A Ghost of a Chance : A Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Fun down home mystery
Review: The sheriff of Blacklin County, Texas is not having an easy time of it because the five prisoners incarcerated in the jail insist the place is haunted. Sheriff Dan Rhodes and his employees, Hack Jensen and Lawton do not believe in ghosts, but wonder what is going on when the prisoners start studiously read the Bible.

Dan's life becomes a bit weirder when he learns that a dead person has been found occupying a freshly dug grave in the cemetery. The grave was originally dug for Terry McCoy, but the corpse is that of Ty Berry, shot in the head with a .22. Although there are no further clues at the cemetery, Dan sees a couple of fleeting shadows out of the corners of his eyes. Soon the townsfolk begin believing that Ty haunts the cemetery. In addition to catching a mortal killer and other criminals, Dan needs to keep his fellow citizens calm and quiet while he and his staff solve the cases.

Bill Crider has so fully developed the characters in the Dan Rhodes mysteries with each new novel, readers feel they are visiting dear long term friends. Of course these buddies are quite eccentric. A GHOST OF A CHANCE, the tenth tale in this down home regional series, is amusing, interesting, and filled with local color. The hero is an amiable Texan who is everyone's pal until he makes an arrest. Fans of the sub-genre will enjoy this visit to Blacklin County.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Re: Mild-mannered sheriff saves the day
Review: This was my first Dan Rhoades mystery and I enjoyed it so
much that I decided to read the rest of the series. The tone of
the book is quiet and funny, but the plot keeps you guessing
right up to the end. Who killed Ty Berry, head of one of the local (and feuding) historical societies? Who or what is haunting
the cemetary and the jail? Why are heavy pieces of statuary going missing from the local cemetaries and who is taking them? It's up to intrepid Sheriff Dan and his merry band of oddball deputies to ferret out the truth among the even odder inhabitants of Blacklin
County. Even if you've never been to Texas, you will recognize the situations Dan gets into and the people he has to put up with. Understated and very good.