Holland Family Books In Order

Publication Order of Hackberry Holland Books

Publication Order of Billy Bob Holland Books

Publication Order of Weldon Holland Books

The Holland Family Saga series is a successful series of mystery, thriller, and historical fiction stories. It is written by a prominent American writer named James Lee Burke. The series is actually the third part of the Holland Family series based on the members of the Holland family, originally started by the author in 1971. James Lee Burke began writing the series in 2014 and published three books until 2016. He has set the stories between the 1910s and 1950s and has mentioned important historical events such as World War II, the Great Depression, Korean War, Battle of Mexico, etc. The important characters created by James Burke for this series include Weldon Avery Holland, Clyde Barrow, Bonnie Parker, Hershel Pine, Rosita Lowenstein, Roy Wiseheart, Clara Wiseheart, Hackberry Holland, Aaron Holland Broussard, Grady Harrelson, etc. All the stories in this series are primarily set in Texas and revolve around the Holland family members. The novels found a lot of takers in different parts of the world. They were especially liked by the fans of James Lee Burke, who were eagerly waiting for a new Holland Family series to come out. The success of this series also helped to increase the popularity of James L. Burke even more.

The debut book of the Holland Family Saga series is entitled ‘Wayfaring Stranger’. It was released by Simon Schuster in 2014. This novel is set in Texas, the United States in the year 1934. In this novel, James Burke has described a thrilling story drenched with intrigue and atmosphere that starts from a young boy’s chance meeting with Bonnie & Clyde and moves on to the World War II trenches as well as the oil fields located near the Texas-Louisiana coast. The book opens by showing that Depression is beginning to take root in America in 1934 when 16-year-old Weldon Holland encounters the infamous criminals Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker following a notorious arms theft carried out by them. The confrontation with the criminals ends after Weldon Holland shoots a bullet through Clyde Barrow’s stolen car’s rear window.

A decade later, Weldon Holland rises to the rank of Second Lieutenant. He and his sergeant named Hershel Pine manage to come out alive from the Battle of Bulge. Later, they discover a beautiful young lady hiding in an extermination camp. The woman identifies herself as Rosita Lowenstein. Weldon and Hershel wonder what she was doing in the deserted camp. Nevertheless, they ask her to accompany them as they intend to drop her in a safe place. As the days pass by, Rosita and Weldon develop feelings for each other and eventually get married. Later, they come back to Texas with Hershel Pine to spend the rest of their lives together. After arriving in Texas, Weldon decides to try his hand in the oil business as it is considered a hot topic everywhere and believed to be having a high scope for profit.

With regard to their business venture, Weldon and Rosita meet Roy Wiseheart and his wife Clara. Roy is an ex-Marine aviator and is haunted by the guilt of leaving behind his squadron leader over South Pacific. Clara Wiseheart is a deadly anti-Semite and is determined to make the lives of Rosita & Weldon a nightmare. Weldon plans to safeguard his family from all evils get shaped by his grandfather Hackberry Holland’s frontier justice and Bonnie & Clyde’s legendary antics.

Another exciting installment of this thrilling series is known as ‘The Jealous Kind’. It was also published by Simon Schuster in 1952. James Lee Burke has set this book in Houston, Texas, during the time of the year 1952. In the beginning, it is mentioned that on the surface, life in the city of Houston is as anyone would expect. There are souped-up cars, drive-in restaurants, jukeboxes, and teenagers discovering sexuality. But, beneath the superficial normalcy and glitz, a war of class has begun and it looks deadlier than the conventional war. In this circumstance, Aaron Holland discovers the first novel’s poignancy and becomes aware of the violent world that he didn’t know existed. When he witnesses the gifted and beautiful Valerie Epstein quarreling with her boyfriend named Grady Harrelson, he ends up challenging the Mob’s power and one of the wealthiest families of Texas. Aaron realizes that he must gather the courage to complete the challenge like his father had gathered while fighting in the Great War as a soldier. This novel is penned in evocative prose and is considered the most encompassing work of James Lee Burke so far.

James Lee Burke is an award-winning and bestselling American writer of historical fiction, mystery, and thriller novels. He is best known for writing the Dave Robicheaux series and has also penned other successful book series such as the Billy Bob Holland series, Hackberry Holland series, etc. Burke has also written several standalone books in his career as well as a couple of short story collections. He is the recipient of the Edgar Award and the Grand Master Award. The character of Dave Robicheaux created by Burke has been portrayed two times on screen, by Tommy Lee Jones and Alec Baldwin. The Robicheaux novels have been translated into many foreign languages all over the world. Burke’s 1982 book, Two for Texas, was adapted into a TV movie in 1998. James Lee Burke was born on December 5, 1936, in Houston, Texas and was brought up on the Gulf Coast of Texas-Louisiana. He studied at the Louisiana University at Lafayette and the Missouri University, receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees respectively in English Literature.

Before trying his luck in the field of publishing, Burke worked in various jobs. He continued to do the odd jobs for several years while his books were repeatedly getting rejected. The roles he has carried out in the various jobs include a truck driver, newspaper reporter, social worker, land surveyor, etc. He finished the writing part of his first book, Half of Paradise, at the age of 23, but couldn’t publish it. Later, he succeeded in finding an agent and went on to publish numerous books. Burke has also taught at 5 different colleges before earning tenure at Wichita State University to teach creative writing in the 1980s. Currently, Burke resides in Lolo, Montana with his wife Pearl, their 4 children and 4 grandchildren. Alafair Burke, a bestselling crime novelist, legal commentator, and professor of law is his daughter. Burke’s son Jim works as an attorney, his daughter Andree is a well known educational psychologist, and another daughter Pamala serves as his business and publicity representative.