Book Review- James Lee Burke- Cimarron Rose

James Lee Burke- Cimarron Rose (Hyperion 1997) 3.25 Stars

Billy Bob Holland has just found out that his illegitimate son, Lucas Smothers, has been arrested for a brutal rape and murder. Now he must reconnect with a son he has had nothing to do with for many years and try to prove that he is innocent, even if it means destroying his own reputation forever. Lucas had been found in a drunken stupor near the scene of the crime, and feels terrible about the fact that he does not know whether or not he committed the crime, but Billy Bob has information that proves his son did not commit the crime. He must make powerful enemies in order to find the actual killer, and messing with the rich can be a dangerous game.

I have read a book that is later in this series, and I enjoyed it much more than this one. Cimarron Rose had many annoying scenes where Billy Bob goes back to his days in the Rangers when his friend L.Q. Navarro died and Billy Bob pictures his old friend constantly, having whole conversations with him, making me question his sanity. These scenes were not only irritating, but they were also very distracting. Billy Bob is a very deep character, although in this book I saw a side of him a really did not like, the side of him that enabled him to nearly beat someone to death and break laws he is supposed to uphold. I did enjoy the overall plot as it was complex and kept my mind going to figure out what he was going to do next, although at times I found it a little tedious.

I recommend Cimarron Rose to Burke fans only.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- John Grisham- The Last Juror

John Grisham- The Last Juror (Dell Publishing 2004) 3.5 Stars

Willie Traynor, a 23-year-old man with dreams and ambitions, moves to Clanton, Mississippi in 1970. He has just bought the town’s newspaper and wishes to make something of himself. A brutal rape and murder shake the town to its foundations. The guilty man just happens to be part of a rich and troublesome family who live apart from the rest of the town, stuck out on an island. Willie Traynor attends the trial and records everything, despite threats from the family. Grisham tells the tale of the trial and the events that transpire after.
They say that this book is supposed to be a thriller, but I would not call it that, a thriller is supposed to grip your attention and make you bite you nails in anticipation. The Last Juror feels more like a drama to me and certainly did not succeed in griping my attention throughout. This novel had a great beginning, a great middle and a great ending, aside from that Grisham included way too many details. Grisham included many sections that had nothing to do with the main part of the story and he could have removed a couple hundred pages in my opinion. He should have stuck to the main storyline more and reworked his detailing. He did however have strong characters, dialogue, and the idea behind the storyline was really great.
Overall I thought that this book was just average for Grisham. I would recommend it to people who are die-hard Grisham fans; otherwise you may not make it through the book.

For more of my reviews check out my website. http://www.tonypeters.webs.com/

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
www.eloquentbooks.com/KidsonaCase.html