Finished Tu 8/13/19
This is one of my ancient paperbacks that I finished Sa 2/9/02 and bought at the North Branch for fifty cents.
This is the first in the Hollander Series and was published in 1971. It features Hackenberry Holland.
Hack is a lawyer with a rich family history. His grandfather was a sheriff and captured John Wesley Hardin. He knocked him off his horse and dragged him to jail. There are six bullet holes in the columns of Hack's front porch from Hardin's gun.
Hack is married to Verisa. She is a social climber and sticks with Hack because she believes he has a future in Texas politics.
Hack is partnered with his older brother, Baily, in a local law firm. Baily constantly complains to Hack about his drinking and his lackadaisical approach to their law practice.
Hack is deeply unhappy and uses huge amounts of Jack Daniels, beer, and wine to ease his pain.
Hack served in the Korean War and spent several months in a North Korean prison camp. He was shot through both calves and nearly died in captivity.
He is deeply conflicted about how he acted. He feels that he might have 'cooperated' with the enemy.
A man that he served with is a labor organizer and contacts Hack. The man is jailed on trumped up charges.
Hack travels to the border and takes the case. He meets the lovely Rie Valasquez who is of college age and helps organize the union.
They begin an affair.
Excellent descriptions of excessive drinking. Hack seems to always be driving the highways between San Antonio and Houston drunk (yet in command) in his Cadillac.
An excellent description of being in a labor demonstration and beaten by the police.
Excellent descriptions of life in a Korean prison camp.
I absolutely loved the book and will try to read everything by James Lee Burke.
From Google Books
"Vintage James Lee Burke: The first novel introducing the memorable Texas sheriff Hackberry Holland, coming of age against the backdrop of the civil rights era in a sultry border town.
In hot and sultry Texas, Hack, an attorney and Korean War POW, is being pushed by his wife, his brother, and his so-called friends in the oil business to run for political office. But Hack would prefer to drink, look after his beloved horses, and represent the occasional long-shot pro bono case at his law firm. When Hack attempts to overturn a conviction for an old army buddy, he finds himself embroiled in the seamy underbelly of the Texas patronage system—and in the earliest beginnings of the United Farm Workers movement, led by a beautiful woman who speaks to his heart in a way no one else has. As Hack begins to bring justice to the underserved, he finds both a new love and a new purpose.
With his skillful blend of engaging plotlines, compelling characters, and graceful prose, James Lee Burke demonstrates the shimmering clarity of vision that has made him beloved by suspense fans all over the globe."
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