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Blanco County Mysteries #9
Bum Steer
Bum Steer: After a young woman and a bull are found dead in a dark pasture, Blanco County game warden John Marlin is asked to assist with the investigation. Was it a case of rustling gone wrong? Or maybe a prank turned deadly? Marlin hopes the woman’s boyfriend can shed some light on the situation, but he’s nowhere to be found. Is he on the run or did the woman’s violent brother take matters into his own hands? Marlin and a special investigator—an old flame from his college days—join forces to see past the bull and discover the truth.
Edgar and Shamus Award finalist Ben Rehder's novels have made best-of-the-year lists in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Field & Stream.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2015
200 people are currently reading
79 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 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 20, 2020
I enjoyed this book. I found it easy to follow, despite having a number of story lines and jumping from character to character as the story unfolds. This is book nine and is a good example of why the series is still going strong and fans keep returning to Blanco County. With the authors unique sense of humour and understanding of the characters the story hooks you from the start and you never know where the story will end up. The characters are always entertaining and colourful and you can always count on certain ones to cause or get into trouble but at some point there luck has to turn, right? Not sure why the main character of John Marlin hasn't applied for the deputy job because he does more investigating for the sheriff than he does being a game warden but it still works. Off to start the next book.
Game warden John Marlin is called in help when a woman's body is found under the dead body of a bull. Was she trying to steal the owners cattle? A prank gone wrong? Or just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? The only person who might be able to shed some light on the death is the victims boyfriend but he has gone missing, despite his truck having been seen in the area several times. Why is he staying in the area? Staying with family or just hiding from the dead woman's violent brother? Can John find out what really happen the night she died? Meanwhile poachers Red and Billy Don are having there own problems as they get ready to go to Vegas to win it big at the black Jack tables. It seems someone has it out for Red and is taking pot shots at him. What could he have possibly done now that would make someone want to kill him? Red and Billy Don set there own trap to find out and capture more than they were bargaining for.
I like the narrator and have grown use to his delivery of the story.
Game warden John Marlin is called in help when a woman's body is found under the dead body of a bull. Was she trying to steal the owners cattle? A prank gone wrong? Or just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? The only person who might be able to shed some light on the death is the victims boyfriend but he has gone missing, despite his truck having been seen in the area several times. Why is he staying in the area? Staying with family or just hiding from the dead woman's violent brother? Can John find out what really happen the night she died? Meanwhile poachers Red and Billy Don are having there own problems as they get ready to go to Vegas to win it big at the black Jack tables. It seems someone has it out for Red and is taking pot shots at him. What could he have possibly done now that would make someone want to kill him? Red and Billy Don set there own trap to find out and capture more than they were bargaining for.
I like the narrator and have grown use to his delivery of the story.
June 21, 2017
Rehder’s novels—in particular, his Blanco County mysteries—are darkly comic, full of characters that skitter right to edge of that most Texas of all caricatures, Bubba, the mythical, beer-swilling backcountry redneck that never met a gun, deer stand, pickup or double-wide he didn’t love. In most cases, Rehder is setting you up for a bootlegger’s turn, an unexpected 180 that upends your expectations with a dimension you didn’t think his characters could possibly have. Take Billy Don Craddock and Red O’Brien, the deer-poaching protagonists of this Rehder tale. They’re a pair of ne’er-do-well Bubbas who share a double-wide in the Hill Country an hour west of Austin. They’re also inveterate schemers addicted to casual mayhem but they aren’t truly bad men. Craddock, a bear of a man, turns out to be a blackjack savant while O’Brien has guile and a sharp eye for angles and lies and brains to go along with his balls. The lies of O’Brien’s tweaker cousin put both Bubbas in the crosshairs of a truly bad hombre, a meth lord and killer whose sister was gored by a prize bull the cousin tried to rustle from a rancher’s pasture. Rehder, a native son born in Austin, has a sharp eye for detail and an understanding of small-town and rural central Texas and the people who live there, including those who return from the big city like Lone Star homing pigeons. And he plays it utterly straight and true in his dead-solid-perfect descriptions of that deceptively scenic country and its up-close harshness -- the choking caliche dust, the sharp-thorned mesquite, the bone-dry banks of a man-made lake. This gives authenticity to his comic opera mysteries. The Texas he describes is true and keeps his novels from veering into a ridiculous abyss of Texana caricature.
February 1, 2024
Blanco County game warden John Marlin enjoys opportunities to assist the sheriff's office in investigations of unusual crimes. One such opportunity arises when a woman's body is found in a pasture underneath the corpse of a bull.
In the investigation Marlin is teamed with Lauren Gilchrist, a woman he had dated as an undergraduate. Seeing Lauren again leads to some uncomfortable situations, but the two work together quite effectively. Lauren is a skilled officer and is well acquainted with the most likely suspects, including Shelby, the human victim's boyfriend; and Knox, a violent and dangerous character who is the victim's brother. Marlin, on the other hand, knows Blanco County and its residents---including Red O'Brien and Billy Don Craddock, who are involved in many of his cases. Their combined skills help them get to the bottom of what is going on. This is a page-turner, funny and suspenseful.
In the investigation Marlin is teamed with Lauren Gilchrist, a woman he had dated as an undergraduate. Seeing Lauren again leads to some uncomfortable situations, but the two work together quite effectively. Lauren is a skilled officer and is well acquainted with the most likely suspects, including Shelby, the human victim's boyfriend; and Knox, a violent and dangerous character who is the victim's brother. Marlin, on the other hand, knows Blanco County and its residents---including Red O'Brien and Billy Don Craddock, who are involved in many of his cases. Their combined skills help them get to the bottom of what is going on. This is a page-turner, funny and suspenseful.
February 8, 2021
Format: audiobook
Narrator: Robert King Ross
Another mystery in Blanco County and Red & Billy Don find themselves in the thick of it once again, I really enjoy these two.
As with the other stories it swaps between characters a lot and there are twists and turns as all the pieces pull together to solve the mystery but the storyline is easy to follow. With humour, good characters and a decent plot this series doesn’t get old.
This narrator is ok but he does tend to make the characters sound more like mafia than anything else.
Narrator: Robert King Ross
Another mystery in Blanco County and Red & Billy Don find themselves in the thick of it once again, I really enjoy these two.
As with the other stories it swaps between characters a lot and there are twists and turns as all the pieces pull together to solve the mystery but the storyline is easy to follow. With humour, good characters and a decent plot this series doesn’t get old.
This narrator is ok but he does tend to make the characters sound more like mafia than anything else.
January 24, 2018
Not what you think
As usual with Ben Rehder, this story has enough twists in it ...makes for some interesting reading. Covers a lot of strange events and characters that make for funny and tragic things that can happen. As usual the Rednecks of this story are just shifty enough not to be totally illegal. As always I look forward to more Ben Render stories.
As usual with Ben Rehder, this story has enough twists in it ...makes for some interesting reading. Covers a lot of strange events and characters that make for funny and tragic things that can happen. As usual the Rednecks of this story are just shifty enough not to be totally illegal. As always I look forward to more Ben Render stories.
October 29, 2020
A young woman and a bull are found dead in a dark pasture, who killed them or what happened? Who is trying to kill Red O'Brien and why? Where is the $46,000.00 left in a suitcase? As you can see, this is another top rate mystery without a dull moment.
November 24, 2021
Bum Steer is a well written quick romp in the Blaco County Mysteries series. This is a lighter read but credit to Rehder for a fun book with a good action mystery. The series is a Texas style mystery tour akin to Hiaasen in Florida.
November 27, 2018
Another fun romp through Blanco County, Texas!
June 29, 2020
Excellent.
March 6, 2021
I love this series!!
March 26, 2021
The book starts off in a casino and then flashes back a bit. All the trouble these two get into before they make it there is insane but I sure did love watching it all unfold.
September 24, 2023
Find characters often too many
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2024
Not my favorite book of this series. I rate it 3 stars.
January 24, 2025
wow
I am so upset
You left us all hanging-shame on you Mr. Rehder!
I was gonna read more- now I gotta.
Thanks though- great story.
I am so upset
You left us all hanging-shame on you Mr. Rehder!
I was gonna read more- now I gotta.
Thanks though- great story.
December 30, 2020
Love these Blanco County books Ben Rehder one of the funniest authors I know of
January 6, 2017
Another great visit to Blanco County!
December 12, 2015
This is my first time to read a book by author Ben Rehder. My, what have I been missing. The flow and humor of Bum Steer sold me on Mr. Rehder as I have begun to look for other novels by the author.
Bum Steer is one of the best books I have read all year. Concise in nature, the plot from the opening pages was a true Texas tornado. I liked the way the characters were developed and there is a no bulls**t approach to the story plot.
Thanks again Ben.
Bum Steer is one of the best books I have read all year. Concise in nature, the plot from the opening pages was a true Texas tornado. I liked the way the characters were developed and there is a no bulls**t approach to the story plot.
Thanks again Ben.
September 15, 2015
I've yet to read a bad Ben Rehder book. Every book in the Blanco County series has been great. Great plots and fantastic stories without any political or personal beliefs thrown in. Lots of people call Rehder the Dorsey/Hiaasen of Texas but I think he stands on his own. Can't wait for the next book!
June 24, 2015
Good book in a good series.
January 23, 2016
Loved it! As usual, Ben Rehder knocked it out of the park!
March 4, 2016
Another great read
I really enjoyed this book. Ben Rehder never disappoints and I plan on reading the rest of his books. Highly recommended.
I really enjoyed this book. Ben Rehder never disappoints and I plan on reading the rest of his books. Highly recommended.
April 23, 2016
Another humorous Blanco County mystery. I really enjoy the humor and odd-ball characters.
April 28, 2016
Stylistically a little different than the preceding stories, but just as entertaining and with a more layered plot as well.
May 20, 2016
Another fun Blanco County read! I have really grown to love all these characters.
May 21, 2016
Jims take
Render shows again why he's one of my favorite writers. I can't wait for his next book. He builds great characters.
Render shows again why he's one of my favorite writers. I can't wait for his next book. He builds great characters.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews