This book is part of the Holland family saga. Back in 1835, Sam Holland escaped from prison, fighting in the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. Sam’s grandson, Hackberry Holland, was a Texas Ranger. Hackberry’s grandson, Aaron Holland Broussard, is the star of this latest tale, set in Texas in 1952.

The Jealous Kind is told from 17-year old Aaron’s perspective. He sees the beautiful (of course!) Valerie Epstein fighting with her boyfriend, Grady Harrelson, at a Galveston drive-in, and steps in. He doesn’t realize that by doing this, he is challenging the power of one of the richest families in Texas, as well as the Mob. And things take off from there, down a very winding road!

Along the way, Aaron gets involved with lots of people who all seem to have a ton of baggage and many also have nasty motivations. Some of the characters seems to bounce between good and evil, and there are lots of confrontations (there is a lot of testosterone flowing, for sure). Aaron has a strong moral compass, and is clearly the glue that holds this whole story together. He may remind some readers familiar with Burke’s work of a young Dave Robicheaux.

Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of JLB but my husband is – he LOVES this author. So, the rating comes from him more than from me. I (we) give it five stars, with thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.