Newly arrived in Montana, Billy Bob Holland fears for his family’s safety when Wyatt Dixon, the depraved killer rodeo clown he sent to prison back in Texas, is released on a technicality. Dixon declares he has found Jesus and is currently stable on a cocktail of chemicals, but Billy Bob remains dubious of any claims of reformation. He doesn’t have much time to dwell on his suspicions, however, as he’s hired to defend a young Native American activist who is charged with the murder of two mysterious men. As he investigates, Holland discovers a web of intrigue and begins to wonder why Washington has become so concerned with an obscure murder case on the fringes of the Bitterroot Mountains.

“James Lee Burke tells a story in a style all his own, in language that’s alive, electric. He’s a master at setting mood, laying in atmosphere, all with quirky dialogue that’s a delight.” —Elmore Leonard

“Burke is probably the most descriptive mystery writer at work today and In the Moon of Red Ponies contains pages of romantic, luminous descriptions of landscapes. . . . I look forward to the next in the Billy Bob series as eagerly as I do the next Dave Robicheaux. Thrilling stuff.”— Peter Guttridge for The Guardian

“Readers will savor Burke’s lyrical prose and finely shaded psychological tension as Billy Bob and his cohorts teeter between idealism and brutality.”—Entertainment Weekly