice and, along with his wife and son, has moved the ghost of his former partner in the Texas Rangers, L.Q. Navarro. Billy's first client is Johnny American Horse, a Native American activist who has more problems than Billy can see. In addition, Wyatt Dixon, the man who tried to murder Billy's wife, has been released from his 60-year jail sentence-and has decided to get reacquainted with the Holland family. Burke is able to bring all these stories together in another nonstop-action thriller. At the same time, he shows how a violent man can find redemption through forgiveness and how those ghosts from our past can sometimes show us the right path. An exceptionally good book, performed admirably by Tom Stechschulte; highly recommended for all libraries.-Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile