A Mammoth Murder [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Bill Crider (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2006

One hot summer morning, big, tough Bud Turley brings an enormous tooth into the Blacklin County police station and asks Sheriff Dan Rhodes to keep it for him until the paleontologist from the community college comes up to examine it. Turley insists that the tooth is proof that Bigfoot roams the woods---unless it is from a prehistoric animal, which Rhodes thinks is more likely. But Turley's buddy Larry Colley has maintained for years that he's seen Bigfoot. Most inhabitants of Blacklin County have avoided those woods, but Colley and Bud are at home there, and Turley is ready to crow over his find. However, the next day his body is found in the forest, leaving Larry Colley more certain than ever that a monster is lurking there.

Dan Rhodes is not sure that Bud's death is the work of an "ordinary" criminal. And he wouldn't be too surprised if somehow feral hogs were involved; Rhodes knows what many Texans don't---it is estimated that at least a million and a half feral hogs roam the state; many believe it could be twice that many. But when the sheriff is faced with the murder of an elderly woman in the small store she ran at the edge of the woods, he knows he has a human killer on his hands.
A Mammoth Murder is Bill Crider's thirteenth mystery featuring Sheriff Dan Rhodes, his two-man headquarters "staff," and the quirky citizens of Blacklin County. Readers of the series will unanimously welcome another visit to this hospitable, if surprising, Texas community where mixed with the real-life inhabitants you'd find in any small Southwest town, there will always be some really unique goings-on.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brisk and funny dialogue propels Crider's diverting 13th mystery to feature Texas Sheriff Dan Rhodes (after 2003's Red, White, and Blue Murder). When a dead body turns up in a Blacklin County forest better known for its bigfoot sightings, Rhodes hopes the murderer won't be as hard to catch as the legendary monster itself. One morning, town character Bud Turley alerts the sheriff that he's found bigfoot's tooth in a patch of woods notable mainly for its feral pigs—and for a local boy having disappeared there years back. When the fossil tooth proves to be that of a mammoth, Rhodes isn't surprised, but when the corpse turns out to be Turley's best friend—and when another murder takes place nearby, not long after—things really get complicated. Turley, meanwhile, has already summoned amateur bigfoot investigators nationwide to come to Blacklin County to investigate. Fans and newcomers alike will enjoy this playful romp with a Texas drawl. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Sheriff Dan Rhodes of Blacklin County, Texas, is hoping to escape the rigors of wife Ivy's low-fat diet with a trip to the Dairy Queen when Bud Turley-- referred to by the locals as Bud Squirrely--enters the office and asks him to guard the tooth he found in the woods and believes belongs to Bigfoot. But before they can summon the experts, the body of Larry Colley, Bud's pal and fellow Bigfoot believer, is discovered in the same woods, dead from a blow to the head. The tooth belongs to a mammoth and may be of some scientific interest, but before the excavation can begin, a local shopkeeper is also murdered: two bodies, no apparent motive and all very close to the site where a young boy disappeared a decade earlier. Rhodes moves forward in his quiet way, exploiting the small-town rumor mill as he develops a theory that will explain both the current and the older killings. The thirteenth Rhodes mystery is another satisfying puzzler populated by colorful Texas characters and driven by the author's distinctive, dry wit. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 365 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (July 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786286563
• ISBN-13: 978-0786286560
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,909,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born and brought up in Mexia (that's pronounced Muh-HAY-uh by the natives), Texas, went to college at The University of Texas and North Texas State University, and taught high school and college classes for many years. In 1992 I retired as Chair of the Division of English and Fine Arts at Alvin Community College, in Alvin, Texas. I'm married to the lovely Judy, and we have two grown children, Angela, who's an attorney in San Francisco, and Allen, who's in the music business in Austin. Other than that, I'm a pretty boring guy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Day in the Life of Sheriff Dan, August 20, 2008

By 

Nancy "Stepfordmomto2" (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Mammoth Murder (Hardcover)

#13 in the Dan Rhodes series, but I don't really think that this is a series you have to read in order. I haven't and don't feel that I'm missing anything.

Dan is Sheriff of Blacklin County, Texas with an odd group of deputies that make Barney and Mayberry seem normal.

Bud Turley shows up one day with a very large tooth that he swears belongs to Bigfoot. Since he and his buddy Larry have been searching the woods since childhood, this discovery doesn't seem so out of place. But life isn't that simple and now Larry is dead. the Bigfoot Convention hits town and the body of a local boy missing for 10 years shows up.

Sheriff Dan already has his hands full, if it wasn't for the feral pigs and snakes, this would just be another day in the life of a small county sheriff. This is a very funny quick read book, I recommend this series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb often humorous police procedural, April 22, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: A Mammoth Murder (Hardcover)

In Blacklin County, Texas Bud Turley finds an enormous ancient looking tooth in a section of woods that only he and his friend Larry Colley frequent as both insist Bigfoot lives in the area and many residents either believe them or just fear these two crazy tough guys. Bud brings his treasure to the police station and asks Sheriff Dan Rhodes to safely hold it until a paleontologist from the nearby community college evaluates what Turley claims is a find that proves that Bigfoot lives in the woods; Rhodes assumes the object is the remains of a prehistoric animal.

The next day Bud is found dead with Colley screaming he was the victim of Bigfoot trying to silence him; Rhodes assumes a more human culprit killed Turley or perhaps it was the work of feral hogs. When an elderly woman is murdered nearby, Rhodes ties that death to that of Turley and has no doubt a human is the murderer. However, his effort to determine who is hampered as the crime scenes have been tampered with by Turley and Colley telling the world they can prove Bigfoot exists leading to Bigfoot mania from people coming to Blacklin Country from around the country and a few other spots.

Few authors if any can combine humor with a strong police investigation better than Bill Crider does. In Rhodes' thirteenth appearance, he serves as the serious element working on a murder case while a horde of eccentric outsiders are drawn to the area because of the alleged Bigfoot tooth finding and devastate the crime scene. As Rhodes ponders why him instead of the glamorous TV CSI dudes, A MAMMOTH MURDER is Mr. Crider at his best with a superb often humorous police procedural.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Entertainment, January 30, 2012

By 

RockHound - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Mammoth Murder (Kindle Edition)

I didn't buy this book on Amazon, but rather in a store.

Crider's droll tongue-in-cheek humor is at its best here, leaving one totally entertained. I bought this book in Dillon, Montana, on my way home from Montana to Utah and made the mistake of starting it in the parking lot of the store where I bought it. I ended up stopping and reading another chapter or two about every thirty miles on the way home because I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on. I finished the book before I got to the Montana-Idaho border, which isn't all that far from Dillon. And I was anxious to get home, BTW, so I wasn't really intending to read a book on the way.

I love Crider's style and his understated humor. I wish I could buy all his books, and I'm slowly working on it. A great read and recommend for anyone who likes mysteries. Heck, I didn't even READ mysteries until I discovered Crider. Thanks, Bill.