The honor (?) of being the first book I read in 2007 goes to Bill Crider’s A MAMMOTH MURDER, the 13th book in the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series. If I can make a broad, sweeping statement here (and I think I can, since this is my blog), I believe that Dan Rhodes is the most genuinely likable character in the history of mystery fiction. He’s the sort of guy you’d want to sit down and shoot the breeze with while drinking a cold Dr Pepper, which is no surprise considering his creator. The Rhodes series has other appeals, too, such as Bill’s dead-on version of a small Texas town and the mostly rural county surrounding it. (I’ve always thought of Blacklin County as being Comanche County, for those of you familiar with that part of Texas.) And the supporting characters who appear in every book are a great ensemble, too. Then there are the tuckerizations and the old paperback and movie references . . .
Well, I could go on, but I’ll just say that this is a particularly well-plotted entry in the series, with buried mammoth bones, an archeology dig, a possible Bigfoot sighting and resulting invasion of Bigfoot buffs, feral hogs, several murders, and some nice action scenes. All this plus Speedo, one of my favorite fictional canines. Wonderful stuff and highly recommended.
(And yes, I’ve known Bill even longer than I’ve known Steve Mertz, so I guess I’m biased. But the book is really that good.)
Well, I could go on, but I’ll just say that this is a particularly well-plotted entry in the series, with buried mammoth bones, an archeology dig, a possible Bigfoot sighting and resulting invasion of Bigfoot buffs, feral hogs, several murders, and some nice action scenes. All this plus Speedo, one of my favorite fictional canines. Wonderful stuff and highly recommended.
(And yes, I’ve known Bill even longer than I’ve known Steve Mertz, so I guess I’m biased. But the book is really that good.)
2 comments:
I second everything you've said, James. When Bill writes about the old stores that have been shuttered because of K-Marts and Wal-Marts I know just how wistful the memories are of those places. He's more than a writer of stories in the Dan Rhodes books, he's a keen observer of a changing landscape--and one not changing for the better IMHO.
Thanks, James and Cap'n Bob. This sort of makes my day. I just wish everyone who buys books was as perceptive as you guys!
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