Flat Crazy: A Blanco County, Texas, Novel (Game Warden John Marlin) - Hardcover

Rehder, Ben

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 031232135X ISBN 13: 9780312321352

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2004

Synopsis

From the Edgar, Lefty, and Barry award-nominated author Ben Rehder comes the funniest entry yet in his hilarious Blanco County mystery series. Some kind of unidentified wild creature is on the loose in Blanco, and, over the protests of sensible game warden John Marlin, the locals have convinced themselves they're dealing with a mythical vampirish beast called a chupacabra. Of course it doesn't help Marlin's cause when a dead body turns up with a suspicious fang-like wound in its neck...

Then things really get out of hand: tabloid news programs invade Blanco, good ol' boys Red O'Brien and Billy Don Craddock develop a cockamamie get-rich-quick scheme involving the animal, and everyone is a little surprised at the booming population of voluptuous Chinese dwarves who've turned up in town. If anyone can make sense of the eerie events in Blanco County, it's John Marlin, who's well-versed in the intricacies of small-town life, Texas style. But can he do it before another body turns up?

Only a first-rate humorist and ingenious plotter like Ben Rehder could possibly summon from his imagination the kind of laugh-out-loud mysteries his fans have come to count on, and Flat Crazy is further evidence that this talented writer has hit his comic stride.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

MYSTERIOUS CREATURE...
Being the final day of deer season, Blanco County game warden John Marlin shouldn't have anymore on his mind than working his way through a cold six-pack. That's his plan until a screaming, half-naked immigrant named Jorge who comes tearing out of the woods with one word on his trembling lips...Chupacabra! The mythical critter shouldn't be too hard to find, what with its vampire fangs, a lion's head, and the face of the devil...
MYSTERIOUS MURDER
Marlin's hoping that Jorge's just gone simple. But if that's the case, then why the blood-drained corpse in the woods with puncture wounds on his neck? When national media descend locust-style, everyone decides to take advantage of the publicity, including two Chinese dwarves exploring a career in adult films, an enterprising car thief, a con man with an illegal-game scam, and a pair of bubbas with a loopy plan to capture the legendary beast. It's all Marlin can do to keep from going flat crazy himself-before another body turns up.
"You'd have to be Flat Crazy to miss a Ben Rehder book."
-Rick Riordan, author of "Southtown"
"Another of Rehder's relentlessly twisted tales. Outrageous fun."
-"Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)

About the Author:

Ben Rehder's first Blanco County mystery, Buck Fever, was nominated for the Edgar, Lefty, and Barry Awards. Bone Dry, the second in the series, was named by Field & Stream as one of the most worthwhile reads of 2003. Ben lives with his wife, Becky, in Austin, Texas, where he was born and raised.

About this edition

• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 031232135X
• ISBN 13: 9780312321352
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320