Cimarron Rose: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-08-10 09:51:14
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：James Lee Burke
- ISBN：1982183411
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Summary
Texas attorney Billy Bob Holland must confront the past in order to save his illegitimate son from a murder conviction in this brilliant， fast-paced thriller from beloved New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke。
Lucas Smothers， nineteen and from the wrong end of town， has been arrested for the rape and murder of a local girl。 His lawyer， former Texas Ranger Billy Bob Holland， is convinced of Lucas’s innocence—but proving it means unearthing the truth from the seething mass of deceit and corruption that spreads like wildfire in a gossipy small town where everybody knows everybody else’s business。
Billy Bob’s relationship with Lucas’s family is not an easy one。 Years back he was a close friend of Mrs。 Smothers—too close， according to her husband。 But when Lucas overhears gruesome tales of serial murder from a neighboring cell in the local lock-up， he himself looks like a candidate for an untimely death， and Billy Bob incurs enemies far more dangerous than any he faced as a 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 harsh， evocative setting and unforgettable characters。
Lucas Smothers， nineteen and from the wrong end of town， has been arrested for the rape and murder of a local girl。 His lawyer， former Texas Ranger Billy Bob Holland， is convinced of Lucas’s innocence—but proving it means unearthing the truth from the seething mass of deceit and corruption that spreads like wildfire in a gossipy small town where everybody knows everybody else’s business。
Billy Bob’s relationship with Lucas’s family is not an easy one。 Years back he was a close friend of Mrs。 Smothers—too close， according to her husband。 But when Lucas overhears gruesome tales of serial murder from a neighboring cell in the local lock-up， he himself looks like a candidate for an untimely death， and Billy Bob incurs enemies far more dangerous than any he faced as a 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 harsh， evocative setting and unforgettable characters。
Reviews
Michael Clancy
，
I keep trying to read this guys books。 Everyone seems to love him but I just have not caught on yet。 Ending was a letdown for me。
Bob Box
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Read in 1997。 Burke introduces a new character， Billy Joe Holland， a Texas attorney who has to defend his illegitimate son on a murder charge。 Best novel of the year from the Mystery Writers of America。 One of my favorites that year。
morgen
，
When his illegitimate son is found drunk and passed out at the scene of his girlfriend's rape， it seems clear he did it。 But when she dies as a result， lawyer dad sets out to prove his innocence。 When his illegitimate son is found drunk and passed out at the scene of his girlfriend's rape， it seems clear he did it。 But when she dies as a result， lawyer dad sets out to prove his innocence。 。。。more
La'Jacinth
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I enjoyed this book。 I love the way the book is set up in time period and that the story is told from one point of view with several key parts thrown throughout。It was interesting to find that the vision that keep coming back to Billy Bob is really his guilt manifested in his friend。 Once he has dealt with it。。his "friend" leaves。 Funny how the lie works to convince you it is truth and truth just waits。。。 aaahhhhhh lightbulb。 I enjoyed this book。 I love the way the book is set up in time period and that the story is told from one point of view with several key parts thrown throughout。It was interesting to find that the vision that keep coming back to Billy Bob is really his guilt manifested in his friend。 Once he has dealt with it。。his "friend" leaves。 Funny how the lie works to convince you it is truth and truth just waits。。。 aaahhhhhh lightbulb。 。。。more
Michele E
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To me it was a long drawn out book。 It was ok at。best。
William
，
The protagonist is a severely flawed human being。 It makes for interesting reading。
Kelvin
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is a 1997 book by American author James Lee Burke， who is most famous for his Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux series of crime mysteries。 Cimarron Rose， which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1998， is the first in a different series featuring small town Texas lawyer Billy Bob Holland。 It is a short series with only four books。 I am quite disappointed in the book。 It is far less engaging and enjoyable than the Dave Robicheaux series。 While the writing is still very good， I do find th This is a 1997 book by American author James Lee Burke， who is most famous for his Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux series of crime mysteries。 Cimarron Rose， which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1998， is the first in a different series featuring small town Texas lawyer Billy Bob Holland。 It is a short series with only four books。 I am quite disappointed in the book。 It is far less engaging and enjoyable than the Dave Robicheaux series。 While the writing is still very good， I do find the book disjointed。 Burke spends too much time writing episodes after episodes of people getting killed， maimed or hurt by local bullies who are above the law。 It is also quite frustrating to read。 I find the hero， Billy Bob Holland， ineffective and frustrating。 After every crisis， Burke has Billy Bob intervene or react to it。 Billy Bob’s crude efforts are quite ineffective and often backfire because his interventions only stir up further problems for the people close to him。 In the end， the book has a court trial scene and I find that trial one of the most uninspiring courtroom scenes I have read。 Spoiler Alert。 The book is written from Billy Bob’s first-person perspective。 This story is about a small Texas town called Deaf Smith where the police department is corrupt and controlled by drug dealers and mobsters。 The town has three different persons who all happen to be sadists who like to torture and cause pain; and they even kill people for pleasure。 The first killer is a rich teenager called Darl Vanzandt whose father Jack Vanzandt is a very successful businessman who is also a drug trafficker。 The second killer， called Felix Ringo， is a Mexican drug enforcement agent currently working in the US with some US government agency in Texas。 He turns out to be a drug trafficker as well and is a partner of Jack。 The third killer is an ex-convict with a long rap sheet called Garland T。 Moon who has murdered many people in his life （including Billy Bob’s father） and has got away with them all。 Billy Bob Holland is a lifelong vigilante。 In his prior life， he has been a Texas Ranger as well as a U。S。 Attorney。 Now， he is a lawyer in private practice in the small Texas town of Deaf Smith。 The story starts with the rape and murder of a young girl called Roseanne Hazlitt。 Billy Bob’s illegitimate son Lucas Smothers was arrested by the police and charged for murder and rape。 Lucas was actually framed。 What happened was Roseanne was having sex with a number of men in town， including Lucas and Jack Vanzandt， the father of psychopathic killer Darl Vanzandt。 When Roseanne thought she was pregnant and tried to shakedown Jack， Jack’s partner in the drug business Felix Ringo （also a psychopathic killer） murdered Roseanne and setup Lucas to take the fall。 In the end， Billy Bob defended Lucas and Lucas was found not guilty。 Darl Vanzandt died in the end in an accident when he tripped on a booby trap he set up himself to try to kill Lucas。 Garland Moon was killed by Ringo in a gunfight and Ringo in turn was killed by Billy Bob。 There are also two repeating themes in the book。 One is the diary of Billy Bob’s great-grandfather Sam Holland， who was a gunfighter turned preacher in the old days。 Sam fell in love with an outlaw woman called the Rose of Cimarron， hence the name of the book。 Sprinkled throughout the book are excerpts from Sam’s diary describing his life in the frontier days and his love of the Cimarron Rose。 The other theme is the haunting image of Billy Bob’s good friend and former fellow Texas Ranger L。Q。 Navarro， who was shot dead by Billy Bob by accident during a shootout years ago。 At that time， the two of them frequently went to Mexico to hunt down drug traffickers and kill them。 The ghost of Navarro haunts Billy Bob throughout the book and there were pages of dialogues with Billy Bob having imaginary conversations with Navarro。 While these two themes help build the mood of the book， I find them distracting from Burke telling a clean and connected story。 。。。more
Nathaniel Spencer
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Everything a western crime thriller ought to be。
Eliza Fawcett
，
Loved everything about it， except for the few times he describes people in dated terms。
Leslie Ayala
，
I love James Burke's writing。 His character development is great！ I really liked Billy Bob Holland！！ I love James Burke's writing。 His character development is great！ I really liked Billy Bob Holland！！ 。。。more
Mary
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I love James Lee Burke's writing， especially when his characters struggle mentally with their moral compass。 Reading （listening） to their thought processes is like conversing with people who had been schooled by the Jesuits。 I love it。 But there was much less of that than normal in Cimarron Rose。 Too many stupid， vile characters and a heavy atmospheric seaminess displaced the humanity I usually find in Burke's books。 It could be the times - Covid and corruption。 So， I'll read/listen to Cimarron I love James Lee Burke's writing， especially when his characters struggle mentally with their moral compass。 Reading （listening） to their thought processes is like conversing with people who had been schooled by the Jesuits。 I love it。 But there was much less of that than normal in Cimarron Rose。 Too many stupid， vile characters and a heavy atmospheric seaminess displaced the humanity I usually find in Burke's books。 It could be the times - Covid and corruption。 So， I'll read/listen to Cimarron Rose again one day when the sun comes out to understand what I may have missed。 。。。more
Sean Beckett
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Possibly perfect。
Janice
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Angst and testosterone abound in this one！ 2。5 Stars， reluctantly。
Eileen Bertie
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This is the first of the Holland Family books by Burke I’ve read。 Very different from the Robicheaux series。 Billy Bob Holland is out to find justice as it turns out， at great personal cost。
Curtis Powell
，
Texas 。。。 and a TexanA story told by a man who has lived and grown by his own words 。。。 both in the past and the present。 Start with a today story， take a run through the past while being left with a wonder of the future。 A cowboy and his adventure。
Philip
，
Huckleberry Holland has a style unmatched only by James Lee Burke。 Hold on for the ride of your reading life。
Mkane
，
This was my first book by Burke that was not a Dave Robicheaux book。 It was just as compelling。 The characters sprung from the pages and were developed in a unique and compelling fashion。 You were transported to Texas and could almost taste， see and smell the venue。 Burke continued the interplay between light and dark and effortlessly moved between the real and imagined。 Burke is a treasure。
William
，
Audiobook from Hoopla DigitalI really like JL Burke's writing。 His presentation to details set vivid images。 But， I do not like stories that constantly intersperse dialogue that is not in the present story time frame。 This story had two: reading his great-grandfather's journal， and conversations with his dead ranger partner。This should be very enjoyable for those who like a bit of fantasy。I'll try one more in the series。 Audiobook from Hoopla DigitalI really like JL Burke's writing。 His presentation to details set vivid images。 But， I do not like stories that constantly intersperse dialogue that is not in the present story time frame。 This story had two: reading his great-grandfather's journal， and conversations with his dead ranger partner。This should be very enjoyable for those who like a bit of fantasy。I'll try one more in the series。 。。。more
Michelle Beese
，
First James Lee Burke book I have read and I am hooked！ Ex Texas Ranger and current lawyer in the town of Deaf Smith， TX， Billy Bob is an intriguing hero。 Ready to move on to the next book in the series， Heartwood。
Taylor Segen
，
A friend recommended this author and told me this particular series was set in Montana。 WRONG。 This one was set in Texas， but where in Texas is a puzzle。 He has Deaf Smith as a town and county seat but Deaf Smith is a county and Hereford is the county seat and it's wY out in West Texas with nary a piney woods in sight。 Fictional locations are great， but if an author used real location names he needs to be true to the location。 I admit the author is a talented writer， if only he could use that sk A friend recommended this author and told me this particular series was set in Montana。 WRONG。 This one was set in Texas， but where in Texas is a puzzle。 He has Deaf Smith as a town and county seat but Deaf Smith is a county and Hereford is the county seat and it's wY out in West Texas with nary a piney woods in sight。 Fictional locations are great， but if an author used real location names he needs to be true to the location。 I admit the author is a talented writer， if only he could use that skill to develop a likable protagonist。 I was very disappointed in this work。 。。。more
C。 Clark
，
I've been asked if I've read James Lee Burke many times。 Finally， I picked one up。 This one。 。 。 Cimarron Rose。 The fluidity and eloquence of his word choices wouldn't let me read with any speed。 Those words had to be experienced， soaked up， and often read again to get the full taste of them。 Just an uncanny beauty I've never read before。 I believe I could read a blind copy of Burke's work and recognize his hand in seconds。 And the twists。 。 。 they kept on coming。 Bravo。 Just。。。bravo。 I've been asked if I've read James Lee Burke many times。 Finally， I picked one up。 This one。 。 。 Cimarron Rose。 The fluidity and eloquence of his word choices wouldn't let me read with any speed。 Those words had to be experienced， soaked up， and often read again to get the full taste of them。 Just an uncanny beauty I've never read before。 I believe I could read a blind copy of Burke's work and recognize his hand in seconds。 And the twists。 。 。 they kept on coming。 Bravo。 Just。。。bravo。 。。。more
Ron Collins
，
Love the writing style。 There is just so much good about this story。 Excellent characters - present， past and way past。 Waiting for #2 to become available。
Angie
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Full review can be found here: https://www。criminalelement。com/the-e。。。 Full review can be found here: https://www。criminalelement。com/the-e。。。 。。。more
Paul Pessolano
，
“Cimarron Rose” by James Lee Burke， published by Orion Books。30， 2014。This is another novel in the series of Billy Bob Holland。 Again， I am going back and picking up novels that I have wanted to read but was unable to do so until now。 It must also be apparent that James Lee Burke is one of my favorite authors。Billy Bob is in the small Texas town of Deaf Smith and becomes the lawyer for Lucas Smothers， a local boy who is being held on murder charges。 In this novel Billy Bob is confronted with the “Cimarron Rose” by James Lee Burke， published by Orion Books。30， 2014。This is another novel in the series of Billy Bob Holland。 Again， I am going back and picking up novels that I have wanted to read but was unable to do so until now。 It must also be apparent that James Lee Burke is one of my favorite authors。Billy Bob is in the small Texas town of Deaf Smith and becomes the lawyer for Lucas Smothers， a local boy who is being held on murder charges。 In this novel Billy Bob is confronted with the legacy of his great grandfather and the partner he killed while he was a Texas Ranger。Although he is convinced of Lucas’s innocence he must work his way through a town that is full of corruption and lives on lies and deceit。 Billy Bob is also faced with the problem of being a former Beau of Lucas’s mother， a fact not highly appreciated by Lucas’s father。Billy Bob’s life becomes more complicated when he falls in love with sheriff’s deputy。 A deputy that may not be all that she says she is。 He is also confronted with gangs of young men who have more money than smarts。 Adding to this he also becomes involved with a convict that seems to have at least one nut lose。Another great read from James Lee Burke。 。。。more
Peggy
，
I listened to this audiobook。 I am a big James Lee Burke fan whether it is his famous Robicheaux series or this Holland series。 The Holland series is unique in that it spans many generations of the Holland family， from the wild west of the 1880's to modern times。 This book features Billy Bob Holland， former Texas Ranger， former state's attorney， great grandson of the original Holland。 He is now practicing criminal defense lawyer in small Deaf Smith， Texas。 Billy Bob accidentally killed his Range I listened to this audiobook。 I am a big James Lee Burke fan whether it is his famous Robicheaux series or this Holland series。 The Holland series is unique in that it spans many generations of the Holland family， from the wild west of the 1880's to modern times。 This book features Billy Bob Holland， former Texas Ranger， former state's attorney， great grandson of the original Holland。 He is now practicing criminal defense lawyer in small Deaf Smith， Texas。 Billy Bob accidentally killed his Ranger partner L。Q。 Navarro， his best friend。 L。Q。's ghost visits Billy Bob regularly， giving him advise and admonitions。 Other memories from his past seem to haunt Billy Bob as well。 Much like the Robicheaux books， this book is teeming with rich descriptions， and a main character shaped by his past。 A young girl is raped and murdered。 Billy Bob defends the young man， Lucas Smothers， accused of the crime。 Billy Bob has a secret about Lucas as well。 While in jail Lucas meet Garland T。 Moon， a seriously evil man who unknown to Lucas or Billy Bob， holds critical information about Billy Bob's past。 The wealthy Vanzandt family have a drug ravished son who is involved in the murder， but the corruption of the sheriff's office and the power of the money the father has keep the son protected while Lucas is being manipulated and framed。 The DEA also gets involved when a corrupt Mexican drug cop shows up also with links to Billy Bob's partner's death。 The story is great。 I would have given it 5 stars except sometimes the descriptions of the settings and feelings got a little heavy handed for me。 。。。more
Simona Moschini
，
Il Texas， la violenza come normale modo di risoluzione della controversie， il razzismo neanche strisciante ma esplicito ovunque。。。 Credevo che i romanzi di Hap & Leonard， quelli del mio amato Lansdale， esagerassero un po' le cose in tono grottesco e comico。 Dopo questa lettura di Burke， che di comico non ha nulla， mi sa che avevo sopravvalutato lo humour。 Il Texas， la violenza come normale modo di risoluzione della controversie， il razzismo neanche strisciante ma esplicito ovunque。。。 Credevo che i romanzi di Hap & Leonard， quelli del mio amato Lansdale， esagerassero un po' le cose in tono grottesco e comico。 Dopo questa lettura di Burke， che di comico non ha nulla， mi sa che avevo sopravvalutato lo humour。 。。。more
Henry
，
After having completed all 22 of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series， I have now moved on to other of his series， beginning with Billy Bob Holland。 Burke never disappoints and although his novels are categorized as mysteries and the stories are terrific， his writing is what elevates them to a different level。 In my opinion he is one of the great living American authors in any genre。 After having completed all 22 of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series， I have now moved on to other of his series， beginning with Billy Bob Holland。 Burke never disappoints and although his novels are categorized as mysteries and the stories are terrific， his writing is what elevates them to a different level。 In my opinion he is one of the great living American authors in any genre。 。。。more
Mymymble
，
So finally I have a book I've actually read two times and， uniquely， GR says I read it once。 *shakes head*I enjoyed reading this more than when it first came out， but that might be because I realize I marginally prefer Billy Bob to his cousin Hackleberry。 I'm pretty sure I've read all James Lee Burke now， but 80+ years old and he's still publishing strong， so that's a comfort。 So finally I have a book I've actually read two times and， uniquely， GR says I read it once。 *shakes head*I enjoyed reading this more than when it first came out， but that might be because I realize I marginally prefer Billy Bob to his cousin Hackleberry。 I'm pretty sure I've read all James Lee Burke now， but 80+ years old and he's still publishing strong， so that's a comfort。 。。。more
Lorna
，
Had the plot not been a little confusing I would definitely give more stars for the writing alone。 This author is really good at setting the tone and description of the place。 It's a combination of Noir and Western genres。 There were very gritty and harsh elements so I wouldn't recommend to those who don't care for hard-boiled crime novels。 Had the plot not been a little confusing I would definitely give more stars for the writing alone。 This author is really good at setting the tone and description of the place。 It's a combination of Noir and Western genres。 There were very gritty and harsh elements so I wouldn't recommend to those who don't care for hard-boiled crime novels。 。。。more
Diana
，
Read my review here: I registered a book at BookCrossing。com！http://www。BookCrossing。com/journal/1939637 Read my review here: I registered a book at BookCrossing。com！http://www。BookCrossing。com/journal/1939637 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Cimarron Rose: A Novel
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Cimarron Rose: A Novel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft