Buck Fever: A Blanco County, Texas, Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Ben Rehder (Author)

Book Description

Series: Blanco County, Texas | Publication Date: September 15, 2003

Blanco County, Texas.

It's one week before the start of deer hunting season, and everyone in town has come down
with a case of...Buck Fever.

The fury begins with Red O'Brien and Billy Don Craddock, two drunken poachers who fire a shot in the direction of Blanco County's most important resident: a wide-eyed, white-tailed deer named Buck who lives on the Circle S ranch. Now Buck is on the loose, and no one knows where to find him: not Trey Sweeney, the man who took the bullet meant for Buck, albeit right in the flank of his own deer costume; not Tim Gray, the veterinarian who can't function very long without popping a few canine tranquilizers; and especially not Roy Swank, owner of the Circle S, who wants desperately to find Buck for reasons no one can quite understand. Navigating all this turmoil is Blanco County Game Warden John Marlin, with a little help from his best friend Phil and a beautiful nurse named Becky who seems too good to be true. But when a dead body turns up, the real mystery in madcap Blanco County soon boils down to a single question: Just who is hunting whom?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's not easy to be consistently absurd for an entire book. This debut novel is a complete success, tearing out of Texas chock-full of characters so nutty and events so strange it seems as if they must be real. Game warden John Marlin has been best friends with Phil Colby since grade school. Marlin essentially grew up on the vast spread of the Colby ranch, and he was nearly as crushed as Colby when the ranch was lost. The new owner, Roy Swank, is as greedy and unscrupulous a man as Texas can produce-and everyone knows Texas does things in a big way. Swank can be petty, too: he insisted Colby leave his tame deer, aptly named Buck, pointing out that native whitetails belong to the state. Swank has set up a profitable deer farm, and hunting season is right around the corner. He's got a big opening day planned, complete with rich and famous guests. Marlin, meanwhile, comes across some white powder that spilled from a poached deer-one that belongs to Swank. There's also a wildlife biologist dressed up as a doe, a doe dressed in stiletto heels and a garter belt, as well as some frequently drunk good ol' boys named Red and Billy Don. Rehder gives Marlin a little time to talk about hunting, to explain that it doesn't have to be merely a killing spree. Although his observations seem somewhat forced, it's probably a worthwhile interjection. 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 happy, wacky series.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

County game warden John Marlin and Sheriff Herbert Mackey lock horns when two dumb-and-dumber poachers accidentally shoot another idiotic guy wearing a deer costume. The poachers also wound a particularly rambunctious big-antlered buck, which just happens to be Marlin's former pet. Elsewhere in the county, a body is discovered beneath a shoddily repaired bridge, and a slick, drug-dealing Colombian comes looking for a game, ranch-owning, crooked lobbyist. This is a wild and crazy first novel, crowded with weird people, unusual relationships (both animal and human), and frequent humor that will appeal to fans of Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey, and other comic mystery writers. Strongly recommended for most collections.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (September 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312992203
• ISBN-13: 978-0312992200
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,045,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast moving action!, February 12, 2003

By 

Allen Bristow (Atascadero, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buck Fever: A Blanco County Texas Novel (Hardcover)

A drug ring disguised as a game farm? What a great plot!
I couldn't put it down once started. The multiple sub-plots
all come together in a well crafted ending. Each character
was developed so completely that I could identify with their
motives (no matter how evil). The author pokes a little fun at the commercial game farms now replacing traditional open range deer hunting in some regions.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Buck Fever, December 29, 2002

By 

Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Buck Fever: A Blanco County Texas Novel (Hardcover)

See book description above.

YeeeeHawwww! This was a fun one.
The writing was fast and furious. The story line original and outrageous. As a first novel, Ben Rehder has started out on the right foot. Keep up the good work.
If you're looking for something fun, yet not to serious, to read, be sure you give Rehder a shot.

Recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If You Like this Novel Also Check Out the Author C.J, Box Who Writes Similar Game Warden Novels Set in Wyoming, October 6, 2007

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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

This is a great light fun read! If you loved this book also check out the author C.J. Box and his Joe Pickett adventures which also follow a game warden based near a hunting culture small town filled with eccentric red necks, corrupt officials and other fun characters, his books are set in Wyoming. Both even have similar author photos complete with dogs and bucket hats or whatever they're called inside the back covers. Open Season is the first novel in that great series, check it out!

Buck Fever is actually only book one in a series of adventures set in Blanco County Texas. Being the author's debut novel you'd expect it to have a few flaws but pleasantly surprised you will be that although may not be as funny as his more recent stuff, it's still a very good and enjoyable read. Like any great series it's always good to read the books in order to fully appreciate the characters.

Buck Fever follows the daily life of game warden John Marlin starting off a week or so before hunting season commences. He gets a call over the radio that a deer has been shot with some weird developments and arrives to find the deer is actually someone he knows in a deer costume. He also sees his best friend's long time but recently lost to him companion Buck, a very agitated large male deer at gun point and immediately tries to convince the sheriff not to shoot him and to let him tranquilize Buck instead. The sheriff only has wall trophy on his mind but luckily a call from rich lobbyist Roy Swank whose ranch these incidents are on stops him as he values kickbacks and bribes from Swank a lot more than a new trophy. It soon becomes apparent Buck is a lot more valuable than just as a game animal when Swank hires local dim witted rednecks Red and Billy, who started this whole debacle in the first place, to get the animal back for ten grand. What follows is an hilarious tale, throw in a man locals believe to be Antonio Banderas who isn't too thrilled to be working with Texan amateurs and certainly isn't going to let anyone take his picture, some other Columbians, a veterinarian who likes to self subscribe and ignore the only for animals warning on the labels, red neck bar locals as well as other eccentric characters and you've got one entertaining read!