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Blanco County Mysteries #2
Bone Dry: A Blanco County, Texas, Novel
Life can get a little wild from time to time for John Marlin, the game warden in Blanco County, Texas. For instance, Marlin didn't even bat an eyelash when a local resident's amorous encounter with a white-tailed deer came to light last year-on videotape. Aside from that, however, few incidents compare to the stories flying around town at the start of this new deer season.
Hunters all over the county are reporting an incredible a six-foot-tall, drop-dead gorgeous blonde is roaming the woods, searching out camouflage-clad men with guns and disarming them with powers of seduction the likes of which none of them have ever come across before. Of course, the last time any of these guys was seduced was by the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog, so Marlin wonders if the reports are a bit exaggerated.
Everyone has some hearty laughs at the expense of a few embarrassed hunters, until one of their own turns up dead in the woods. Now Marlin has a real mystery to deal with. Meanwhile, rumors are spreading about a new Blanco resident, an ex-New Yorker named Sal Mameli who's ruffling feathers with his loud mouth and his penchant for getting his own way, no matter what the cost. Before long, John Marlin realizes he may be the only sane man in town, and he's starting to wonder if he can last much longer himself. It's just the start of another unforgettable hunting season in Bone Dry , the hilarious second novel from Edgar finalist Ben Rehder.
Hunters all over the county are reporting an incredible a six-foot-tall, drop-dead gorgeous blonde is roaming the woods, searching out camouflage-clad men with guns and disarming them with powers of seduction the likes of which none of them have ever come across before. Of course, the last time any of these guys was seduced was by the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog, so Marlin wonders if the reports are a bit exaggerated.
Everyone has some hearty laughs at the expense of a few embarrassed hunters, until one of their own turns up dead in the woods. Now Marlin has a real mystery to deal with. Meanwhile, rumors are spreading about a new Blanco resident, an ex-New Yorker named Sal Mameli who's ruffling feathers with his loud mouth and his penchant for getting his own way, no matter what the cost. Before long, John Marlin realizes he may be the only sane man in town, and he's starting to wonder if he can last much longer himself. It's just the start of another unforgettable hunting season in Bone Dry , the hilarious second novel from Edgar finalist Ben Rehder.
339 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2003
283 people are currently reading
522 people want to read
About the author
Ben Rehder
76 books276 followersBen Rehder wanted to become a writer ever since he was dropped on his head as a toddler. As he grew into a young adult and the vertigo gradually dissipated, his passion for literature grew. Ben longed to craft the type of soul-stirring prose that would touch people’s lives and help them explore new emotional horizons. But he went to work at an ad agency instead.
Throughout his rewarding and fruitful career in the ad business, Ben has been known to write such imaginative and compelling phrases as “Act now!,” “Limited-time offer,” and “Compatible with today’s rapidly changing network environment.”
However, there eventually came a time when, as unbelievable as it sounds, writing brochures and spec sheets simply wasn’t enough to satisfy Ben’s creative urges. Ben knew: It was time to write a novel.
“But what kind of novel?” Ben asked himself, drawing stares from passersby.
A mystery? A thriller? A work of suspense? Ben had read hundreds of books in these genres and loved them all. But nothing had sparked his creative juices enough to try it himself.
Fate played a hand one day when Ben’s father-in-law tossed him a copy of a Carl Hiaasen novel. And then it hit him. It literally hit him, right in the forehead. When the swelling went down and Ben had a chance to read the book, he discovered a type of fiction he had never experienced before—the comic crime novel! He loved the wacky characters, the zany plots, the interesting writing that threw a good deal of humor into the mix.
So Ben set out to write his own novel. After many grueling minutes in front of a computer, Ben was proud to present Buck Fever. Like many best-selling classics, Buck Fever has lots and lots of verbs, prepositions, adjectives, and the occasional gerund. It was even nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel!
Next came Bone Dry, Flat Crazy, Guilt Trip, Gun Shy, and Holy Moly. Best of all, Ben is now releasing the earlier novels in ebook format at the low low price of just $2.99. What a deal!
Throughout his rewarding and fruitful career in the ad business, Ben has been known to write such imaginative and compelling phrases as “Act now!,” “Limited-time offer,” and “Compatible with today’s rapidly changing network environment.”
However, there eventually came a time when, as unbelievable as it sounds, writing brochures and spec sheets simply wasn’t enough to satisfy Ben’s creative urges. Ben knew: It was time to write a novel.
“But what kind of novel?” Ben asked himself, drawing stares from passersby.
A mystery? A thriller? A work of suspense? Ben had read hundreds of books in these genres and loved them all. But nothing had sparked his creative juices enough to try it himself.
Fate played a hand one day when Ben’s father-in-law tossed him a copy of a Carl Hiaasen novel. And then it hit him. It literally hit him, right in the forehead. When the swelling went down and Ben had a chance to read the book, he discovered a type of fiction he had never experienced before—the comic crime novel! He loved the wacky characters, the zany plots, the interesting writing that threw a good deal of humor into the mix.
So Ben set out to write his own novel. After many grueling minutes in front of a computer, Ben was proud to present Buck Fever. Like many best-selling classics, Buck Fever has lots and lots of verbs, prepositions, adjectives, and the occasional gerund. It was even nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel!
Next came Bone Dry, Flat Crazy, Guilt Trip, Gun Shy, and Holy Moly. Best of all, Ben is now releasing the earlier novels in ebook format at the low low price of just $2.99. What a deal!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
July 7, 2015
If you liked "Guilt Trip", book 4 of Blanco County mysteries, you will like this one also. The game warden solves more murders and works on his love life and his grief after losing his wife to cancer.
November 12, 2007
another in the humorous series of books by Ben Rehder set in the Texas Hill Country. if you like Carl Hiassen, you will like these books. basically, a number of oddball characters interact and some end up dead. the very appealing lead character, who is a county game warden, figures it all out and nails the bad guys in the end. it's laugh out loud funny in places and moves quickly, so it's a pretty easy read. enjoy!
July 26, 2009
I love this author! He writes about the cases of the Blanco County, TX, sheriff, and the way he solves his cases. Definitely not Andy of Mayberry, (maybe a little of Barney though, but a cast of characters that rival Mayberry. I love his humor, and, I think I've actually met a few of the characters in this book.
For a riot of a plot, and a ton of belly-laughs, this writer is great.
For a riot of a plot, and a ton of belly-laughs, this writer is great.
February 4, 2015
Great author, great series. I laughed out loud at least once while reading. Rehder weaves a good mystery with lots of local color.
December 4, 2011
Not a classic, but a darn good book to read in between all the "serious" books we so like to read!
I thought it was extremely funny. Reminded me about the movie "Fargo". I know some readers out there may not have liked "Fargo" (probably thought it was too violent.) But for some reason, I thought "Fargo" was hilarious.
"Bone Dry" struck me in the same vein. Just imagine a New Jersey mob-type character, with his son cut in the same mold, trying to make a living in a backwater Texas town. I couldn't stop laughing everytime these two characters opened their mouths to say something!
Again, this is a cute, funny story, and I can't wait to read more of Ben Rehder's books.
I thought it was extremely funny. Reminded me about the movie "Fargo". I know some readers out there may not have liked "Fargo" (probably thought it was too violent.) But for some reason, I thought "Fargo" was hilarious.
"Bone Dry" struck me in the same vein. Just imagine a New Jersey mob-type character, with his son cut in the same mold, trying to make a living in a backwater Texas town. I couldn't stop laughing everytime these two characters opened their mouths to say something!
Again, this is a cute, funny story, and I can't wait to read more of Ben Rehder's books.
April 20, 2009
Sound recording. A very funny book and true to the Texas mindset. I'd never heard of Mr. Rehder, but I liked his writing style. I seem to remember reading another in the series, but couldn't find the title.
May 12, 2009
More by my newly discovered Austin author; this one involves the business of clearing cedars in the drought stricken area of Central Tx that houses our property. So once again, interesting to me, and fun to read, but maybe not for those who don't live here.
October 21, 2007
This was the second book in the series and I have the third on my TBR pile. Enjoyed it, mystery with laughs.
October 23, 2008
Great read. Especially with hunting season startin'.
January 28, 2009
Weird book, but I actually enjoyed it!!
September 7, 2010
2nd book in the series. Very fun.
May 24, 2011
rednecks-mystery-game wardens-what's not to like?
July 23, 2013
Entertaining read. Interesting mix of characters and a good description of small town life in Texas. Good mystery with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.
September 14, 2016
Ben Rehder spins an interesting and light hearted tale of murder and crime in the Texas Hill Country. You'll meet a wide variety of characters in a story that moves at a rapid clip.
July 14, 2020
I enjoyed this book. This is book two in the series. You don't need to have listened to book one to enjoy this book because they are stand alone stories but a lot of the characters continue on from the first book so it adds to the fun if you already know the characters and what has gone on before. There is a lot of characters introduced at the start of the book (some you know and some you don't) and you wonder how it is all connected but don't worry all will be revealed as the story unfolds. It is also told by multiple characters but stick with it, it is good. The characters are interesting and it is unusual that the main character is a game warden and not a policeman , although he does get involved in the police investigation. There is no real guessing who the killer is because you know who from the start but it is fun and interesting the way the good guys put everything together to solve the problems and there are quite a few. The book certainly doesn't have time to get boring. Off to start book three.
Deer season is a busy time of year for game warden John Marlen but this year proves to be especially so. A number of reports have come in about a woman sabotaging hunters. It starts with senting a known deer hang out and quickly progresses to taking a gun off a hunter and shooting his truck. All fun and games perpetrated by an eco warrior, until the body of a hunter is found. Just how far would the woman and her boyfriend go to protect some trees and a bird? At the same time the police have there hands full with a missing resident and an overzealous duputy and like the hunting incident that too quickly escalates into something deadly, when the deputy gets taken hostage. Marlen soon finds he is involved in both cases but with his attention divide he loses track of a suspect, who goes out on his own reeking his own justice and destruction. Can Marlen get to the bottom of what's going on in his home town of Bianco or is there more going on than just poaching?
This is a different narrator from the first book but he still does a good job with the characters. I don't normally like it when authors change the narrator as I get use to the first reader but I didn't really notice any change.
Deer season is a busy time of year for game warden John Marlen but this year proves to be especially so. A number of reports have come in about a woman sabotaging hunters. It starts with senting a known deer hang out and quickly progresses to taking a gun off a hunter and shooting his truck. All fun and games perpetrated by an eco warrior, until the body of a hunter is found. Just how far would the woman and her boyfriend go to protect some trees and a bird? At the same time the police have there hands full with a missing resident and an overzealous duputy and like the hunting incident that too quickly escalates into something deadly, when the deputy gets taken hostage. Marlen soon finds he is involved in both cases but with his attention divide he loses track of a suspect, who goes out on his own reeking his own justice and destruction. Can Marlen get to the bottom of what's going on in his home town of Bianco or is there more going on than just poaching?
This is a different narrator from the first book but he still does a good job with the characters. I don't normally like it when authors change the narrator as I get use to the first reader but I didn't really notice any change.
March 16, 2019
( Format : Audiobook )
"Everything's bigger in Texas, honey."
Author Ben Rehder casts a humerous eye over the red neck population of Blanco County. Three years before, the unsuspecting area became host to a New Jersey gangster and his family in the witness protection system. Whilst the newly renamed Sal had dreams of escape to a luxurious life of island life of sun, sand and luscious ladies, teenaged son Vinnie had his own fantasies of gangsterhood and making his dad proud. The area was dry and a prosperous business of brush clearance was underway, giving Sal the idea of how to raise the money he needed to make good on his hopes for that comfortable peaceful life in his latter years. Then a body is found, a suspect arrested, an elderly local businessman goes missing and a couple move into Blanco County with ideas very different from those of the locals.
With a host of characters to be introduced to the reader at the beginning, the start is slow despite the interesting way in which they are presented, but once underway the story is fun, fast moving and the protagonists take on a full life of their own - these people, with all their foibles and eccentricities, fears, schemes and hopes for their futures, become very real, their world lingering in the reader's head long after the book is finished. Narration by Jordan Murphy is also good, with personalized voicing for each of the numerous individuals and a quick delivery throughout.
