Winner of the 2012 Audie Award for Mystery
The critically acclaimed thirtieth entry from New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke, featuring Texas Sheriff Hackberry Holland in an epic tale that is equal parts thriller, Western, and literary masterpiece.
James Lee Burke returns to the Texas border town of his bestseller Rain Gods, where a serial killer presumed dead is very much alive…and where sheriff Hackberry Holland, now a widower, fights for survival—his own, and of the citizens he’s sworn to protect.
When alcoholic ex-boxer Danny Boy Lorca witnesses a man tortured to death in the desert, Hackberry’s investigation leads him to Anton Ling, a mysterious Chinese woman known for sheltering illegals. Ling denies any knowledge of the attack, but something in her aristocratic beauty seduces Hack into overlooking that she is as dangerous as the men she harbors. And when soulless Preacher Jack Collins reemerges, the cold-blooded killer may prove invaluable to Hackberry. This time, he and the Preacher have a common enemy.
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"James Lee Burke is an American treasure. Nobody writes like him. This story has more plot lines coming together than you can believe with a fascinating cast of characters. Hackberry Holland is one of the most unique protagonists we will ever encounter. Crack it open and you are in for a wild ride."
— Don (4 out of 5 stars)
“James Lee Burke presses onward with his singular mission to rewrite the American western in Feast Day of Fools…Burke is constructing a whole mew mythology in this series, with characters haunted by history and driven by ghosts…Hackberry Holland’s assertion that ‘a martial and savage spirit had ruled these hills’ since the time of the conquistadors is a good man’s way of saying that the violence we do sinks into the ground we walk on and becomes part of our collective heritage.”
— New York Times Book Review“Burke’s evocative prose remains a thing of reliably fierce wonder.”
— Entertainment Weekly“James Lee Burke—muscular and elegiac, brutal and compassionate—is a Stetson-wearing, spur-jangling giant among novelists.”
— Esquire“When the literary lights of the 21st century go marching in, James Lee Burke will be leading the parade. For five decades, Burke has created memorable novels that weave exquisite language, unforgettable characters, and social commentary into written tapestries that mirror the contemporary scene. His work transcends genre classification…Feast Day of Fools is a richly complex novel with several themes and subplots…extraordinary characterizations, dialogue, sense of place, and an almost mystical, allegorical summation.”
— Philadelphia Inquirer“Riveting…Burke is creating an allegorical, almost Biblical setting here: The lost wander hopelessly in the desert, seeking revenge or redemption or some terrible mix of both. The moral center in all of this is Hackberry Holland, who feels old ‘in the way people feel old when they have more knowledge of the world than they need.’ He’s Burke’s most fascinating character, a man whose sense of justice has been shaken but not destroyed. Equally compelling is Pam Tibbs, the most no-nonsense woman in fictional law enforcement (‘Men often thought she was trying to be cute. They were mistaken’). The push-and-pull between the two is just one more of Burke’s thrilling examples of the mysteries of the human heart.”
— Miami Herald" Great read. A book that you do not want to put down "
— Sue, 2/3/2014" Burke writes interesting characters. I was initially sucked in, but then it got long. This would have been a much better book if you shaved off 150 pages. "
— Elizabeth, 2/3/2014" Lots of Badies, and even a bady turned goody. More intense than before. "
— Malia, 2/1/2014" Quite a cast of characters in this one, but what pushes this audiobook over the top is the stellar narration by Will Patton. "
— Nicole, 1/22/2014" There is much to like in the last, thus far, installment of the Hackberry Holland series. Suffice to say if you have not read this series by James Lee Burke - Start. Great read. "
— Simon, 1/19/2014" One of the most literary crime writers I have ever encountered. I would definitely read another of his books. He has a gift for language. "
— Terrie, 1/18/2014" WOW... I am new to Mr. Burke's writing, but I can honestly say I will be singing his praise! This is an amazing book. "
— Emily, 1/11/2014" Will Patton did his usual excellent job of narrating this book on CD. I don't think I will ever get tired for James Lee Burke novels. Here again he did a superb job (IMHO) of bringing to life the landscape and the people. "
— Mindy, 1/10/2014" I wish I could write as well as James Lee Burke. I like the cast of characters that come into Hackberry Holland's life. I see the landscape as Burke describes them. What can I say, it's a James Lee Burke book. "
— Jeffrey, 12/27/2013" James Lee Burke writes sentences to savor...what an amazing author! "
— Aunt, 12/6/2013James Lee Burke is a New York Times bestselling author of forty novels and two short-story collections. He has won the Edgar Award, the CWA Gold Dagger, and the Grand Prix de Littérature Policièr. He was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. His novel The Lost-Get Back Boogie was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and two of his books, Heaven’s Prisoners and Two for Texas, have been made into motion pictures.
Al Gore, former vice president of the United States, is co-founder and chairman of Generation Investment Management. He is also a senior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and a member of Apple Inc.’s board of directors. Gore spends the majority of his time as chairman of The Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit devoted to solving the climate crisis. Gore was elected to the United States House of Representatives four times and the Senate twice. He served eight years as vice president. He authored the bestsellers Earth in the Balance, An Inconvenient Truth, The Assault on Reason, and Our Choice. He was a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.