3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Blanco County crime, May 19, 2008
This review is from: Gun Shy: A Blanco County, Texas, Novel (Blanco County Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
Ben Rehder returns us to Blanco County in Texas and into the adventures of Game Warden John Marlin again. This time out, an illegal immigrant turns up dead and it's up to Marlin and Sheriff Garza to figure it out. To make it more difficult, the NWA (National Weapons Association) is holding it's big rally at the ranch of country superstar Mitch Campbell (who is trying to prevent the world from finding out he's actually a former snowboarder from Vermont).
I enjoy the Blanco County books and recommend them to many people, however, this one just doesn't really work. It's convoluted with far too many sub-stories and three times as many characters that don't serve any real purpose. Red O'Brien and Billy Don Craddock are relegated to fourth string characters after these two guys have been in all the books and are actually probably a drawing power for readers (they are the comic relief). Why they have been demoted isn't clear. The book started off strong but, unfortunately, the momentum of the important sub-stories are increasingly interrupted by other plodding sub-stories that serve very little purpose. For me, this is the weakest of the series only because it is too convoluted with a plethora of characters and 7-10 sub-plots.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
fine irreverent look at the Second Amendment debate, May 19, 2007
Blanco County, Texas Game Warden John Marlin, a member of the National Weapons Alliance (NWA), believes that people cause trouble not guns as he supports the right of citizens to bear arms. However, he also understands why his lover, police officer Nicole disagrees as she has been hurt by misuse of guns.
Their personal dispute turns heated when Rodolfo Domingues, a Mexican illegal immigrant, working the garden outside of popular country singer Mitch Campbell's home when he is shot dead by the famous crooner. John gets involved when the corpse is found and he realizes that the victim was moved from the homicide site to the new location. Digging a bit deeper John finds a link to NWA spokesperson Mitch, who hides the fact that he is Norman Kleinschmidt of snowbound Middlebury, Vermont. Concerned, John feels strongly he better solve the complex case before the NWA annual convention fingers point towards the group in light of the Campbell connection and much more.
Though somewhat convoluted with too many sidebars (especially Mitch's past), GUN SHY is a fine irreverent look at the Second Amendment debate over gun control. The arguments are at two levels, with groups on both sides making their case irregardless of valid information as neither side wants to hear the facts that support the opponent; while also inside the John-Nicole love nest is a battle over those same rights. Fans will enjoy this fine mystery as the ethical Marlin, unlike many of his NWA cronies, and the moralistic Nicole, unlike many of her gun control supporters, refuses to allow personal beliefs prevent them from uncovering the truth.
Harriet Klausner
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As Perfect a Satirical Novel as You'll Ever Find about Guns and Developing Country and Western Music Stars, May 28, 2007
Most satire fails because it aims at just one target: In Gun Shy, Ben Rehder uses his rapier wit to humorously carve up every perspective in sight and scores perfect bull's eyes on each target.
Here are the major objects for his wit: those who favor no gun control, those who favor outlawing guns, people who take the law into their own hands, the criminal justice system, drug abusers, politicians, abusive bosses, abusive lovers, the music industry, celebrities, manipulative employees, and loafers. As you can see, there's relatively little of the landscape that doesn't get blasted in Gun Shy.
The book opens by introducing Dale Allen Stubbs, who never met a gun he didn't like. He's now enjoying life as president of the Texas chapter of the National Weapons Alliance. He gets to speak at rallies, go hunting with his five-thousand-dollar bird dog in his crew-cab pickup, and enjoy sex with his wife of twenty-five years and his twenty-four-year-old secretary (who carries a .38 in her handbag). His latest joy is promoting his college buddy, Congressman Glenn Andrew Dobbins, for governor (an effective advocate for concealed weapons). The next step in the race is to introduce Dobbins to the gun crowd, at a rally to be held at the ranch of country and western music star, Mitch Campbell.
But there's a problem looming. Campbell is a phony who's coming apart at the seams. Born, Norman Kleinschmidt, in Middlebury, Vermont, Mitch is an invention of his music producer who thought that Norman had the right face for Nashville. Just having gotten back from tour, Norman's seriously addicted to any substance that's available. Unable to resist a mushroom, Norman goes into a paranoid frenzy and shoots his Mexican gardener. Scared about the consequences, Norman calls his NWA buddy, Dale Stubbs, for help and the two attempt to cover up the crime.
From this point on, several story threads converge into a dynamic ending for this hilarious novel: John Marlin, the local game warden, is brought into the investigation along with his girl friend, Nicole (while their relationship goes cold and colder as they disagree about guns); local lay about Red O'Brien writes a country western song and decides he can sell it to Mitch Campbell; someone's killing those who helped a convicted felon; Stubbs' secretary is hired to spy on the NWA; editor Byron Gladwell is upset by the disappearance of award-winning political cartoonist, Harry Jenkins; and one-time television star Sabrina Nash fights to keep the man convicted of killing her son in jail. Yes, the plot uses all of these threads quite well. It's impressive.
As I read this book, I felt like it compared very favorably to the best of the books that Carl Hiassen has written about polluters and environmentalists in Florida. Rehder is a little more controlled in his humor, but the number of belly laughs per page is similar.
I've admired all of the books in this series, but I felt like Gun Shy is a new high for Rehder.
Highly recommended!
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