My thanks to the rights holder of Bone Dry, who, at my request, freely gifted me a complimentary copy, via Audiobook Boom. The second in a longish series, it stands completely alone and, for me, personally, has been a good discovery. I enjoyed the quirky characters, their interactions and environment so different from my own, the way in which the author progressed the story and the murder mysteries themselves. A little bit bloody, a smidgen of sex, all worked together to build a rich picture. This is a series to which I will definitely return.
"Everything's bigger in Texas, honey."
Author Ben Rehder casts a humerous eye over the red neck population of Blanco County. Three years before, the unsuspecting area became host to a New Jersey gangster and his family in the witness protection system. Whilst the newly renamed Sal had dreams of escape to a luxurious life of island life of sun, sand and luscious ladies, teenaged son Vinnie had his own fantasies of gangsterhood and making his dad proud. The area was dry and a prosperous business of brush clearance was underway, giving Sal the idea of how to raise the money he needed to make good on his hopes for that comfortable peaceful life in his latter years. Then a body is found, a suspect arrested, an elderly local businessman goes missing and a couple move into Blanco County with ideas very different from those of the locals.
With a host of characters to be introduced to the reader at the beginning, the start is slow despite the interesting way in which they are presented, but once underway the story is fun, fast moving and the protagonists take on a full life of their own - these people, with all their foibles and eccentricities, fears, schemes and hopes for their futures, become very real, their world lingering in the reader's head long after the book is finished. Narration by Jordan Murphy is also good, with personalized voicing for each of the numerous individuals and a quick delivery throughout.
My thanks to the rights holder of Bone Dry, who, at my request, freely gifted me a complimentary copy, via Audiobook Boom. The second in a longish series, it stands completely alone and, for me, personally, has been a good discovery. I enjoyed the quirky characters, their interactions and environment so different from my own, the way in which the author progressed the story and the murder mysteries themselves. A little bit bloody, a smidgen of sex, all worked together to build a rich picture. This is a series to which I will definitely return.
May 31, 2021
It's the start of deer hunting season in Blanco County, Texas, always a busy time of year for game warden John Marlin. This one turns out to be especially busy when a hunter is murdered and Sheriff Bobby Garza asks for his assistance with the case. Marlin learns that solving a murder is tougher than catching a poacher, especially when he also has to deal with a mobster in the Witness Protection Program and some environmental activists from Minnesota who are trying to save an endangered bird. At least it keeps his mind off the absence of his girlfriend Becky, who may be gone for good.
This comic novel has a large cast of characters and several subplots. The good guys are good, the bad guys are very bad, and the rednecks are good for laughs.
This comic novel has a large cast of characters and several subplots. The good guys are good, the bad guys are very bad, and the rednecks are good for laughs.
February 9, 2017
A gritty-as-a-west-Texas-prairie murder mystery, this Ben Rehder tale is more spicy gumbo than cowboy chili, stirring a Nordic blonde eco-warrior unafraid to use her feminine wiles, a big city mafioso in witness protection trying to muscle in on a home-grown business, and a girth-challenged U.S. Marshal in love with the mobster's Hispanic housekeeper into the pot with local Blanco County LEOS and locos. I didn't read the first in the series, but that's okay. Bone Dry was a quick, entertaining read with enough twists to keep you flipping the pages to the end of the trail.
February 13, 2019
I enjoyed this one and want to read more even though some of the characters were a little course, they were realistic with the exception of the Italian mob guy in witness protection. It is true that mob guy from New Jersey would stick out in a small town in Blanco County, Texas and the concept does come with a lot of humor. Add some local rednecks, some pesky environmentalists and a good looking, recently single game warden and you have a very entertaining story. However, the New Jersey dialect needed some work...………..and this comes from a Baltimore girl residing in Philly and New Jersey since 1971.
May 18, 2017
Don't mess with the mafia
Fun read. Hard to keep straight who killed whom, why and when. Well worthy reading and reading another too. Ben Render does a good job with colorful characters and just as colorful plots. We get to know and like the characters.
The only negative thing I would mention has to do with the format of the book I read. There was no spacing when the characters were switched. I'd be read about one person, then get confused until I realized I was reading about a different character.
Other than that, an enjoyable book with enjoyable people.
Fun read. Hard to keep straight who killed whom, why and when. Well worthy reading and reading another too. Ben Render does a good job with colorful characters and just as colorful plots. We get to know and like the characters.
The only negative thing I would mention has to do with the format of the book I read. There was no spacing when the characters were switched. I'd be read about one person, then get confused until I realized I was reading about a different character.
Other than that, an enjoyable book with enjoyable people.
September 8, 2020
Format: audiobook
Narrator: Jordan Murphy
The residents of Blanco County sure have character.
I like the way the story unfolds slowly bringing together all the pieces to tie up the case, that’s not to say this is a slow story, in fact it’s pretty fast paced with lots going on, murder, mystery and humour making this a great listen/read.
There’s the regular characters whom I’m beginning to love and a few new characters that bring their own kind of insanity.
Entertaining and enjoyable and the narrator does a pretty good job too.
Narrator: Jordan Murphy
The residents of Blanco County sure have character.
I like the way the story unfolds slowly bringing together all the pieces to tie up the case, that’s not to say this is a slow story, in fact it’s pretty fast paced with lots going on, murder, mystery and humour making this a great listen/read.
There’s the regular characters whom I’m beginning to love and a few new characters that bring their own kind of insanity.
Entertaining and enjoyable and the narrator does a pretty good job too.
February 5, 2019
Damn good book
This is the way a book should be written. You can pick up the secound book and enjoy even without reading the first one. Both the first and second book are very good. They are funny, serious and suspenseful. They are interesting because Mr. Render knows the country and is knowledgeable of what he writes. Each book ends and you want more. Thank you for well written stores.
This is the way a book should be written. You can pick up the secound book and enjoy even without reading the first one. Both the first and second book are very good. They are funny, serious and suspenseful. They are interesting because Mr. Render knows the country and is knowledgeable of what he writes. Each book ends and you want more. Thank you for well written stores.
February 16, 2018
More fun in a Texas frame of mind with more than a soupcon of stereotype New Jersey. This writer can tangle things up elegantly and somehow keep things straight in his mind (and for his reader). As I remarked in my comments about Rehder's Buck Fever, I'd be reading more of his books. Well, here's the next and a couple more are on the shelf. Great fun!
September 15, 2020
There is so much going on in each of these novels. It is the start of deer season and one of the hunters is shot and killed. Who did it and why? There is a new resident from New York who looks like a mafia boss, is he? A lot of humor also in each of these novels. These Blanco County Mystery stories are a pleasure to read.
December 17, 2017
Great book - I didnt' know Ben Rehder and picked up this one based on reviews and was not disappointed! As well written as they come in terms of storyline, caracters, and ending. Funny as well. This book would be great as a movie directed by Tarantino :)
October 31, 2018
Bone Dry is a fun and humorous mystery romp written in the spirit of Carl Hiaasen although set in Texas rather than Florida. Rehder has a good comedic writing talent. I recommend this book if you like Hiaasen, Dave Barry or Bill Fitzhugh.
February 11, 2019
But slows in the middle as we await a rousing ending.
Starts well with some Texas good old boys, rapacious business men, do gooders from the north, a murder or three, but slows in the middle as we await a rousing ending.
Starts well with some Texas good old boys, rapacious business men, do gooders from the north, a murder or three, but slows in the middle as we await a rousing ending.
February 12, 2019
Halarios and Twisted
I really enjoyed this one, and could not put it down. I love the way that the author uses the thoughts of each of the characters to reveal more of them and their personalities. Very funny, but also had a great plot.
I really enjoyed this one, and could not put it down. I love the way that the author uses the thoughts of each of the characters to reveal more of them and their personalities. Very funny, but also had a great plot.
March 4, 2019
Fun, quick moving and very well written.
Just found myself a new favorite author! Funny, well-paced, with good character development. I particularly enjoyed the crisp and concise writing that made the book flow seamlessly.
Just found myself a new favorite author! Funny, well-paced, with good character development. I particularly enjoyed the crisp and concise writing that made the book flow seamlessly.
August 13, 2020
If you want a story about Texas, good old boys, dedicated Game Officer & Local Sheriff and one Heck of a story this is the Audible book for you!!
Good storyline interesting characters and a whole bunch of criminal action going on.
Narrator does a good job with this story.
Good storyline interesting characters and a whole bunch of criminal action going on.
Narrator does a good job with this story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews