Author Bill Crider takes us back to Clearview, Texas and the
small town Sheriff Dan
Rhodes and the sometimes wacky townsfolk he must
protect and serve in DEAD, TO BEGIN WITH.
Sheriff Dan has to deal with an irate housewife who brings a
sledgehammer to complain about a "bad" haircut, yard sale
fighting and ghost hunters, just ordinary everyday events
for this small town lawman. His most pressing problem is the
"accidental" death of the wealthy recluse, Jake Marley, who
is found dead in the opera house he had bought and was
restoring, giving life to a downtown that is seriously in
need. Dan has to figure out why anyone would murder this man
because it begins to look just like that might be what
happened. The man was doing the town some good and didn't
seem to have any enemies. As he investigates he finds the
past sometimes influences the future, but was something so
horrific in the past that someone wanted him dead to keep it
all quiet? Or was it something in the present?
DEAD, TO BEGIN WITH, is a line taken from Charles Dicken's
"A Christmas Carol" and is apropos as the victim's name was
Jake Marley. This is a book that will take you down the path
of an investigation with the good sheriff but it is not so
steeped in procedural jargon that it doesn't allow some
laughter. It is simple and concise as is the man himself.
This town has so many eccentric people in it that you never
know who is going to pop in and frustrate the sheriff and
possibly give the readers a good laugh. Sheriff Dan is stoic
throughout it all, clear-headed and sometimes it seems even
he can't believe some of the people he must deal with. It is
actually rather fun to watch, or should I say read along, as
the man works things out until he gets to the truth. The
dialogue throughout this book, varies to fit the speaker and
brings to life this small town and makes you want to find it
and visit awhile.
If you are looking for a small town; crazy people and just a
few ordinary people, a good sheriff, a bit of laughter,
mysteries to solve and witty dialogue then DEAD TO BEGIN
WITH by Bill Crider is what you want to get your hands on.
Sheriff Dan Rhodes returns to deal with murderers, thefts,
and ghosts in a small Texas town.
In Clearview, Texas, a wealthy recluse has joined the
community and is leading the restoration of an old opera
house. When he falls to his death, Sheriff Dan Rhodes
suspects that he’s been murdered, but there doesn’t seem
to be a motive. Who would want to kill someone who’s
helping the town and hasn’t been around long enough to
make any enemies?
The Sheriff’s suspicion proves to be true, however, and he
begins to look for motives buried in the past, meanwhile
having to deal with people fighting over baseball cards at
a yard sale, writers who want to talk to him about his sex
life, and the Clearview Ghost Hunters, headed up by Seepy
Benton, who believes that the old theater is haunted.
Clearview might be a small town, but there’s no shortage
of excitement.
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