Synopses & Reviews
Life can get a little wild from time to time for John Marlin, the game warden in Blanco County, Texas. For instance, Marlin didn't even bat an eyelash when a local resident's amorous encounter with a white-tailed deer came to light last year-on videotape. Aside from that, however, few incidents compare to the stories flying around town at the start of this new deer season.
Hunters all over the county are reporting an incredible sight: a six-foot-tall, drop-dead gorgeous blonde is roaming the woods, searching out camouflage-clad men with guns and disarming them with powers of seduction the likes of which none of them have ever come across before. Of course, the last time any of these guys was seduced was by the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog, so Marlin wonders if the reports are a bit exaggerated.
Everyone has some hearty laughs at the expense of a few embarrassed hunters, until one of their own turns up dead in the woods. Now Marlin has a real mystery to deal with. Meanwhile, rumors are spreading about a new Blanco resident, an ex-New Yorker named Sal Mameli who's ruffling feathers with his loud mouth and his penchant for getting his own way, no matter what the cost. Before long, John Marlin realizes he may be the only sane man in town, and he's starting to wonder if he can last much longer himself. It's just the start of another unforgettable hunting season in Bone Dry, the hilarious second novel from Edgar finalist Ben Rehder.
Review
"You don't need an invite to the Bush ranch to have fun in Texas. Ben Rehder, whose Buck Fever earned him an Edgar nomination for best first mystery last year, is back."-Chicago Tribune
"Fans of Rehder's rollicking debut, Buck Fever (2002), which was nominated for both Edgar and Lefty awards, will welcome the sequel, an over-the-top tale of sex, mayhem and murder in Texas's hill country."-Publishers Weekly
"More funny adventures of John Marlin, amiable, estimable game warden of Blanco County, Texas...[a]winning sequel to Buck Fever...characters to chuckle at, yes, but Rehder never forgets he's got clues to furnish and a story to tell."-Kirkus Reviews
"A humdinger. Funny, sardonic, and filled with clever metaphors and similes, Bone Dry is as cool and satisfying as a Lone Star beer on a hot Texas afternoon."-Sports Afield
"Lots of twists and turns and authentic police procedures...[a] fast-paced romp."
-San Antonio Express-News
"Weird, wild, and wacky. One of the funniest mysteries of the year. [This] fast-paced novel has a variety of peculiar plotlines that all converge in a wild and memorable ending. Rehder's first book was a finalist for the Edgar Award and the Lefty Award (for the funniest crime novel of the year). His latest effort is in the same category-it's a nifty, hilarious romp that's tough to put down."
-Lansing State Journal
"Funny...much like Carl Hiaasen's gore-spattered howlers."-Field & Stream
"The pace of [Bone Dry] is steady and swift, the tone wry and playful."-Drood Review
"Take a novel about hunting, throw in some unforgettable characters, and add a dash of ribald humor."-Abilene Reporter-News
Synopsis
Praise for Ben Rehder and
Buck Fever:
"Imagine Carl Hiaasen with a Texas accent. Buck Fever is a laugh-filled riot."
-Denver Post
"This debut novel is a complete success. The writing here is confident and vigorous; the tone is quintessentially Texan and relentlessly wry. There's sure to be a long career for this wacky, happy series."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Briskly paced, amusing, spiced with deftly drawn good-old-boy portraits: an altogether promising debut."
-Kirkus Reviews
"This fast-paced comic thriller comes within shooting distance of Hiaasen and Leonard territory.... A promising debut."
-Booklist
"A wild and crazy first novel."
-Library Journal (starred review)
Synopsis
The hilarious follow-up to the Edgar Award finalist for Best First Novel, "Buck Fever," finds Texas Game Warden John Marlin dealing with a gorgeous blonde who disarms hunters with her powers of seduction.
Synopsis
Praise for Ben Rehder and Buck Fever:
"Imagine Carl Hiaasen with a Texas accent. Buck Fever is a laugh-filled riot."
-Denver Post
"This debut novel is a complete success. The writing here is confident and vigorous; the tone is quintessentially Texan and relentlessly wry. There's sure to be a long career for this wacky, happy series."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Briskly paced, amusing, spiced with deftly drawn good-old-boy portraits: an altogether promising debut."
-Kirkus Reviews
"This fast-paced comic thriller comes within shooting distance of Hiaasen and Leonard territory.... A promising debut."
-Booklist
"A wild and crazy first novel."
-Library Journal (starred review)
Synopsis
It's deer season in Texas...and the hunters have become the prey!The opening of deer season always brings a Texas-sized wave of excitement to sleepy Blanco County, but this year, game warden John Marlin is finding mysteries as thick as ticks on a whitetail's rump. First, there are reports of a blonde bombshell who's been raising Cain with hunters, scaring away wildlife and trashing vehicles. Then, there's the tragic discovery of a local man shot to death and left in his deer blind. Further muddying the watering holes are the schemes of a recently relocated East Coast wiseguy now called Sal Mameli, who along with his son Vinnie-a wannabe gangster with more muscles than brains-has been trying to corner the area's lucrative brush-clearing market. And finally, a feisty old rancher has disappeared, leaving behind a trail of blood and enough questions to keep both John Marlin and the local sheriff chasing their tails for some time to come.
Just as he did in his Edgar Award-nominated novel Buck Fever, Ben Rehder serves up a generous helping of murder, mystery and down-home humor in a place where the sun is hot, the beer is cold, and 'most every neck is good and red.
"An over-the-top tale of sex, mayhem and murder in Texas's hill country."
-Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
The opening of deer season always brings a Texas-sized wave of excitement to sleepy Blanco County, but this year, game warden John Marlin is finding mysteries as thick as ticks on a whitetail's rump. First, there are reports of a blonde bombshell who's been raising Cain with hunters, scaring away wildlife and trashing vehicles. Then, there's the tragic discovery of a local man shot to death and left in his deer blind. Further muddying the watering holes are the schemes of a recently relocated East Coast wiseguy now called Sal Mameli, who along with his son Vinnie-a wannabe gangster with more muscles than brains-has been trying to corner the area's lucrative brush-clearing market. And finally, a feisty old rancher has disappeared, leaving behind a trail of blood and enough questions to keep both John Marlin and the local sheriff chasing their tails for some time to come.
Just as he did in his Edgar Award-nominated novel Buck Fever, Ben Rehder serves up a generous helping of murder, mystery and down-home humor in a place where the sun is hot, the beer is cold, and 'most every neck is good and red.
About the Author
Ben Rehder's debut novel,
Buck Fever, was named one of the best books of 2002 by both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. It was a finalist for the Edgar Award, the Barry Award, and for the Lefty Award, which goes to the funniest crime novel of the year. Ben is a native Texan and a resident of Austin.