Game warden John Marlin hopes that Burnett, a likeable kid, isn't found dead in his burned down house. But Marlin doesn't have the same warm fuzzy feelings about rancher Vance Scofield, who is missing after his SUV is found in the river. Scofield, a skirt-chasing SOB, is a "high fencer," a rancher who pens trophy bucks behind deer-proof fences which lazy hunters can bag for a fee. To Marlin it's like shooting fish in a barrel. Worse, a range war of sorts has erupted with the low-fence ranchers, and things are turning downright ugly. Of course Marlin still doesn't know about the X-rated pictures a blackmailer took of the state senator in cahoots with the high fencers...the scheme being hatched by two bumbling poachers...or the stolen red Corvette which may be the key to everything. What has caught his attention is the sheriff's department's pretty new deputy...
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.
