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Ted Stephens #1
Houston Homicide
Set in Texas in 1969, this is a fast-paced story of a man dedicated to his job and determined to bring a killer to justice - no matter what the cost.
- GenresMystery
263 pages, Hardcover
First published December 12, 2007
32 people want to read
About the author
Bill Crider
241 books236 followersTaught 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.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 18, 2010
RATING: 2.75
HOUSTON HOMICIDE is a historical police procedural set in Houston in 1969. It features Detective Ted Stephens, known as "Steve", who is assigned to investigate the murder of an entire family. He's got lots of problems, among them the fact that his wife has deluded herself into thinking that he is fooling around and a boss that is less than supportive.
During the course of the investigation, Steve (and I never cottoned to that name, always thinking of him as Ted!) pulls in an outside resource, an old cohort and renowned private investigator, 80-year-old Clive Watson. Clive is extremely well connected and able to turn up information that is totally unavailable to Steve. Unfortunately, he is mourning his wife and has a tendency to dwell on that to the exclusion of all else.
There's only so much romantic angst that I can tolerate. What with Steve in a tailspin because of his wife leaving him and Clive wallowing in grief over the death of his spouse throughout most of the book, it was a double whammy. These threads drained the narrative of their energy and made the characters seem pitiable, not exactly what you want in a detective or PI. Clive had the potential to be a quirky and interesting individual, but he never came to life.
Overall, the characters didn't have much depth and I never connected to any of them. The interactions between the characters didn't ring true, most particularly in the relationship of Steve and his boss and Steve and his wife. The one area where the book excelled was in its depiction of the setting. You could easily believe that you were sitting in Houston as you were reading the book. The topical references anchoring the book into 1969 (e.g., various political figures, the Apollo space flight) were generally unobtrusive and helped set the historical framework.
I was disappointed in HOUSTON HOMICIDE. It's difficult in a collaboration to determine exactly what each person contributed. I was expecting a more "Crider-like book", with his trademark warm characters and gentle humor, and that was totally missing. I found some of the writing to be irritating, such as the conference references to people smoking. They never smoked cigarettes; they smoked Winstons or Chesterfields or Marlboros. In spite of the plot's potential to be engaging based on the heinous murders, the narrative was very slow paced, with revelations delivered via conversation rather than action.
HOUSTON HOMICIDE is a historical police procedural set in Houston in 1969. It features Detective Ted Stephens, known as "Steve", who is assigned to investigate the murder of an entire family. He's got lots of problems, among them the fact that his wife has deluded herself into thinking that he is fooling around and a boss that is less than supportive.
During the course of the investigation, Steve (and I never cottoned to that name, always thinking of him as Ted!) pulls in an outside resource, an old cohort and renowned private investigator, 80-year-old Clive Watson. Clive is extremely well connected and able to turn up information that is totally unavailable to Steve. Unfortunately, he is mourning his wife and has a tendency to dwell on that to the exclusion of all else.
There's only so much romantic angst that I can tolerate. What with Steve in a tailspin because of his wife leaving him and Clive wallowing in grief over the death of his spouse throughout most of the book, it was a double whammy. These threads drained the narrative of their energy and made the characters seem pitiable, not exactly what you want in a detective or PI. Clive had the potential to be a quirky and interesting individual, but he never came to life.
Overall, the characters didn't have much depth and I never connected to any of them. The interactions between the characters didn't ring true, most particularly in the relationship of Steve and his boss and Steve and his wife. The one area where the book excelled was in its depiction of the setting. You could easily believe that you were sitting in Houston as you were reading the book. The topical references anchoring the book into 1969 (e.g., various political figures, the Apollo space flight) were generally unobtrusive and helped set the historical framework.
I was disappointed in HOUSTON HOMICIDE. It's difficult in a collaboration to determine exactly what each person contributed. I was expecting a more "Crider-like book", with his trademark warm characters and gentle humor, and that was totally missing. I found some of the writing to be irritating, such as the conference references to people smoking. They never smoked cigarettes; they smoked Winstons or Chesterfields or Marlboros. In spite of the plot's potential to be engaging based on the heinous murders, the narrative was very slow paced, with revelations delivered via conversation rather than action.
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May 12, 2008Fondren Library Does Not Have This Book
Clyde Wilson is a legendary Houston private detective, and Bill Crider is a fine Texas mystery writer. Bill has taken some of Clyde's cases and fictionalized them. This is about the mureer of a Houston family in the late 1960's
Clyde Wilson is a legendary Houston private detective, and Bill Crider is a fine Texas mystery writer. Bill has taken some of Clyde's cases and fictionalized them. This is about the mureer of a Houston family in the late 1960's
May 31, 2008
I finished this book in 1 1/2 days, not because it was a great book, but because I have to work Sundays and it is really slow at work. It is an easy read. The story moves along, but I did not feel to connected to the story.
April 15, 2012
Kind of a time worn old time detective tale. Never got completely into it, but didn't put it down completely either. Not really worth the time.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews