Death by Accident: A Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Bill Crider's Latest: an afternoon's delight
Review: Hey, it's not great literature, but it's a good story, and it reminds me why I like reading mystery stories! Our hero, Sheriff Dan Rhodes, is a laid-back kinda fella, a good-guy Texas sheriff with a nice wife and a dawg. Some folks start dying down Clearview way, and the view is muddied by some passion and booze. Dan has to climb a tree, rescue a dog, and take a long hot bath before he solves it. But Dan is no dummy, and he detects well and pays attention to the itch between his shoulderblades. And in an all-too-short Saturday afternoon's reading time, the mystery is unraveled and an enjoyable reading escape is finished.

Rating:
Summary: Death by accident can be just as fatal ...
Review: Sheriff Dan Rhodes is a `good `ol boy', boy in this case meaning absolutely no disrespect, but just that he's easy-going, laid back, relaxed...well, you get the point. In addition, he's very addictive. I suspect one would do well to read these books in the order written, the better to keep track of the regulars-both human and dogs-that are part of the town of Clearview, county of Blacklin, state of Texas.

This book not only tells us how he acquired the Edsel and `Yancey' the dog mentioned in later stories, but also shows off the thinking skills of Dan and his somewhat recent wife, Ivy. It's clear that Dan is no longer as young as he once was-but then, few of us are. His acrobatic stunts are fewer these day, which is a good thing. And while you won't have any shoot-em-up wild and wooly car chases, there is exactly enough excitement to keep you reading until you reach the final page.

One accidental death in a fairly small town might be accepted as just that; a second sets folks to wondering, but the third! Well, that starts Dan and his staff-deputy Ruth, dispatcher/computer whiz Hack and jailor Lawton-to wondering about various things. The first death had been a hit-and-run, the second a drowning, and the third was what Hack insisted was `spontaneous combustion'.

While all this is going on, Clearview has another problem to solve, which promises to be just as combustible. The two historical societies are feuding over the rights to an ancient cabin, as well as where it's located. The Clearview Sons and Daughters of Texas and the Clearview Historical Society most usually disagree about nearly everything, so of course they have differing opinions about the proper place for the cabin, as well as the planned celebration in the coming year.

Rhodes tries to stay on the diet Ivy suggests, but it sure isn't easy. The minutiae of small-town life may be small stuff, but, bit by bit Bill Crider creates a wonderful slice of small-town life to accompany his puzzle. Clearview is a wonderful place to visit. You should try it sometime.