The Night of the Dance: A Mystery [Hardcover]

James Hime (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 2003

Sissy Fletcher, the preacher’s daughter, disappeared on the night of the Rodeo Dance ten years ago and has been missing ever since. Until now, that is—a team drilling an oil well has made a grisly discovery in an isolated pasture. Seeing as how it’s an election year, finding her killer is a bigger priority than it might usually be in sleepy Washington County, Texas, where not much ever happens anyway.

Though it’s becoming clear that the town isn’t quite as sleepy as it seems. Martin Fletcher, Sissy’s brother, seems to believe he’s on a mission from God to raise hell in Washington County. He and his partner, Dud Hughes, aim to start small, with armed robbery, and work their way up to bigger things, but an inquiry into his sister’s death threatens to draw a little more attention his way than he wants just now.

As the mood begins to the shift in the town, three men put their heads together to work the case: ex-Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur, who is retired but can’t get the thrill of the chase out of his blood; the current sheriff, Dewey Sharpe, who just may not be as dumb as he looks; and Deputy Clyde Thomas, an African-American ex-Dallas cop who is probably the savviest of the bunch. All in all, it’s a terrifically original, jaunty, and action-packed debut from a writer to watch.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hime's remarkable debut is a disturbing and richly textured tale of a young woman's murder that takes 10 years to unearth (literally). An incorruptible Texas Ranger teams with a local big-bellied sheriff and a prickly black deputy from the city in a crusade against evil in a dusty small town; the author, however, reworks such staples from central casting in surprising and thoroughly satisfying ways. He cuts between the viewpoints of these and other characters like a master film editor. Each cut ratchets up the suspense. Each character shows distinctive diction, foibles and personal morality (or lack thereof). Each viewpoint offers a different lens on the novel's complex, rapidly unfolding events. No less assured is Hime's use of the present tense, which grips the reader throughout with you-are-there immediacy. Add to the mix an up-and-coming female lawyer, a preacher's son who hears the Lord's voice urging him to be the next Timothy McVeigh and a county D.A. who seems to pull the strings on just about everyone. Then sprinkle generously with illicit sex, blackmail, political corruption, racism, religious hypocrisy and a few pinches of down-home humor (including delightful local idioms and a hilarious fart scene). Hime stokes the embers of Lone Star crime to white hot intensity, while ladling the grill with his distinctive home-brewed dressing. He's a first novelist to bet the ranch on.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Wildcat oil drillers outside Brenham, Texas, discover the skeletal remains of Sissy Fletcher, the teenage preacher's daughter who disappeared 10 years before on the night of a rodeo dance. Because there was no body and no evidence of foul play at the time, the case drifted into limbo. Now Sissy's dead and the case is live, even attracting the attention of Houston television stations. Dewey Sharpe, the sheriff of Washington County, is under tremendous pressure to solve the murder, if only to salvage his reelection bid. Deputy Clyde Thomas, formerly a Dallas cop, is the only experienced investigator on Dewey's staff, so Sharpe reaches out for help to retired Texas Ranger captain Jeremiah Spur. Thomas, Sharpe, and Spur form an unlikely team: a politically ambitious redneck; a misplaced black cop from the city; and a retired tough guy facing personal tragedy (Spur's daughter is dying of cancer). The first novel by Hime is surprisingly polished; it reads like the work of a seasoned, capable pro. The primary characters are carefully drawn, without gimmicks, and each is driven by unique, realistic motives. Top it off with a conclusion that is unexpected but so damn right, and you have one of the most impressive mystery debuts in years. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (May 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312313225
• ISBN-13: 978-0312313227
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,036,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Peyton Place Meets The Dukes of Hazard, October 19, 2009

By 

michael a. draper (Guilford, CT) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Night of the Dance (Mass Market Paperback)

All seems quiet in the Texas town of Brenham until some men digging a well find the body of Sissy Fletcher. She's the Preacher's daughter who disappeared ten years ago.

The Sheriff knows that his investigatory skills are nonexistent and he has been informed that he better solve this case or there will be someone elses name on the ballot for sheriff in the next election. He asks ex-Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur for help.

Jeremy has only been retired for six months and is spending his time in his farm, praying for rain, and thinking about his daughter who is dieing from cancer.

Martin Fletcher, the Preacher's son is a military enthusiast and redneck. He and his friend, Dud Hughes rob a liquor store as practice for something bigger. Complications happen and they kill the black manager and the manager's mother, who came to drive her son home.

The town's best cop is Clyde Thomas, a black deputy who was a Dallas policeman. He and Jeremiah and Clyde's girlfriend, assistant district attorney Sonya Nichols team up to solve the case.

The story is told with humor and empathy for the way of life in a small Texas town that has suffered from an epidemic of blackmale, illicit sex, bigotry and dirty politics.

Hime writes the story with such talent that he brings the reader into the action as if the reader was sitting on the bench in front of city hall, watching the events as they unfold.

The characters are well developed. Jeremiah Spur is an excellent protagonist in the strong, silent Texan type and Clyde reminded me of Sidney Pottier in the 1967 movie "In The Heat of The Night" with his prideful but powerful manner and professionalism.

The novel was nominated for an Edgar Award for the Best First Mystery Novel.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Your Murder Mystery Library, May 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Night of the Dance: A Mystery (Hardcover)

James Hime's first novel The Night of the Dance is an excellent murder mystery. Hime succeeded in keeping me fascinated from the first through the last page because he comes out the gate with a fast pace and sustains his intensity through the last word. The characters are tremendously enhanced through Hime's obviously intimate knowledge of Texas dialect and colloquialisms. The Night of the Dance has an excellent and exciting plot with numerous unexpected and intriguing twists that will keep you guessing. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves a well-written, fast paced murder mystery. I am looking forward to the future adventures of Jeremiah and Clyde.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thing are not what they seem in small town Texas, August 26, 2003

By 

A. Christie "bibliofiend508" (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Night of the Dance: A Mystery (Hardcover)

Ten years ago a preacher's daughter disappears on the night of a rodeo dance. After her body is discovered an investigation ensues conducted by a good ole boy Sheriff, a retired Texas Ranger, and the rural town's only black Deputy Sheriff. This is a highly unlikely threesome-as different from each other as they can possibly be. They add their own unique personalities and viewpoints to the story. In the course of the investigation a lot of the town's skeleton's come tumbling out of the proverbial closet.

James Hime has written a very strong debut novel. Several times I thought I knew the outcome, but each time I was wrong. Intricately plotted, there is a twist at every turn. A very atmospheric novel which conveys the feeling of small town rural Texas both the good and the bad. I look forward to the author's next book