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Blanco County Mysteries #8
Stag Party
"This guy is the funniest, freshest voice in Texas mystery writing today. His work stands out like a DayGlo parka in deer season."—Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning ThiefStag When the 102-year-old inventor of an amazing new hunting product is murdered, the clues point toward the Endicotts, a controversial reality-show family. Did one of the members do something desperate to claim the invention as their own and boost their waning popularity? Blanco County game warden John Marlin intends to find out, if he can prevent his best friend from having a deadly run-in with the prime suspect. Stag Party is the eighth novel in Ben Rehder’s hilarious Blanco County mystery series.
383 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
360 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Ben Rehder
76 books277 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 36 reviews
July 26, 2021
For some reason, it had been a long time since I had read one of Ben Rehder's Blanco County novels. I won't let that much time pass before I hit the next one, I assure you. This book reminded me of all the stuff that I love about this series. Who would think that a series of books about a game warden living in the Hill Country about an hour West of Austin, Texas, would be this funny. Rehder is kind of like a less whacky Carl Hiassen, but not that much less whacky. There are still plenty of outlandish redneck characters, and crazy plot twists to go around. I highly recommend the series, and this was one of the better entries.
June 21, 2024
Took a chance on this, thinking it might be a little like Pat McManus' later works, or perhaps Dave Barry's comedy-mysteries. And it is not- well, it is, in the sense that it is on as high a level of humor and writing as them. Very engrossing, amusing, well-written and -edited, just a blast to read. One of those "can't put it down" novels.
The author has his own style and sense of humor, and if you like other humorous mysteries I bet you will like this. Get a little political at points but skewers both extremes equally, and well. Interesting characters, loads of interesting details, some twists and turns that catch you. A really good read.
The author has his own style and sense of humor, and if you like other humorous mysteries I bet you will like this. Get a little political at points but skewers both extremes equally, and well. Interesting characters, loads of interesting details, some twists and turns that catch you. A really good read.
December 17, 2020
Format: audiobook
Narrator: Robert King Ross
Another enjoyably humorous mystery in the Blanco County series.
A newly invented deer scent for hunters is the base for this story along with a redneck reality tv family.
when the 102 yr old invented is killed the sheriff and game warden Marlon have to figure out who did it and why, did someone want to get their hands on the fortune making formula for free?
Red and Billy Don are definitely the stars for me I always look forward to seeing what they’re gonna get up to.
Narrator: Robert King Ross
Another enjoyably humorous mystery in the Blanco County series.
A newly invented deer scent for hunters is the base for this story along with a redneck reality tv family.
when the 102 yr old invented is killed the sheriff and game warden Marlon have to figure out who did it and why, did someone want to get their hands on the fortune making formula for free?
Red and Billy Don are definitely the stars for me I always look forward to seeing what they’re gonna get up to.
October 23, 2020
A 102 year old man is murdered. He invented a scent that attracts bucks from all over the area. Did someone kill him to steal the formula? There is a psychopath harassing people, who is one of the sons of the Endicott family, who have a reality television show. As always, there is lots of humor with Red and Billy Don.
February 28, 2021
Another crazy murder to be solved and I’m really starting to get an idea about what some of these characters will do before they even do it (it has become a game for me now). As with all the previous books in this series, I feel it can be read as a stand alone and I really enjoyed the progression this book took o solve the crimes.
June 24, 2024
Writes sort of like C.J Box's game warden, Joe Pickett,
but with a sense of Humor.
As a native Texan I enjoyed knowing the area he writes about.
And I think I know most of his characters in real life.
Started Bum Steer this morning.
I read 15-20 books a month so I'm always happy to discover a new author who has a series I can get into.
but with a sense of Humor.
As a native Texan I enjoyed knowing the area he writes about.
And I think I know most of his characters in real life.
Started Bum Steer this morning.
I read 15-20 books a month so I'm always happy to discover a new author who has a series I can get into.
May 23, 2022
Stag Party
Entertaining read as usual. Have enjoyed all Been Rehder's books. Got a tad political but not overboard on that. Had to laugh at his take on reality shows. Feel the same way
Entertaining read as usual. Have enjoyed all Been Rehder's books. Got a tad political but not overboard on that. Had to laugh at his take on reality shows. Feel the same way
June 1, 2023
The Blanco County Mystery series carries on its spirit of … well, Blanco County. Rehder does a fine turn at making each book distinct without losing the thread that appeals to those of us who enjoy the continuing adventures of Red and Billy Don.
June 22, 2024
stag party -
Sorry, I just can’t finish this book. I made it to 58% and realized that I don’t care about anyone or anything in this book. It bounces back and forth between characters and just can’t hold my interest.
Sorry, I just can’t finish this book. I made it to 58% and realized that I don’t care about anyone or anything in this book. It bounces back and forth between characters and just can’t hold my interest.
June 23, 2024
Ben Rehder Delivers Again
In typical fashion, Rehder delivers taunt action, well-formed characters and humor. Stag Party continues the saga of the life of Game Warden Marlin and the cast of unforgettable characters in Blanco, Texas.
In typical fashion, Rehder delivers taunt action, well-formed characters and humor. Stag Party continues the saga of the life of Game Warden Marlin and the cast of unforgettable characters in Blanco, Texas.
July 25, 2024
A story out of left field! Thoroughly enjoyable.
A great read is putting it mildly. The wonderfully outrageous plot line weaves several overlapping storyline’s to cleverly and with oftentimes a very droll humour conclude in a most unexpected outcome.
A great read is putting it mildly. The wonderfully outrageous plot line weaves several overlapping storyline’s to cleverly and with oftentimes a very droll humour conclude in a most unexpected outcome.
October 6, 2024
I wasn’t sure when I started reading this book, whether I would continue. Thankfully, I did, and it turned out to be a terrific read. Loved the concept, the characters, the pace the way it unfolded. Never saw the ending coming! Can’t wait to get another book of his.
September 17, 2017
Twisted
Another twisted tale from the mind of Ben Rehder. From current times sitcom, comedy, or fantasy (a hunter's fantasy that is) who done it. Well done !
Another twisted tale from the mind of Ben Rehder. From current times sitcom, comedy, or fantasy (a hunter's fantasy that is) who done it. Well done !
September 10, 2018
What an interesting twist on a real tv show...Duck Dynasty. The story is hilarious, with Billy Don and Red in starring roles.
August 8, 2021
Stag Party was a good book yet one of my least favorite in the series.
September 24, 2023
Just fun, slapstick reeds.
June 15, 2024
Stagg
Another person who feels profaning deity and throwing f-bombs around makes for a good story. Wrong. There’s better writing elsewhere.
Another person who feels profaning deity and throwing f-bombs around makes for a good story. Wrong. There’s better writing elsewhere.
June 20, 2024
It's a long slow read
A very long intertwined story.
Interesting but found my mind wandering a lot. Guess I'm used to more action at a faster pace.
A very long intertwined story.
Interesting but found my mind wandering a lot. Guess I'm used to more action at a faster pace.
July 20, 2024
interesting
Good story
Did not see the ending for Jessi and Aaron. I want to read more about Red and Billy Don-they seem like a hoot.
Yee haaa!!!
Good story
Did not see the ending for Jessi and Aaron. I want to read more about Red and Billy Don-they seem like a hoot.
Yee haaa!!!
July 24, 2024
Really a 3.5 stars. There is actually a decent whodunnit under the humor and the oddball characters and I continue to enjoy Rehder's Blanco County mysteries as a break from heavier fare.
July 27, 2024
Human Nature
Nice murder mystery built on the desire to control a part of nature. Author does a good job in adding a little humor along the way.
Nice murder mystery built on the desire to control a part of nature. Author does a good job in adding a little humor along the way.
September 14, 2024
An engaging read
A twisty-turny page turner that kept me engaged throughout. A clever, who done it well worth the time to read.
A twisty-turny page turner that kept me engaged throughout. A clever, who done it well worth the time to read.
November 11, 2024
3.5 in spots. It is a mildly entertaining book. Sometimes more than others. This is book eight in the series, but the first one I have read. Read the other reviews. Most people rated it higher.
March 15, 2025
What a crazy, madcap ride of a book this is. With fantastic characters, an incredible plot, Rehder takes you on a journey that is hilarious and like nothing you have read before!
August 10, 2025
This series is a hoot!!! Great story lines, off the wall characters, and just a pleasure to read book after book
January 25, 2015
It was every hunter’s dream. From his perch in a tree, Jasper Endicott scrutinized a huge herd of agitated bucks below him.
“As he watched, more bucks arrived. Dozens more. They didn’t emerge tentatively from the brush, wary of danger, as deer usually did. Instead, they came bursting from the woods at full speed, caution to the wind. . .Their brains weren’t sophisticated enough to understand they’d been tricked.”
It was a special scent that 102-year-old Harley Frizzell, an eccentric recluse, invented. He wanted to sell it and Jasper’s family was interested in buying the pheromone. The Endicott entertainment empire inspired hunters all over the country with their weekly reality television series.
“A typical episode might include the men castrating bulls, shoeing horses, repairing a tractor . . . filling deer feeders, or building a barn.” But mostly the Endicotts hunted and they had a very large following. Throngs of “wallhanger” bucks just for the picking would surely increase their ratings.
“Stag Party” is Texas hill country author Ben Rehder’s eighth irreverent installment of his Blanco County mysteries. His cast of memorable characters reappear in this latest novel, but the book is a standalone story and does not depend upon reading the previous books.
When Harley Frizzell’s lifeless body is discovered by Red O’Brian, Sheriff Bobby Garza questions Red and dismisses him as a suspect. Red, however, believes that he is number one on Garza’s list and enlists his buddy Billy Don to help him find the killer. He and Billy Don had recently won a feral pig shoot with a bounty of $25,000.00 for each of them. Red had considered buying Frizzel’s deer scent formula, but before he could cinch the deal, the old man was murdered.
The two bungling rubes track down Frizzell’s girlfriend, a seventy-one-year-old hippie sculptor named Sparrow Holliday, who was purportedly the last person to see Frizzell alive. Could she have murdered him in a fit of jealous rage? Or did one of the Endicotts kill Frizzell to obtain the old man’s deer scent without having to pay for it?
At the same time, 19-year-old PETA activist Liam Mooney and his partner Jessi Winslow, 18, set out from Nebraska to Texas to protest the Endicott’s fervent incitement of the public to kill innocent deer. The two misguided teens use Google Earth to locate the Endicott’s massive compound, which overlaps Kendall and Blanco counties, and they hatch a plan to burn the main house down.
Lurking in the background of the story is Aaron Endicott, the sociopathic son who does not appear in the television show and who the Endicotts would rather not acknowledge. Aaron is a grotesque, colossal man with a pocked face and feral eyes. Aggressive and combative, the youngest Endicott seems always on the offensive for violent encounters. When Liam and Jessi mistake Aaron’s cabin in the Endicott compound for the main house and set it on fire, Aaron confronts the young couple and fireworks ensue.
“Stag Party” is bawdy, clever, irreverent, and infinitely entertaining.
“As he watched, more bucks arrived. Dozens more. They didn’t emerge tentatively from the brush, wary of danger, as deer usually did. Instead, they came bursting from the woods at full speed, caution to the wind. . .Their brains weren’t sophisticated enough to understand they’d been tricked.”
It was a special scent that 102-year-old Harley Frizzell, an eccentric recluse, invented. He wanted to sell it and Jasper’s family was interested in buying the pheromone. The Endicott entertainment empire inspired hunters all over the country with their weekly reality television series.
“A typical episode might include the men castrating bulls, shoeing horses, repairing a tractor . . . filling deer feeders, or building a barn.” But mostly the Endicotts hunted and they had a very large following. Throngs of “wallhanger” bucks just for the picking would surely increase their ratings.
“Stag Party” is Texas hill country author Ben Rehder’s eighth irreverent installment of his Blanco County mysteries. His cast of memorable characters reappear in this latest novel, but the book is a standalone story and does not depend upon reading the previous books.
When Harley Frizzell’s lifeless body is discovered by Red O’Brian, Sheriff Bobby Garza questions Red and dismisses him as a suspect. Red, however, believes that he is number one on Garza’s list and enlists his buddy Billy Don to help him find the killer. He and Billy Don had recently won a feral pig shoot with a bounty of $25,000.00 for each of them. Red had considered buying Frizzel’s deer scent formula, but before he could cinch the deal, the old man was murdered.
The two bungling rubes track down Frizzell’s girlfriend, a seventy-one-year-old hippie sculptor named Sparrow Holliday, who was purportedly the last person to see Frizzell alive. Could she have murdered him in a fit of jealous rage? Or did one of the Endicotts kill Frizzell to obtain the old man’s deer scent without having to pay for it?
At the same time, 19-year-old PETA activist Liam Mooney and his partner Jessi Winslow, 18, set out from Nebraska to Texas to protest the Endicott’s fervent incitement of the public to kill innocent deer. The two misguided teens use Google Earth to locate the Endicott’s massive compound, which overlaps Kendall and Blanco counties, and they hatch a plan to burn the main house down.
Lurking in the background of the story is Aaron Endicott, the sociopathic son who does not appear in the television show and who the Endicotts would rather not acknowledge. Aaron is a grotesque, colossal man with a pocked face and feral eyes. Aggressive and combative, the youngest Endicott seems always on the offensive for violent encounters. When Liam and Jessi mistake Aaron’s cabin in the Endicott compound for the main house and set it on fire, Aaron confronts the young couple and fireworks ensue.
“Stag Party” is bawdy, clever, irreverent, and infinitely entertaining.
December 27, 2014
Another madcap adventure in Blanco County with all the usual suspects present and accounted for. Its always a joy to visit with Red, Marlin, Colby, Nicole et al and this addition certainly doesn't disappoint. Highly recommended.
January 17, 2015
A good read
As has been all of the prior books in the series of the Blanco county game warden this book has been a very entertaining and good reading experience. Look ing forward to another book.
As has been all of the prior books in the series of the Blanco county game warden this book has been a very entertaining and good reading experience. Look ing forward to another book.
February 8, 2015
No it's not about a bunch of frat boys, but an extremely effective deer scent. Interesting take on Duck Dynasty like reality shows. The book could have cut out some of the subplots while still having an effective story, and the normal lead in this series is almost an afterthought.
February 17, 2016
Great book!!
So many twists and turns in this cleverly written and funny book. All the odd characters are like old friends. This is the eighth book in the series. I don't want it to end!!
So many twists and turns in this cleverly written and funny book. All the odd characters are like old friends. This is the eighth book in the series. I don't want it to end!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews