In <I>The Moon of Red Ponies,</I> Billy Bob Holland discovers that jail cells have revolving doors and the bad guys are back and aching for revenge.<P>Johnny American Horse is a young activist for land preservation and the rights of Native Americans. He is charged with the murder of two mysterious men -- who recently tried to kill Johnny, or at least scare him off his political causes. Billy Bob discovers a web of intrigue surrounding the case and its players: Johnny's girlfriend, Amber Finley, seems as reckless as she is defiant; Darrel McComb, a Missoula police detective who is obsessed with Amber; and Seth Masterson, an enigmatic government agent, who makes Billy Bob wonder why Washington is so concerned with an obscure murder case on the fringes of the Bitterroot Mountains.<P>As the dead bodies multiply, Billy Bob is drawn closer to the truth behind Johnny American Horse's arrest -- and discovers a greater danger to himself and to his whole family.