Lay Down My Sword and Shield cover art

Lay Down My Sword and Shield

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Lay Down My Sword and Shield

By: James Lee Burke
Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

Hack Holland is a product of the South, both old and new. Hard-drinking ex-POW and wealthy, progressive Democrat, he stands in the long shadow cast by his ancestors.

When Holland's candidacy for a congressional seat brings him increasingly into conflict with those around him, his almost unwitting involvement with a violent civil rights conflict forces him to reassess his future - and his past....

©1971 James Lee Burke (P)2010 Recorded Books LLC Crime Fiction International Mystery & Crime Modern Detectives Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Fiction Detective Crime

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Cold, Cold Ground cover art
Black Wings Has My Angel cover art
The Weight of This World cover art
Ruritanian Rogues: Volumes 1-3 cover art
Where All Light Tends to Go cover art
The Line That Held Us cover art
Dead I Well May Be cover art
The Ranger cover art
For Whom the Bell Tolls cover art
Wolves cover art
The Power of One cover art
Wilderness and Other Stories cover art
The Dentist cover art

Critic reviews

"A fantastic novelist…so far above the prevailing standards of crime fiction that it is pointless to make the comparison" ( Daily Express)
All stars
Most relevant

Any additional comments?

The narrator was very good, But, he just isn't Will. Whom all fans of the Burke writing style, I am sure, relate to as being Huckelberry Holland. Nonetheless great story, great narration and we want more Huck escapades.

We want more Huck!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

better story, better writing

What could James Lee Burke have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

not written it

Have you listened to any of Tom Stechschulte’s other performances? How does this one compare?

very good reader - no country for old men

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment

Any additional comments?

why did he even write this pointless tripe?

waste of print

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I've read and enjoyed most, if not all of JLBs novels. I read this one in the Times of Donald Trumps dictatorship. the first two chapters were too reminiscent of him. I moved on to something less irritating. Sorry JLB

Not for me

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.