The American West in the early 1960s appears to be a pastoral paradise. Aspiring novelist Aaron Holland Broussard has observed it from the open door of a boxcar, riding the rails for both inspiration and odd jobs.
Jumping off in Denver, he finds work on a farm and meets Joanne McDuffy, an articulate and fierce college student and gifted painter. Their connection is immediate, but their romance is complicated by Joanne’s involvement with a shady professor who is mixed up with a drug-addled cult. When a sinister businessman and his son who wield their influence through vicious cruelty set their sights on Aaron, drawing him into an investigation of grotesque murders, it is clear that this idyllic landscape harbors tremendous power—and evil. Followed by a mysterious shrouded figure who might not be human, Aaron will have to face down all these foes to save the life of the woman he loves and his own.

I had only read the first of the Dave Robicheaux novels by Burke but was so enthralled by his writing the when I was offered an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher of the newest in his Holland Family series, I had to request it and was not disappointed. His writing is marvelous in his descriptions of his characters and their surroundings, and this one had a little paranormal thrown in which just added to the background of the story. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request for this wonderful book.

This was a quick read about a young man who is an author who works as a foreman for landowners. He encounters love and evil. The good guys are a little bit bad and/or bad ass and the bad guys are bad beyond imagination. It's not always easy telling them apart. Great prose and a touch of the supernatural make this a worthy read.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

A unique cast of characters set in a unique town - conveyed by Burke's almost lyrical prose, read it in a day. Not a happy book, but definitely a good read.

Burke is obviously an extremely talented and successful writer. His descriptions are excellent and he develops his characters well. That said, I just didn't care for this book. I couldn't relate to any of the characters and - as someone who was around in the 60's - the story felt like something from the 30's, not the 60's. I'm sure I'll be in the minority but not every book is for every reader.

I enjoyed this suspenseful story. This is a well written story that takes place in the 1960's. The author's use of details added to the story which kept it engaging. I enjoyed being pulled in to the story by the characters and what they brought to the story. I found this book to be fast paced and the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. This is a great story about justice and love. There is alot going on in this story but the author did a great job of not getting me lost and kept my interest. I enjoyed the growth throughout the story. This is a faster paced story that I really enjoyed. I highly recommend this book.

I received a free electronic copy of this book, an ARC, from Netgalley, James Lee Burke, and the publisher Simon & Schuster. I have read Another Kind of Eden of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I love everything James Lee Burke blesses us with. And though I can't wait to read his southern novels, His Holland Family sagas are all exceptional.

This book is more true-to-life than anything else I have read about this period of time in the Southwest. It is obviously based on personal experience, and from the heart. Taking place in the early 1960s, we are in southern Colorado, a small town called Trinidad 21 miles north of Raton, New Mexico. Trinidad was a mining town back in the early 20th century, and with a population now of about 8,000 and still dwindling in 2021, it continues to be economically dependent on tourism and truck gardens, still small, down-home, insular, and isolated. This is pretty much a template of small western towns, then and now.

This is a first-person tale told by Aaron Holland Broussard, a young man of 26, trained as an English teacher but working his way across the west by hopping trains and making a living as a farmworker while he waits for a publisher to want his first novel. The western lifestyle of the early 1960s is portrayed as it probably was. I was 12 or 13 in southern New Mexico and didn't see much off of the farm but from what I remember the times were rather bleak. Money was tight - is always tight in farm country - and immigrants and hippies were often traveling through on their way to anywhere else. Veterans of WWII and Korea were also traveling through our west, looking for something. They would find a place to land, but the road would call them before long, and they would be on their way to somewhere else. Aaron lets us see it through his eyes, and it is so sad it might bring you to tears, but you will have a much better understanding of both that time frame in America and the woes of veterans of our country's 20th-century wars. Another Kind of Eden is a book I would like everyone I know to read. It is a wake-up call for all of us to take to heart.

This is one of my husband's favorite author's so I decided to give his work a try. This is the first book I've read by this author.
The book absolutely is not for me! Is it because I didn't start the series at the beginning?
I'm not sure. I did not make a connection with any of the characters.
The story is disjointed and all over the place with a bunch of little side stories.
One thing I will give him credit for is very descriptive writing, such as I've never seen before.
It seemed he put more effort into his descriptions than he did into the story line itself.
One thing I noticed about his writing is the words the characters speak to each other are very graphic and vulgar. I don't know if this is his regular writing style but it is not what I am looking for in a book.
Though the book is not for me I know his writing is very popular so don't let my review hold you back from trying this book. My husband has read all of them besides this one and enjoys them.

Published August 17th 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I would like to thank Simon and Shuster and Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC.
The central character reminded me of the prodigal son story in some ways and Aaron the main character is returning to himself in a lot of ways. The books prose are beautifully descriptive which makes you want to read more. I am not from the south or any where close to a farming area but I felt like I was there. With ever so slight magical realism throughout it had me wondering what was real and what wasn't. You can see the evil head on in this book and even though you know the major climax will have something to do with addressing that evil you still wonder how it will end. This is my first James Burke and I will be reading more of his work.

What a privilege to read Another Kind of Eden by James Lee Burke, such a legendary author. I haven't read his works in many years, I'd forgotten how talented he is. I also haven't read all the Holland family series and was not familiar with the main character, Aaron Brousard.
It was gritty and dark 1960's Colorado. The atmospheric setting and characters were well described. There is racism and some sexual content. None of that particularly bothered me.
That said and at the risk of being ostracized, I could not get through the book or relate to it. I attempted to read it for almost two months, and it's a short book!
I grew up on small 200 acre farm where my father grew grain & cotton and raised cattle. We vacationed in cheap travel trailers at campsites in Colorado as far back as I can remember, which would include the 60's and 70's. Nothing in this book reminded me of those times or that place. Granted, my memories are those of a child and a teenager. We were not well off, we ate out of a ice chest or on a Coleman grill, no hotels. My father did the combine run through multiple states and I was around the field workers.
I've been an avid reader for far too long to admit. I love reading all types of history, fiction, literary, westerns, and mysteries. This book didn't hold my interest, I couldn't grasp the characters, and I couldn't find anything I gained from reading as much as I did. I'm sorry and I know I will be in a minority.
I will continue to have the utmost respect for the author and his knowledge. My gratitude to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital advance copy. The opinions stated here are mine given voluntarily.

The novel follows Aaron Holland Broussard to Denver where he finds work as a farmhand but is quickly promoted when the owner finds him hard-working and loyal. Farm life is not his life goal though. Broussard has written his first novel and hopes to find a publisher soon. If you have read any of Burke's earlier works, you will find the names Holland and Broussard familiar. Though this book has familiar names, the story can be read as a stand-alone.

I am a big fan of Burke and I loved this novel even more than all the others I've read. This one has all the hallmarks of his earlier works - the brooding, tough, loyal loner, the Western scenery, the archetypal Western bad guy - but adds elements of folklore and mysticism to the mix. It sounds like an odd combination, but Burke really makes it work.

If you have not read anything from this author before, then you are in for a real treat. This isn't your typical western. The prose is simply beautiful. I can't think of another author that compares. I don't even usually like westerns, but these are just so different. The writing style is literary fiction while the plot is edgy western. I can't even describe the experience but I will recommend it to anyone and I will keep on reading every novel this author puts out.

I thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have been reading James Lee Burke novels for many years. He doesn’t disappoint and this was no exception. Full of violence, mysticism and romance, Burke can write a story! I love how his characters always have a moral compass it do things outside of the box. Aaron and JoAnne are never meant for each other. The Vickers are all sorts of evil. Just an all round good story!

Three and one half stars for this gem from James Lee Burke. His prose pulls you into the vortex of his tale, spinning and twisting you until you come out asking yourself, “What just happened?” I treasured the glimpses into Aaron Holland Broussard’s mind, especially those involving his friend Saber. He is the knight on the white horse riding into the most evil setting your mind can create. He is such an anomaly - I avidly read to find out which evil characters were coming his way next. The twists came in the form of other characters…good or evil, reality or fantasy, friend or foe. The ending just created more questions in my mind. So many symbols…evil or part of a play rehearsal? Loved this race to the finish and my mind working so hard to catch up. Thanks for the ride James Lee Burke. Thanks also to Simon Schuster and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this soon to be published gem.

This is not the typical book by James Lee Burke that I usually read. I love his New Orleans books. Having said that I am always astounded by burke,'s writing chops. Everything he does has such a lyrical and literary slant to it and this book is no different. I will look forward to his next book in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The best non-Robicheaux book that Burke has written in a long time! Another (distant) chapter in the Holland (Holland Broussard) Family saga. It is filled with worldly reflections and prose that makes you want to look deep down in yourself. Would give 4.75 stars if I could, only because I would have liked about another 25-40 pages of this story!

James Lee Burke is a masterful writer and a national treasure. Still, having read all but two of his novels, I'm convinced that with the passage of time he's going deeper and deeper into some strange territory. The books are getting increasingly mystical and surreal, so much so that at times it's been hard to find the plot.

That is NOT the case with Another Kind of Eden. It's compact, and much more linear than the most recent books. Burke's genius is evident, but he reined himself in with the supernatural phenomena. They make an appearance, but are not the stars of the show.

Perhaps my appreciation of this story stems from the fact I've always like the Holland family series more than the Robicheaux books (except those set in Montana). Odd, because Burke displays sheer wizardry when he writes about the bayou, but it often seems over the top.

There are hints that Aaron Holland Broussard, the lead character, has more than a little in common with Burke himself. He's a writer and a teacher and a veteran, and he carries the values we associate with The Greatest Generation. He wanders into a small Colorado town and finds that hell quite literally has broken loose.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance readers copy.

Two of the things I like best about James Lee Burke as a writer is his skill in character development and his descriptive writing. Both make his novels come alive for the reader.

Another Kind of Eden is set in the 1960s. Aaron Holland Broussard, a Korean war vet and an aspiring writer, has submitted his book for publication and is now riding the rails in boxcars in the American West. He jumps off in Colorado and picks up some migrant work working for Jude Lowry, owner of a large dairy and produce farm, a man he comes to respect greatly.

Aaron, a troubled 26 year old, is often at odds with himself. He has been known to be prone to violence, has blackouts that he can't remember, and says he has a personality disorder in that he has three different personalities. Yet those who know him best say he is a good man, one who stands up for the right things. He finds himself falling in love with Joanne McDuffy, a college student, who has a strange and damaging relationship with one of her professors. The professor, in turn, is involved with a hippie drug cult.

Aaron also finds himself having to deal with a local businessman and his son who wield their power over the locals in evil and sadistic ways. One of the main themes throughout the book is the battle between good and evil, including some supernatural happenings as well.

A slow-burner, one cannot help but root for Aaron and hope that things work out for him.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read an ARC of this book which is scheduled for publication on 8/17/21. All opinions (and any errors) expressed in this review are my own.

Even though James Lee Burke has written many books, I’ve never read one until this. I found the writing to be very well done and the reader definitely gets a feel for each character because the descriptions are great. However, for me the storyline was a bit too gritty and I wasn’t a fan of the supernatural and demons that were part of the story. Depending on your taste and what you’re looking for in a story, this may be for you. It’s just not for me. .
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my ho easy review. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley.

I love James Lee Burke's writing as much as I am entranced by his plots and this latest is no exception. He has a particular style and rhythm to his words that is instantly recognizable and oddly comforting, especially when he's writing about violence and dark things,. Aaron Holland Broussard, a Korean War vet with mental health issues and a former professor, is now working as a farm laborer in Colorado. A chance meeting with Jo Anne, a waitress, and an evil father-son duo sets him off into a maelstrom of events that will at times make you ask why he doesn't just leave town. Except he's fallen in love. Unfortunately, Jo Anne is involved with her art professor and there's a bus load of drug addled people in her back yard. And there's murders in the area, Burke writes vivid characters- you'll be able to visualize the Sheriff, his equally troubled coworkers, and others- but he soars with atmospherics and landscapes. Know that there are ghosts and that the big showdown might be a bit confusing (it was for me) but there are great pleasures here. There's also a line near the end about Broussard's books that might make long time readers think a bit about Burke himself. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This will be fine as a standalone- new readers will find themselves seeking out more- and his fans will be pleased as well.

I would like to thank Simon and Shuster and Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC free for an honest review.
Full disclosure...I am a James Lee Burke fan. I have never read any of the Holland Books (of which this is one) but have been thoroughly transfixed by the Dave Robichaux series.
Aaron Broussard , the central figure, arrives in Trinidad Colorado and jumps off the box car he has been riding and lands a job as a migrant laborer on a large tomato farm working for a seemingly father type figure in Jude Lowry. Aaron is running from demons that have haunted him ever since his service in the Korean War. He hallucinates and appears to suffer from PTSD . Much of the time it is difficult to separate the mystical and fantastic goings on from the real . I believe Burke does this deliberately to show how close one can fall into the abyss between madness and lucidity.
Aaron is also a writer and learns while he is in the employ of Mr and Mrs Lowry on the farm that he is about to have his first book published. He also falls in love with Jo Ann , a waitress/artist and while she cares for Aaron she does not want to marry him.
Aaron and his friends fall into trouble with the local rich bully and his son and most of the book is an exploration of how evil resides within all of us. The Epilogue does not resolve what exactly happened in the climax of the mystery and final confrontation leaving the reader to decide for themselves.
I very much enjoyed the descriptive prose and dialogue but those looking for a linear narrative that has a definitive story line with resolution will be disappointed. Burke has much to say about human nature and does not show restraint, subscribing to the Hobbesian view that life is nasty , extremely brutish , and often short.

