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Summary: A true to life redneck Texas tale!
Review: A great read! I couldn't put it down. I think I even talk more Texas now that I've read the book. Hope Hime keeps it up.
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Summary: A brilliant debut from a brilliant man!!
Review: As a mystery maniac, I find myself very critical of new authors...but James Hime has won me over instantly!! This book has so many twists and turns it will have your head spinning... Everytime I thought I had the ending figured out, Hime threw me another curve ball. I can't wait for the next book in this series. READ THIS BOOK!!!
Rating:
Summary: This is a good read
Review: For a mystery with clever twists and turns and filled with people with interesting personalities, this is a good read. The plot moves fast with unpredictable consequences. I fell in love with Jeremiah Spur and want to know more about his life. In the end it seemed that I had known each person personally and hated to see the book end. Let us have the sequel soon.
Rating:
Summary: Fine mystery.
Review: Gripping mystery in gritty small-town Texas setting. Fine characterizations, authentic racial and sexual conflict, and smooth present-tense writing. Dialogue is perhaps a little hokey, but the story easily pulls the reader along so quickly that there is no need to dwell on a few too many down-home similes. I'd like to read more by this author.
Rating:
Summary: Fine mystery.
Review: Gripping mystery in gritty small-town Texas setting. Fine characterizations, authentic racial and sexual conflict, and smooth present-tense writing. Dialogue is perhaps a little hokey, but the story easily pulls the reader along so quickly that there is no need to dwell on a few too many down-home similes. I'd like to read more by this author.
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Summary: New York reader
Review: Hime's first novel reminds me of Texas - strong characters, great dialogue, terrific plot. I'm waiting for a follow-up already. Jeremiah Spur is in the vaunted tradition of the great Texas Rangers (eg, Lonesome Dove).
Rating: 
Summary: overdone "southern/western" dialogue
Review: I am a Texan and particulary enjoyed most of James Hime's descriptions of small town Texas; however, it was a bit overdone on the negative side sometimes. I won't review the story since that has already been adequately done elsewhere.Just a couple of nit-picky comments. Suggestion for Mr. Hime's next books (and I do hope he publishes them). Go easy on the metaphors and similes - remove 'like' from your vocabulary. I got the feeling sometimes that there was a compilation of quaint texas phrases that Mr Hime referred to so that every paragraph contained at least one, sometimes more. Also, another reviewer referred to Brenham, Texas (location of the story) as 'hill country'. It's about a hundred miles East of the Texas hill country for those readers that care about that sort of thing and within easy driving distance to Houston for a daily visit. However, this is one of the best new author's I've read the past year and look forward to more.
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Summary: Very good read and
Review: I am a Texan and particulary enjoyed most of James Hime's descriptions of small town Texas; however, it was a bit overdone on the negative side sometimes. I won't review the story since that has already been adequately done elsewhere. Just a couple of nit-picky comments. Suggestion for Mr. Hime's next books (and I do hope he publishes them). Go easy on the metaphors and similes - remove 'like' from your vocabulary. I got the feeling sometimes that there was a compilation of quaint texas phrases that Mr Hime referred to so that every paragraph contained at least one, sometimes more. Also, another reviewer referred to Brenham, Texas (location of the story) as 'hill country'. It's about a hundred miles East of the Texas hill country for those readers that care about that sort of thing and within easy driving distance to Houston for a daily visit. However, this is one of the best new author's I've read the past year and look forward to more.
Rating:
Summary: overdone "southern/western" dialogue
Review: I had a hard time getting through this book. The plot is O.K., but the dialogue is seriously overdone. Everyone--and I mean everyone--talks like a full-fledged hick. I'm from Texas, and I certainly know people who "talk country," but not everyone and not all the time. (Even in Brenham, which has the dubious distinction of being the chosen locale for this book.) It's as if the author felt compelled to use every single southernism he knew. I found myself playing a game with each conversational exchange: "Yep, there's a southern cliche, check. Next character, yep another one, check...etc." It made it hard to focus on what the characters were actually saying. I didn't end up caring much about the characters, either. Despite a protagonist with a grown daughter dying of cancer, the most touching scene for me was when a dog died. (I swear I'm not heartless; it's just the way the story reads.) There's a gloomy feel about the book: a retired Texas Ranger struggles with his daughter's terminal cancer, his failing ranch, his alcoholic wife who can't accept the daughter's sexual preference. A smart-ass black cop obsesses about race, but dates a white assistant DA. The sheriff is fat, sex-obsessed and not too bright. The local bigwig politico is a cigar-smoking stereotype. The minister is vaguely sinister. The minister's son is a homicidal crackpot. The murder victim, the minister's daughter, was a tormented, man-hater whom virtually no one liked. Smoke from brush fires in Mexico obscures the sun, etc., etc. O.K., so murder mysteries aren't supposed to be all sunshine and light. But, all this produced an atmosphere of lethargy rather than menace. For me, the result was a general apathy, not suspense. The pacing is rather slow. There's not a lot of action until the very end when we get a big explosion. Other "action scenes" didn't do a lot for me, e.g., Two dumb white supremists holding up a store and murdering a black teen and his mother; The same two idots (one a religious nut who thinks he's God's messenger) taking potshots from a deer blind at a black police officer in a parking lot. Well, the above is just my opinion. I'm no expert, but I read a lot, and this one is low on my list.
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Summary: What are you waiting for?
Review: I liked this book. I normally feel smug when I guess whodunnit within the first 20 pages but missed twice in this book; fairly unsure of those two guesses. As a Texan I know some of these characters, some of the rascism,and some of the homophobia. This book accurately portrays the lack of horizon many small-town folks across America endure. These (well-developed) characters couldn't fathom a black deputy that came all the way from Dallas or a local girl who would dare go all the way to California. I urge you to check out this book. You will be rewarded with great characters, unflinching dialogue, and a plot of 30-'06 caliber.
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