Too Late to Die

Sheriff Dan Rhodes #1

by Bill Crider

Everyone knew her. A lot of them like her. One of them killed her.


Jeanne Clinton was a pretty and well-liked woman—though in her younger days she'd been known to be a bit wild. But she married an older man and settled down to a quiet, respectable life. Now she is dead, brutally murdered in her home.


Dan Rhodes, the thoughtful, hard-working sheriff of Blacklin County, Texas, has enough to worry about already: a rash of burglaries in town and an election coming up against a hot-shot opponent. Now he's got to find a killer among the residents of his little town—a wily killer, bound and determined not to be caught.


The deeper Rhodes digs into the hearts and minds of his neighbors, the more secrets he turned up...and the more violence he encounters. But Rhodes doesn't give up easily. And neither does the killer.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Westerns, Procedural, Crime, Ebooks, Cozy Mystery

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1986

About the author

Taught English at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Tex., and went on to become the chair of the Division of English and Fine Arts at Alvin Community College in Alvin, Tex.; prolific writer of mystery, science fiction, western, horror, and children's books, not to mention short stories, articles, reviews, and blog posts; perhaps best known for his Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery series.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The books in the series are:

1987 Too Late to Die (Rhodes #1) 
1987 Shotgun Saturday Night (Rhodes #2) 
1988 Cursed to Death (Rhodes #3) 
1989 Death on the Move (Rhodes #4) 
1990 Evil at the Root (Rhodes #5) 
1992 Booked for a Hanging (Rhodes #6) 
1994 Murder Most Fowl (Rhodes #7) 
1996 Winning Can Be Murder (Rhodes #8) 
1998 Death by Accident (Rhodes #9) 
2000 A Ghost of a Chance (Rhodes #10) 
2002 A Romantic Way to Die (Rhodes #11) 
2003 Red, White, and Blue Murder (Rhodes #12) 
2006 A Mammoth Murder (Rhodes #13) 
2007 Murder Among the OWLS (Rhodes #14) 
2008 Of All Sad Words: A Dan Rhodes Mystery (Rhodes #15) 
2009 Murder in Four Parts: A Dan Rhodes Mystery (Rhodes #16) 
2010 Murder in the Air: A Dan Rhodes Mystery (Rhodes #17) 
2011 The Wild Hog Murders: A Dan Rhodes Mystery (Rhodes #18) 
2012 Murder of a Beauty Shop Queen: A Dan Rhodes Mystery (Rhodes #19) 
2013 Compound Murder: A Dan Rhodes Mystery (Rhodes #20) 
2014 Half in Love with Artful Death: A Dan Rhodes Mystery (Rhodes #21) 
2015 Between the Living and the Dead: A Dan Rhodes Mystery (Rhodes #22) 

Jeanne Clinton was a pretty and well-liked woman—though in her younger days she'd been known to be a bit wild. But she married an older man and settled down to a quiet, respectable life. Now she is dead, brutally murdered in her home. Now Dan Rhodes has to find a killer among the residents of his little town—a wily killer, bound and determined not to be caught.

The story about a older sheriff in a small Texas town, who's wife recently died, raising his pretty beautiful daughter while holding down his sheriff's job may sound a bit like "Longmire", however, the Crider series appeared much earlier, in fact Sheriff Rhodes was on his twelfth adventure when the first Longmire book appeared.

The Crider book seems to have a bit more of a gentle spin to the main character however if deaths happened at the rate they do in this book, the town would have zero population in a couple of years.

Overall this was quite a most enjoyable book.

[Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one of the other reviewers said, reminds me of Longmire of whom Graig Johnson I
am a big fan, read all his books to date. I am most impressed with with Bill Crider, great adventure and mystery. Don't think there was one F word or other curse word in the whole book. I really appreciated that. I will be reading more of the Dan Rhodes series

[David Cranmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A definite reward of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes mysteries — beyond the well-developed protagonist, the wry humor, and plots humming along with generous doses of action — is Crider’s deft handling of the vibrant cast who make up the universe of Blacklin County. Some include: his intuitive daughter Kathy, who cares deeply for her father’s happiness; his second wife Ivy, who won’t admit (later in the series) that their two dogs and a cat cause Rhodes’ sneezing fits; the police sidekicks Hack and Lawton and their comic riffs; various deputies over the years; and Deputy Ruth Grady, whose pragmatic support is tops; and finally a lethargic housecat named Sam who Rhodes says is the “very model of energy conservation.” Crider’s laid-back dialogue will leave the reader chuckling along as Sheriff Dan strides through the cornucopia of humanity in this picturesque small town.

Too Late to Die is a top mystery, and I’d be surprised if this novel didn’t ignite a fire under you to burn through more of the twenty-two—and counting—books in this exceptional series.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

TOO LATE TO DIE is the first book in the"Sheriff Dan Rhodes" series that to-date includes 24 books, and is very well received and recommended by friends of mine here at Goodreads.

Sheriff Dan Rhodes is introduced as an older law enforcement official who is facing a re-election campaign against an opponent who is well polished and savvy in his image presented to the media.

Dan has recently lost his wife, and his daughter is staying with him to look after him in the wake of the loss of her mother.

Blacklin County in Texas is the locale that Dan lives and keeps the law, and the quiet community is rocked by the murder of a local housewife who was considered to be quite wild in her younger days but by initial reports a model of what a wife should be since her marriage to an older man.
Coupled with the murder is a repeat B&E into the local grocery store that may or may not be linked to the murder case.

Bill Crider is a Goodreads author with a devoted following who is very active on his blog, and I've only recently read two of his books having discovered him through a monthly read from the Goodreads group "American Westerns" titled Outrage at Blanco, then more recently I was able to read and review the latest book in the series Dead, to Begin With through NetGalley.

Crider creates a comfortable small town environment for the series, and a likable lead character in Rhodes who is a straight shooting/no pulled punches-type who serves his community as if it's what comes to him naturally, and even though I've only read the two books in the series I can see why this series of books has been successful and well liked by many over the years, making my plan to move on to the next book and read the entire series something to look forward to in the future.

Also, I wish Goodreads author Bill Crider a swift and complete recovery involving his chemotherapeutic treatments mentioned in his blog, and recommend his blog to everyone.

4 stars.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A patron raved about this author one day, so I decided to give him a try. This is his first book and it is set in a small Texas town, so I am enjoying that. I'll finish this review when I finish the book(which will be soon--it is ultra short!)
I thought this was an above average mystery novel! I was pleasantly surprised and will definitely look in again on Sheriff Rhodes some time when I'm in the mood for a good Texas mystery.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crackin' good murder/mystery story set in Texas. Now I know why people like Bill Crider so much. It still isn't worth $160.00.

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice mystery. Reminded me a little bit of Longmire -- not quite as violent as Longmire got in season 3 but close. It was a hoot reading about a murder in 1986 and the process of the Sheriff tracking down the killer -- pay phones, no computers, no internet...but they did have DNA!

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. This was somewhat predictable in several ways, but still had some surprising twists, and I enjoyed it.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one!
Sheriff Dan Rhodes of Blacklin County, Texas is having a rough time. He's up for reelection, and all the sudden he has a murder on his hands.
We follow Dan as he goes thru his daily duties,and also as he tries not to 'lose votes'...while still trying to do what is right.
Several 'little' things that have been happening and soon add up to something that he had not counted on.....
This is the 1st in a series, and I'm going to pick up the sexond one soon!!!

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a few series of the small town sheriff mysteries, in my hoard room (I mean book room). This series of Mr. Crider started in 1986, and continued for three decades. Rhodes is an honest, common sense man. With the dry humor, the usual characters, this was a nice start to a small Texas town cozy type mystery.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read...on to book two. The author has great characters, storyline and lots of humor written into his books. Highly recommend them.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how Mr. Crider started off by getting right to it. He waisted no time and kept me interested the whole time. I thought I had this thing figured out from very close to the beginning and was going to be diappointed. But I was wanted to see how my suspect was going to be caught. Well, Didn't see that ending coming. I ended up being suprised all the way around. I love that. I want to be shocked. I give this book a for sure Awesome.

[Missyjohnson1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

good story that made me want to pick it back up to see what would happen. characters and locale were easy to visualize. We will be meeting the author, Bill Crider, at our book club next week. Very Cool.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first in the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series. There's a murder of a popular small town girl. As the sheriff investigates, more people are murdered.

The puzzle is a little simple, and though a good start, the series definitely gets better as time goes by.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun, easy read. I bought a few more in this series. So far, they're great.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Good; Continuing character: Sherrif Dan Rhodes (first in series); while seeking re-election, a widowed sheriff tries to solve the mystery of a young wife who was beaten and killed

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read. This book is filled with red herrings and false solutions. I will probably read some more in the series.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

None of the local libraries have book two - so I am going to have to sort through my books in storage and find my copy. Really enjoyed book one in the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series.

[Dru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good easy to read mystery. The first in his series. Will definitely read more.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started reading this series in the middle so it was fun to find the first one and see where it all started.

[Melissa Vannoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this easy read - fun characters!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good !

[Bicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* raised to 4*

I have been reading the Sherriff Dan Rhodes series by Bill Crider and been having a lot of fun even though the books have a lot of stock elements - the same description of characters in book after book, the hero always getting stupidly beaten up/shot twice. Despite this the books are enjoyable because they have a strong sense of humor, sometimes the mysteries are not bad, one gets a description of Texas (quaint in the good sense) not generally available in other books and best of all they are as far removed from darkness as is possible when the main theme is murder.

In fact if one had a broad definition of cosy, this series would fit right in. Sheriff Dan Rhodes does not believe in fingerprints but in talking to people and ferreting out the truth by trying to judge their truths and lies.

I would recommend that the series be read in order even though the mystery level improves from book 8 Winning Can Be Murder. Yes, Bill Crider was a prolific writer and this is not the only series he wrote.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. This is a good book introducing tiny Texas town sheriff Dan Rhodes. Dan is a widower living with his adult daughter. He is fighting to be re-elected as sheriff, running against a younger, charismatic opponent. Dan has a small department and deals with small town problems and quirky characters. But when a young woman is found murdered in her home, Dan must figure out the why and the who. She was extremely outgoing and friendly. Her much older husband worked at night, leaving her to visit with many of the men in town. Was she having multiple affairs? Was she simply talking? Did her husband get jealous? A hot-headed young deputy is being accused of attacking a bar patron without provocation and now Dan and the department are being sued. A local grocery store is robbed, not for the first time. It is up to Dan to figure out if and how the events are connected. Dan is a sympathetic character. He knows that if he can just put the puzzle pieces together in his mind he can solve the murder, save his election, and his department.

[Denise Zendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Dan Rhodes, the thoughtful, hard-working sheriff of Blacklin County, Texas, has enough to worry about already: a rash of burglaries in town and an election coming up against a hot-shot opponent. Now he's got to find a killer among the residents of his little town—a wily killer, bound and determined not to be caught.”

Rhodes is a dedicated lawman, with a warm, human side, and a strong belief in justice. He doesn’t really like or understand technology. He uses his wits and people skills to solve crimes. “He was a man wo believed in his instincts. He liked to talk to people, listen to their stories, size them up. If they had anything to hide, he could usually find it out. But physical evidence didn’t hurt anything when it was available.”

The characters are all well-developed, and the Texas settings well-described. There is a nice balance of mystery, day-to-day life, and light touches of romance. This was a re-read for me, but I read it so long ago, in paperback, it was almost like new. I love this series. It reminds me of Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire, but with more humor. This was an entertaining, soothing read with a good ending. I will definitely read (or re-read) the rest of the series.

[PulpMonkey (Chompa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in a series that is reminiscent of the Longmire books. Sheriff Dan Rhodes is located in Texas instead of Wyoming and seems a bit easier going. The setting and characters are good and the story was pretty solid if a little convoluted with the resolution.

I'm not sure this is the series I'm currently looking to sink my teeth into.

[Crisman Strunk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across a recommendation for this series, and as I'm always looking for new crime series to try, I did just that. I found it to be an enjoyable read. There were a few places where the writing didn't "flow" (at least for me), but it had a good mystery and good characters. I'll definitely be checking out other books in the series.

[Kristy G · Rating 3 out of 5]

First in the series but not his best work. I started halfway through and came back to the beginning.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is this a “cozy?”

These stories are funny and low key. I listen to them. They are narrated by George Guidall who also narrates the Walt Longmire series. This was slightly confusing at first, but I adapted.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in print format. I had to Interlibrary Loan this title because Phoenix Public Library no longer owned the first title in this series by Bill Crider.

This story is set in Blacklin County, Texas, where Sheriff Rhodes is being challenged by an opponent in his re-election campaign for Sheriff. Rhodes' wife is deceased. His adult daughter resides with him and is dating one of Rhodes' deputies.

The story revolves around a woman found killed in her home after signs of a struggle. This woman had been visited by numerous other men while her husband was at work, although all of the visits are alleged to not have involved sexual intercourse. Soon other people are being murdered.

Crider does an excellent job giving the feel of life in a small county. The various petty complaints, feuds and contrariness of individuals add spice to the story. I enjoyed the backstory of each person that was introduced into the storyline. I also enjoyed Rhodes' budding romance with Ivy. The food descriptions made me hungry!

The story is told in the third person, although from Rhodes' perspective. He is reasonably laid back and does a good job being fair while trying to follow leads. He does put himself at risk, though, and barely manages to survive sometimes. While this adds color to the story, a little of this goes a long way. I find this particularly true with people being banged over the head and getting concussions only to revive themselves and stagger on.

I found the storyline believable and the clues added up properly. The ending was very good as far as I was concerned.

I also should mention that since this book was published in 1986, it is set in an environment that is pre-cellphone and Internet. I found this refreshing.

I read the last 100 pages of this book while eating breakfast at a local cafe. The book was a quick read and engaging.