House of the Rising Sun

A Novel

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Will Patton

Bestselling author James Lee Burke’s “stunning” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) masterpiece is the story of a father and son separated by war, circumstance, and a race for the Holy Grail—a thrilling entry in the Holland family saga.

After a violent encounter that leaves four Mexican soldiers dead, Texas Ranger Hackberry Holland escapes the country in possession of a stolen artifact believed to be the mythic cup of Christ, earning the ire of a bloodthirsty Austrian arms dealer who places Hack’s son, Ishmael, squarely in the cross hairs of a plot to recapture his prize.

On the journey from revolutionary Mexico in 1918 to the saloons of San Antonio during the Hole in the Wall Gang’s reign, we meet three extraordinary women: the Danish immigrant who is Ishmael’s mother and Hackberry’s one true love; a brothel madam descended from the Crusader knight who brought the Shroud of Turin back from the Holy Land; and a onetime lover of the Sundance Kid, whose wiles rival those of Lady Macbeth. In her own way, each woman will aid Hack in his quest to reconcile with Ishmael, to vanquish their enemies, and to return the Grail to its rightful place.

An epic tale of love, loss, betrayal, vengeance, and retribution, The House of the Rising Sun further cements Burke’s reputation as “one of America’s all-time masters” (New York Journal of Books).

Will Patton reads

Will Patton makes the story alive the best reader of James Lee Burke novels. Check more will Patton reads.

JLB's words are magical

One sees, feels and, sometimes, even smells whatever he is describing. I once woke my husband from a deep sleep to read a passage describing a flock of pelicans. It was too beautiful not to share.