James Lee Burke is a national treasure. Whether he is penning a stand-alone novel or treating his loyal readers to one of his stellar Dave Robicheaux books that have thrilled us for decades, you quite simply cannot go wrong with anything he creates.

A return to the world of the Holland family, DON’T FORGET ME, LITTLE BESSIE is a deeply nuanced exploration of not only the dangerous elements existing in America at the start of the 20th century, but also the unfortunate results of violence against women and misogyny that was prevalent during these times.

This is all done through the eyes of 14-year-old Bessie Holland, who we watch grow physically and emotionally. Her adventures begin in Texas but then take us across the country, later centering on New York City and the tinderbox of a neighborhood known as the Five Points in Manhattan.

"DON’T FORGET ME, LITTLE BESSIE is an intense and eye-opening novel told through the eyes of a young lady who is forced to mature well before her time."

Rather than doing this in a sarcastic or comically unbelievable way, like Winston Groom’s classic FORREST GUMP, Burke depicts Bessie’s journey with gritty realism and unflinching observations about the changing world around her. At the start, we see Bessie without her mother, who has passed away. She lives with her brother, Cody, who flees Texas after a violent attack, and Hackberry, a typical absentee father who once was a Texas Ranger but now spends his time mostly intoxicated and involved in less than legal endeavors.

Bessie stands up to the people who wronged her family and injured her brother, and is adept with the guns that she uses to exact her revenge. She also is constantly accompanied by Mr. Slick, a strange man only she can see, and befriends suffragette English teacher Ida Banks. However, a violent attack by some men who threaten the area where they live in the name of oil production results in Miz Banks being raped before Bessie’s very eyes. After accidentally killing an unarmed man in a valiant attempt to defend her father, she heads to New York City where her brother is.

The novel gives us both interactions with and stories about famous historical figures, such as the Sundance Kid. My favorite moment involves Bessie’s meeting with a pre-Alamo Davy Crockett and the sarcastic comments she makes about his coonskin hat.

With only Mr. Slick to keep her company, Bessie eventually finds Cody. However, the Five Points area is no place for a teenage girl, and she comes to learn that no one is to be trusted and no place is safe. With Irish gangs and the dreaded Black Hand ruling the neighborhood, Bessie will have firsthand interaction with the forces that are making history during this volatile period in America.

DON’T FORGET ME, LITTLE BESSIE is an intense and eye-opening novel told through the eyes of a young lady who is forced to mature well before her time. You just cannot resist rooting for Bessie Holland and reeling with each blow she suffers while she experiences some of the worst that this era has to offer.