Another Kind of Eden by James Lee Burke

Publication Date: August 17, 2021 by Simon & Schuster



A modern day morality play starring the flawed and tortured soul of Aaron Holland Broussard,
haunted by the violence inherent to the Holland family line and the recurring nightmares that may or may not represent reality … especially those from the Korean War. He was an articulate twenty-six year old, trained in Journalism at the University of Missouri, but considered himself a failure. After a short stint as an English instructor, and a completed novel gathering dust in a New York agent’s office, he found himself riding the rails with the intent of doing menial farm jobs while gathering inspiration. At times he had nonalcoholic blackouts and other times fugue states … not quite knowing what represented reality. He was plagued by the knowledge that those in powerful positions maintained their control by unbridled cruelty. He certainly could not fathom a reason for killing animals for sport.

In the spring of 1962 he finds himself hopping off the train in Denver, and inexplicably riding a Greyhound bus into the city of Trinidad, where he quickly hires onto the diary and produce farm of Jude Lowry. The bucolic setting is not what it seems on the surface. While the era of hippies and free love is burgeoning , along with it is the culture of drug trafficking, and union-busting. Nonetheless, Aaron finds purpose and camaraderie with two quirky and colorful bunkmates. There was Cotton Williams with silver hair down to his shoulders and his nose firmly implanted in a continuing stream of Classics Illustrated comics. His backstory involved being an active participant in the liberation of Rome from the Nazi hordes. He personally exterminated the exterminators deep in the catacombs… earning him a Silver Star. Equally likable was Spud Caudill …. “a good soul, but as homely as mud, and as socially sophisticated as a dirty sock floating in a punch bowl” … who spent most of his time thinking and pursuing women.

Their first taste of unjust power and corruption occurs when the three are sent to Trinidad with a truck load of farm goods. While eating in the local restaurant , neither Aaron or Spud can keep their eyes off the young and beautiful waitress. As they innocently made their way back to the truck, they were attacked and bludgeoned mercilessly by four men, wielding ax handles.

To their surprise, the motivation for the assault was a sticker on the rear bumper of Mr. Lowry’s truck …United Farm Workers. While at the jail for questioning , Aaron receives a message from the waitress. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with. Call me” … signed Jo Anne McDuffy.

Aaron not only calls, but insists he wants to talk in person and comes to her house. She informs him the attack was led by Darrel Vickers on behalf of his powerful father , Ruben Vickers. He is well known locally for his penchant for cruelty to maintain control, as well as to humiliate and degrade. While at Jo Anne’s house, he asks to view her paintings, and is met with her statement: “I paint things that not many people care about” … all are extrapolations of photographs taken after the 1914 Ludlow Massacre involving women, children and the local miners. Aaron describes his impressions: “…the canvas had become an entryway into a ragged pit in the earth where eleven children and two women were assembled like a church choir, their heads shaped like darning socks, backdropped by smoke and flames, their mouths black holes, their screams trapped under the paint ….” Aaron enters into an ill advised and troubled courtship with Jo Anne that has far reaching complications and the inevitable confrontation with the Vickers.

Just one example of gems placed in the mouths of his multifaceted characters: “I hate people who flaunt violence and take pleasure speaking of it. They belong to a culture of cowards and misogynists … every one of them is cruel and a spiritual failure… The louder their rhetoric, the more craven their behavior …”

James Lee Burke crafts a masterful complex and convoluted tale involving power, greed, cruelty, and mental illness , as well as, love and justice. Utilizing lyrical prose and complicated and well fleshed out multiplicity of characters he resolves his exciting denouement with the introduction of the supernatural and mysticism that one wonders where reality ends. Although Burke has written other tales involving the Holland family, this captivating and gritty journey can be enjoyed and devoured as a standalone. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.

( at readers remains.com AND Mystery and Suspense Magazine )