Bone Dry: A Blanco County, Texas, Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Ben Rehder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2004

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312994605
• ISBN-13: 978-0312994600
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #207,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Series
  • #85 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > General > Comic

More About the Author

Ben Rehder wanted to become a writer ever since he was dropped on his head as a toddler. As he grew into a young adult and the vertigo gradually dissipated, his passion for literature grew. Ben longed to craft the type of soul-stirring prose that would touch people's lives and help them explore new emotional horizons. But he went to work at an ad agency instead.

Throughout his rewarding and fruitful career in the ad business, Ben has been known to write such imaginative and compelling phrases as "Act now!," "Limited-time offer," and "Compatible with today's rapidly changing network environment."

However, there eventually came a time when, as unbelievable as it sounds, writing brochures and spec sheets simply wasn't enough to satisfy Ben's creative urges. Ben knew: It was time to write a novel.

"But what kind of novel?" Ben asked himself, drawing stares from passersby.

A mystery? A thriller? A work of suspense? Ben had read hundreds of books in these genres and loved them all. But nothing had sparked his creative juices enough to try it himself.

Fate played a hand one day when Ben's father-in-law tossed him a copy of a Carl Hiaasen novel. And then it hit him. It literally hit him, right in the forehead. When the swelling went down and Ben had a chance to read the book, he discovered a type of fiction he had never experienced before--the comic crime novel! He loved the wacky characters, the zany plots, the interesting writing that threw a good deal of humor into the mix.

So Ben set out to write his own novel. After many grueling minutes in front of a computer, Ben was proud to present Buck Fever. Like many best-selling classics, Buck Fever has lots and lots of verbs, prepositions, adjectives, and the occasional gerund. It was even nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel!

Next came Bone Dry, Flat Crazy, Guilt Trip, Gun Shy, and Holy Moly. Ben's next novel--The Chicken Hanger--will be published in March of 2012. This news is certain to send chills of anticipation up your spine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bone Dry a great read!, September 7, 2003

By 

Tripp Holmgrain (San Antonio, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bone Dry: A Blanco County, Texas, Novel (Game Warden John Marlin, 2) (Hardcover)

Murder and mayhem in the Hill Country? A comedy mystery a hunter could love? A compelling read you'll want to finish in one sitting? "Bone Dry," Ben Rehder's latest novel answers: Yes, yes, and yes.

Witness protection program member Sal Mameli, has been relocated to Blanco County in hopes of avoiding his old "associates." Learning there's big money in cedar clearing, he quickly succumbs to old criminal tendencies. Only this time, Game Warden John Marlin is there to see things don't get out of hand.

Enter a six-foot blonde bombshell activist, bent on saving the Red-necked Sapsucker -- an endangered bird dependent on cedar, and the action begins. While Marlin tries to keep the peace, the murders pile up.

I dove into Bone Dry not knowing what to expect, and surfaced pleasantly surprised. The 339 page yarn grabs and holds your attention, reads quickly, and keeps you laughing -- making it hard to come up for air. Rehder does a good job weaving several action-packed sub-plots into one good story, while avoiding superfluous detail.

"Bone Dry" is Rehder's second mystery novel. His first, "Buck Fever," was nominated for the prestigious Edgar, the murder-mystery writer's Oscar.

An avid hunter from childhood and advertising copywriter for twenty years, Rehder is relatively new to story telling.

"I wrote my first book at 37. I'd always wanted to write a novel, but on what? I was told, write what you know. Well, I know deer hunting and I know the Hill Country, so my choices were obvious."

Asked about advice for aspiring writers, he urges: "Go for it! You'll never know unless you give it a stab. I'm glad I did. I only regret it wasn't sooner."

Rehder pens his tales from a small hilltop cabin in Blanco County. When not writing, he's hunting. "I'll hunt 3-4 days a week during deer season," says Rehder. "Bow and rifle seasons combined, I'm almost burned out by the time it's all over."

Let's hope Rehder doesn't get burned out - on hunting or writing. We'll be worse off if he does.

To any Texan who's picked up a deer rifle - pick up Bone Dry. But be warned, you'll have trouble putting it down.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong, humorous regional game warden procedural, September 4, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bone Dry: A Blanco County, Texas, Novel (Game Warden John Marlin, 2) (Hardcover)

Blanco County, Texas Game Warden John Martin knows that the opening day of deer hunting season is always a disaster, but this time the hunters come up with a new one. Apparently a six-foot blonde Amazon has wrecked the deer blinds of the locals using an assortment of tricks and devices and which even includes peeing on them. This female ghost even shot up Rodney Bauer's pick-up using the man's 12-gauge that she easily took from the paralyzed man in shock by her beauty.

As John works on his relationship with Nurse Becky, environmentalist Inga Mueller has become an avenging angel. She is dedicated to protecting endangered species from the ravages of the hunters. However, though her victims drive John crazy, he considers her a minor amusing nuisance especially when compared to the rash of corpses that suddenly surface.

Readers who appreciate a strong yet humorous regional police procedural, game warden style, will want to peruse BONE DRY. This is a great tale that leaves the audience laughing at the antics of the secondary cast along side a bemused John that is until the murders start. However, the key to this terrific who-done-it is the mystery is first rate and the characters are fully developed so that the audience receives a fabulous plot that will send newcomers seeking more works from Ben Rehder.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Read, May 22, 2010

By 

F. Schulze (Flower Mound, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bone Dry: A Blanco County, Texas, Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

Enjoyable read. I can see how Redher's story telling style is compared to that of Carl Hiaasen. Serious subject matter with a sense of humor. Lots of twists and turns. Realistic plots. Good sense of place; great character building. Hard to put the book down; sorry that the story had to end. Looking forward to reading more from Redher.