Customer Reviews

Where Armadillos Go to Die (Jeremiah Spur Mysteries)

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He may be the most hated person in Brenham, Texas due to his mean spirited racism, but his restaurant Bouree is also the most popular. No one makes catfish like Sylvester Bradshaw can. His repeat customers come for the great food and not for the small talk; just the way nasty Bradshaw prefers it.

Sylvester has invented a gizmo that people want a piece of the action, but he tells everyone to stick it up their butt. When he vanishes Sheriff Dewey Sharpe thinks nothing of it as he has personal problems dealing with erectile dysfunction that is more important to him than some ignoramus disappearing. Former Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur learns that the man's office was invaded and torn apart, he becomes concerned. However, when Bradshaw's worried daughter asks him to investigate he agrees as he hopes an inquiry will help him reduce his worry over his hospitalized wife Martha suffering from E. coli food poisoning and besides he may be the only pal of rhe ornery Sylvester.

This is a fast-paced investigative tale as Texans prove tougher than E. coli. The story line is fast-paced from the onset and never slows down from the moment that Sylvester's wife calls her daughter to tell her he never came home. Over the top of Guadalupe Peak, Where Armadillos Go to Die is an enjoyable thriller due to a wacky eccentric cast and a wonderful retired hero (see Scared Money and The Night of the Dance) who still has his moxie, Texas style.

Harriet Klausner

James Hime brings back retired Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur and puts him right in the middle of murder, corporate espionage, his wife's serious and partly unexplained illness, a redneck family, and a star football player's family. Amazingly he brings all these components together and forms them into a highly readable story.

What begins as a disappearance in a small Texas town grows into a compelling thriller as ex-Ranger Jeremiah Spurs undertakes an unofficial investigation for the daughter of a missing man. Although he is understandably distracted by his wife's hospitalization for an E. coli infection, Jeremiah has no objection to filling the downtime waiting for Martha's recovery by assisting Sylvester Bradshaw's daughter. Bradshaw has been missing since her closed his restaurant, the last one on the premises, counting the evening's take in privacy. Famous for his fried catfish, Bradshaw credits his success to a secret invention, a process that has extensive ramifications for general use. Even though the word is out that Sylvester is on to something important, Bradshaw is extremely paranoid, determined to control his invention and protect his interests.

Since Sylvester has few friends and many enemies, there is no shortage of suspects, from a Huston lawyer whose daughter has also been hospitalized for E. coli, to a local big shot, ex-NFL star and toaster oven spokesman Big Ty Daniels, who badly needs another product to hype. Then there are the venture capitalists eager to get a piece of Bradshaw's action. In fact, this small Texas town is unusually busy. Besides Bradshaw's disappearance, there has been a spectacular car chase and crash when Little Ty- a current star on the football field- rolls the family Hummer, capturing the interest of local law enforcement. Politics meets fame as the conscientious District Attorney Sonya Nichols tries to accommodate the local football coach while holding Little Ty and his friends accountable for their behavior.

Filled with sly humor and a broad perspective of human nature, Hime has his finger directly on the pulse of a small town in Texas with a home-grown football hero. While Daniels and his clan live like kings within their ostentatious compound, a darker drama plays out for the Bradshaw's. Sylvester is still missing and his sons are anxious that their opportunity doesn't slip away. For all the charm of these good old boys, menace is afoot and the profiteers are waiting to pounce. The cast of characters is random and eccentric, a sheriff whose personal life casts doubt on his professional performance, a PI in possession of damaging evidence with a strong craving a for financial stability, the patient Martha, Jeremiah's wife, and Martha's ageing physician, who may be losing significant portions of his memory and possibly his skills.

This novel is pure Texas, the people, environment, larger-than-life personalities and football-worshiping citizens who take their sports heroes seriously. From the curmudgeonly Bradshaw and his raging paranoia to the desperation of Daniels' son, Isaac, searching for the next high-profile product, this novel seduces with humor and charm but doesn't shirk from a sucker punch in the name of avarice. Hime brilliantly casts his characters on a broad stage in a thriller that rocks from the first chapter to the last. Luan Gaines/2009.

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Great mystery read. Suspense, humor and great character development kept my interest. Can anyone answer this question? Did Duke the dog die in first Jeremiah Spur novel? Was he again alive and hanging out with Jeremiah in the second novel?

Having read James Hime's previous novels, I was prepared for a great ride. And I'm pleased to say he exceeded my expectations with "Armadillos." The superb pacing confirmed the talent of an author who's grown with each book, and I could easily visualize the characters and settings and believe each event in the story as it unfolded. Not surprisingly, I had trouble putting it down. And wow, was it fun.

My husband really enjoys this writer and looks forward to his books. He writes of small town Texas which my Texan husband loves.

James Hime writes a great book with good plots. His take on Texas is right on. I want him to write more books.