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

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.

Reviews

Edgar-finalist Rehder's improbable and outlandish third mystery to feature game warden John Marlin (after Buck Fever and Bone Dry) finds the Blanco County, Tex., area in a sweat over presumed sightings of a mysterious wild animal called a chupacabra. No one knows what one looks like, but various lurid descriptions have stirred up local interest as well as attracted some unwelcome outside media attention. A corpse with a neck wound that looks like the work of fangs helps fuel the frenzy. Meanwhile, bumbling bubbas Billy Don Craddock and Red O'Brien come up with a superbly grandiose plan that entails capturing the mythical beast. Ex-con Duke Waldrip hasn't exactly reformed; he has a nice scam going involving phony trophy heads and exotic (and illegal) animals for staged hunts. But Duke's day starts badly when he's confronted by a wised-up hunter and it gets progressively worse as he tries to cover his tracks. Throw in an opportunistic car thief, a young boy with a taste for adventure, a few escaped exotics and a wealthy wastrel with a rebuilt trophy wife, and Rehder has a stable of characters and critters guaranteed to create havoc. Marlin's quiet competency adds to the enjoyment, as he puzzles out this confounding mystery only to have to rely on assistance from a most unlikely source.
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Edition details

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