Bone Dry: A Blanco County, Texas, Novel (Game Warden John Marlin, 2) - Hardcover

Rehder, Ben

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312291329 ISBN 13: 9780312291327

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2003

Synopsis

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.

About this title

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 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.

From the Back Cover

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)

From the Inside Flap

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)

Reviews

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. Unlike in most regional mysteries, though, there's little sense of the landscape, and the off-color humor won't be to every taste. A drought has made it open season on the area's thirsty cedar trees, and brush-cutters Emmett Slaton, a 75-year-old rancher, and Sal Mameli, an ex-mafioso in the witness protection program (whose repeated use of "dis," "dat" and "fuhget about it" wears after a while), compete for the business. When a potential buy-out goes sour, Mameli kills Slaton, then sends his son, Vince, to hide the body. Meanwhile, curvaceous eco-activist Inga Mueller has come to Texas to protest hunting and the destruction of the cedar breaks that are home to the endangered red-necked sapsucker. Her unorthodox methods bring her to the attention of game warden John Marlin, who has enough on his hands helping the sheriff look into the shooting of hunter Bert Gammel. Not surprisingly, though, Marlin finds time for Inga. When the chief suspect in Gammel's murder takes a hostage and holes up in the Blanco County jail, it seems nothing more can go wrong. But it does. Readers will get a wild ride, but not a very convincing one.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0312291329
• ISBN 13: 9780312291327
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320