Kevin G. (2littletime) reviewed on 1/6/2013 + 57 more book reviews

This was my first read by author James Lee Burke as every once in a while I try a new author. I am not sure I am going to revisit this author again as I found this book a chore to get through. I remained dilligent and did wade through all the cutesy comments and sayings that Burke's characters threw in along the way, I did feel as though it distracted from the story and book. Some of the comments would have added color and flair, but it seems as though Burke deemed it necessary to make a jaded or colored comment from every character at ever turn. This distracted from the story and made it hard to follow and get down to business. Also I felt as though his characters werent developed as well as they could have been for many reasons I won't get into. I am not a prude, but also felt the story was weighed down with lots of vulgarity in which a little would have gone a long way. The story overall was one that was a good one to tell, and you did find yourself rooting for the main character Lucas Smothers (Billy Bob's illigetimate son) that lawyer Billy Bob Holland worked to free of a murder charge. Later in the novel when the courtroom scenes appeared, I did think that this was well written as the evidence in the case comes to view. Some of the vial criminals and characters leading up to that were pushed a little too much upon us as readers I felt. Too there was Billy Bob's former dead Texas Ranger partner LQ Navarro that was brought to light along the way that made commmentary in Billy Bob's head, at times he added and brought light to the story and at other times he was just another distraction from the telling of the story. Perhaps it wasn't my cup of tea as some of my favorite mystery authors like Jonathan Kellerman, William Kent Krueger, and even western author Elmer Kelton develop and write with such a flair that the pages fly off the books like a hurricane raged stream flows to a main river. There I added my own cutesy comment to the reivew. Going to give Burke the benefit of the doubt and not give him a rating of one, but a two because of the overall content and scope of the story. Again at some point I may pick up another book and see how it goes, but for now I am going to give it a rest!!!

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