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Roy Ballard Mysteries #4
Now You See Him
Jeremy Sawyer was having a great time on a party barge on Lake Travis, and then he was suddenly nowhere to be found. Had he jumped? Fallen off? Been pushed? Roy Ballard—an expert in catching insurance cheats—intends to find out. After all, Jeremy Sawyer was the nephew of one of his biggest clients, and she can’t shake the suspicion that it wasn't an accident. It isn’t long before Roy and his partner Mia Madison begin to draw the same conclusion.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 2017
495 people are currently reading
132 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 35 reviews
February 10, 2017
Good enough story.
Author lives in Austin, very familiar city and culture to me. Those were the main reasons I chose this book, but dialogue style for 20 to 35 age group.
Roy and his partner/girlfriend are investigating insurance fraud cases and drowning on Lake Travis. There is some romance too.
Author lives in Austin, very familiar city and culture to me. Those were the main reasons I chose this book, but dialogue style for 20 to 35 age group.
Roy and his partner/girlfriend are investigating insurance fraud cases and drowning on Lake Travis. There is some romance too.
February 22, 2017
A most excellent 5 star read! love Roy and his gal Mia. Must say that was a bonehead move towards the end of the book dude!
September 22, 2020
This was my favourite book of the series so far. The reason I have given it 5 stars is because the story is so much more engaging than other run of the mill crime thrillers.
The main story centres around the death of a young man who had been aboard a party boat. Roy is engaged by Heidi, one of his main clients, to try and find out if the boy Jeremy, her nephew, had met his death accidentally or if he had committed suicide or had been murdered.
Meanwhile, Roy’s partner Mia is trying to discover whether another young man who claims to have been affected by a tetanus shot and now has to walk with his hands above his head is faking his insurance claim.
The book is laced with humour and I like the relationship between Roy and Mia. The books aren’t cosy crime, but they aren’t gritty crime noir either. They’re somewhere in between. I would heartily recommend the series and they’re brilliantly narrated on Audible.
The main story centres around the death of a young man who had been aboard a party boat. Roy is engaged by Heidi, one of his main clients, to try and find out if the boy Jeremy, her nephew, had met his death accidentally or if he had committed suicide or had been murdered.
Meanwhile, Roy’s partner Mia is trying to discover whether another young man who claims to have been affected by a tetanus shot and now has to walk with his hands above his head is faking his insurance claim.
The book is laced with humour and I like the relationship between Roy and Mia. The books aren’t cosy crime, but they aren’t gritty crime noir either. They’re somewhere in between. I would heartily recommend the series and they’re brilliantly narrated on Audible.
September 29, 2020
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
After an apparent accident on a party cruise Roy is asked by one of his clients to look into what happened as the victim is her nephew. She is convinced it was not an accident and needs to know the truth before she can rest easy. As Roy and Mia get themselves into even more trouble whilst trying to find out the truth Mia is also distracted as her ex is back on the screen just as Roy believes he finally has a chance with her. My two old friend are yet again putting their lives on the line to find out the truth as well as skirting around each other when it comes to matters of the heart. Never disappoints and I actually cheered at the end.
After an apparent accident on a party cruise Roy is asked by one of his clients to look into what happened as the victim is her nephew. She is convinced it was not an accident and needs to know the truth before she can rest easy. As Roy and Mia get themselves into even more trouble whilst trying to find out the truth Mia is also distracted as her ex is back on the screen just as Roy believes he finally has a chance with her. My two old friend are yet again putting their lives on the line to find out the truth as well as skirting around each other when it comes to matters of the heart. Never disappoints and I actually cheered at the end.
October 1, 2020
So the story continues. Their main client's nephew has died whilst on a party boat but she is suspicious so asks Roy and Mia to investigate. Not that they are PI's but they sometimes stretch their jobs as legal videographers:
There is trouble a plenty, wit and and a little wisdom, the odd black eye and sore head, and complications in the form of Mia's ex.
Fast paced and excellently narrated by Johnny Peppers, and an ending that really makes you want to know what happens next.
I am enjoying this series, it is old fashioned but very much in the now. Noir but lifted by the humour and the light touch.
Each story is focused on a particular investigation but there is a story arc and the relationships and people move on in time so I recommend reading in order.
A very enjoyable listen.
There is trouble a plenty, wit and and a little wisdom, the odd black eye and sore head, and complications in the form of Mia's ex.
Fast paced and excellently narrated by Johnny Peppers, and an ending that really makes you want to know what happens next.
I am enjoying this series, it is old fashioned but very much in the now. Noir but lifted by the humour and the light touch.
Each story is focused on a particular investigation but there is a story arc and the relationships and people move on in time so I recommend reading in order.
A very enjoyable listen.
March 13, 2021
Audiobook review
Another good book from Ben Rehder
A thriller that gets the characters involved & gets you thinking.
A passenger goes missing from the boat, pushed, fell?
But it’s not just as straight forward as it sounds.
Narrator is very good in this book as well.
Another good book from Ben Rehder
A thriller that gets the characters involved & gets you thinking.
A passenger goes missing from the boat, pushed, fell?
But it’s not just as straight forward as it sounds.
Narrator is very good in this book as well.
October 27, 2025
I enjoyed the mystery.
I enjoyed the story.
I enjoyed the protagonist.
I did not see the end coming and that was a big, big, big surprise.
I enjoyed the story.
I enjoyed the protagonist.
I did not see the end coming and that was a big, big, big surprise.
January 5, 2023
Another great book in the Roy Ballard series.
It seems like Roy and Mia have at least two cases going on all the time and this one is no different. But I found the Dennis/Roscoe case a little bit less interesting and slightly boring. Rehder's prose and style are still top-notch but I guess I found the story of this case not as intriguing as all the other ones he has in the series so far.
Also I am very happy where the Roy and Mia relationship seems to be going.
It seems like Roy and Mia have at least two cases going on all the time and this one is no different. But I found the Dennis/Roscoe case a little bit less interesting and slightly boring. Rehder's prose and style are still top-notch but I guess I found the story of this case not as intriguing as all the other ones he has in the series so far.
Also I am very happy where the Roy and Mia relationship seems to be going.
February 6, 2022
I enjoyed this book. The reason being with two very different cases going on it never got boring. The main case (Roy's) was interesting as every step he took he got beaten up or threatened, I couldn't help but wonder if they hadn't have gone in so heavy handed would be have just written it off as a accident? Either way I liked how it played out and eventually got solved, good job he has a tough partner in Mia. The side story (Mia's case) was my favourite I just couldn't help but like Dennis. The story was also backed up with Roy's wit and humour and of course the complicated relationship between the two main characters. Look forward to seeing where the author takes the characters to next.
When there main client Heidi's nephew dies while on a party boat, she asks Roy and Mia to take a look and see. Roy was ready to write it off as a drunken teenager accident but another boy from the party boat gets attacked in his own home and his phone stolen. Is someone trying to cover something up? Roy gets a visit from a thug who tries to kill him and it seems somebody doesn't like him asking questions but can be fine the right one? At the same time Mia is investing a case where a tetanus shot causes some strange side effects but with a shy patient and protective family members it proves hard to find out if he is faking it or he really does have a medical condition. Can the pair wrap up both cases? Or will Roy get distracted with Mia's ex back in town?
I like the narrator. Roy's sense of humour and banter comes across nicely with this narrator timing.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
When there main client Heidi's nephew dies while on a party boat, she asks Roy and Mia to take a look and see. Roy was ready to write it off as a drunken teenager accident but another boy from the party boat gets attacked in his own home and his phone stolen. Is someone trying to cover something up? Roy gets a visit from a thug who tries to kill him and it seems somebody doesn't like him asking questions but can be fine the right one? At the same time Mia is investing a case where a tetanus shot causes some strange side effects but with a shy patient and protective family members it proves hard to find out if he is faking it or he really does have a medical condition. Can the pair wrap up both cases? Or will Roy get distracted with Mia's ex back in town?
I like the narrator. Roy's sense of humour and banter comes across nicely with this narrator timing.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
January 31, 2018
Roy Ballard is a videographer. Sounds kind of boring because it basically means he gets videos of people committing fraud for the insurance. Mia is his partner and together they come up with some ingenious, but not always legal, plans. They are generally juggling more than one case at a time. Their main client, Heidi, wants Roy to investigate the death of her nephew, who apparently drowned jumping off a party barge. It certainly looks like an accident, but someone(s) does not want Roy investigating it as they try to kill him. The fact that Roy is not a licensed investigator doesn't stop him from looking into it. Mia is hired to prove that a tetanus shot did not cause irrational and debilitating behavior. Possibly the best Roy Ballard yet! Book 5 to be released soon.
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July 27, 2020Ben Rehder continues to entertain this reader (ha!) with the further adventures of legal videographers Roy and Mia. As usual, my review is short and to the point. If you like your crime fiction sauced with some sexual and emotional heat between the main characters, you cannot go wrong. If you like your heroes in the vein of self-effacing smart-asses, you will love this pair. Since this is Number Four in the Roy Ballard mysteries it occurs to me that you should start with the first and read sequentially. Yes, Rehder necessarily provides a sprinking of backstory in each, but he does so sparingly and entertainlingly.
November 4, 2020
I'm totally invested in this series now and have a special place in my heart for Roy and Mia. So when Heidi's nephew drowns, I was heartbroken for her. She's Roy's main source of income and she gives as good as she gets when it comes to Roy's witty one-liners. There was a lot more danger in this book and shades of some very dark goings on. But you can never feel too down with Roy on the scene, he's so funny and contrary. I must see if he and Mia are free to come to dinner. Yes, they are so well drawn they feel like real people to me. All credit to Ben Rehder for creating such great characters and to Johnny Peppers for bringing them to life. I think this series is top notch.
February 6, 2021
Roy's main client asks him to investigate her nephew's disappearance from a party boat. How did Jeremy fall from the boat and was there any foul play involved. Whilst Roy investigates this Mia has her own case an insurance fraud investigation. As usual with Roy he manages to upset a few people, get himself into some scrapes, but with Mia as his partner he has someone to rely on to help him when it gets tough. Another great adventure involving the two of them. Looking forward to book 5 in the series.
August 11, 2020
Format: audiobook
Narrator: Johnny Peppers
I’m now 4 books in to this series and the entertainment factor does not diminish. The narrator does a great job with the sarcastic and witty Roy.
Roy Ballard is not one to not see a case through to its conclusion even at the risk of his life. A couple of very near misses for our videographer in this one!
Plenty going on her to more than keep the listener/reader invested in the outcome and as for the ending ...... I didn’t see that coming.
Narrator: Johnny Peppers
I’m now 4 books in to this series and the entertainment factor does not diminish. The narrator does a great job with the sarcastic and witty Roy.
Roy Ballard is not one to not see a case through to its conclusion even at the risk of his life. A couple of very near misses for our videographer in this one!
Plenty going on her to more than keep the listener/reader invested in the outcome and as for the ending ...... I didn’t see that coming.
July 3, 2021
favorite
This is in the top 5 of favorite series I love to read. Moving on to the rest of this series. Great story lines, a resolution to most crimes at the end, pretty good at stand alone no matter which book you start with, but its better if you read in order. Looking forward to reading #5.
This is in the top 5 of favorite series I love to read. Moving on to the rest of this series. Great story lines, a resolution to most crimes at the end, pretty good at stand alone no matter which book you start with, but its better if you read in order. Looking forward to reading #5.
July 21, 2017
Fast paced and well written
With an unusual setting and premise, interesting characters ( especially the female protagonist ),
and surprising twists, it was difficult to set this book aside when other things needed to be done.
Suspense without gore or tacky sex.
With an unusual setting and premise, interesting characters ( especially the female protagonist ),
and surprising twists, it was difficult to set this book aside when other things needed to be done.
Suspense without gore or tacky sex.
November 12, 2020
Jeremy Sawyer was having a grand time on a party barge and then he disappeared. Did he jump, fall off, or was he pushed? Roy Ballard and Mia Madison are on the case. I love all of the Roy Ballard mystery series!
July 3, 2022
Another good read
Liked this one a lot but worried all the way through that Roy was gonna get himself killed. He can sure be irritating when he is on to something and knows he is right.
Liked this one a lot but worried all the way through that Roy was gonna get himself killed. He can sure be irritating when he is on to something and knows he is right.
July 15, 2025
Totally entertaining read from the author down the road from us out here—-west of Austin. Local place, local references. This is the one with the possible murder/death on the party barge on Lake Travis. You can see Lake Travis from my house, but I didn’t notice anything. It’s a big lake.
July 3, 2017
Ben Rehder is a damn national treasure. His economy of prose is something more writers could take a lesson on.
May 15, 2018
I’ve read the first four Roy Ballard books. Fun, light mysteries. I like Roy’s dry sense of humor.
September 26, 2018
I always love Roy Ballard mysteries. He is a fun character who's sarcasm is refreshing to a lot of the cookie cutter characters you find in many stories. I am excited to read the next book!
April 14, 2019
Great series great characters and storyline and the humour and banter that goes along in the books adds up to another great read !!
July 30, 2020
Excellent, like all of the Roy Ballard books.
June 25, 2021
I always enjoy the fun romp this writer serves up, but this was not his best. The investigation of the drowning felt disjointed and I missed his usual slick surveillance schemes.
August 29, 2021
Good book. Roy and Mia work well together (mostly) and I enjoyed this one. 5 Stars.
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December 29, 2021Excellent reading.
August 29, 2023
As usual, a terrific read.
September 2, 2025
The series continues with its catchy dialogue, well-woven intrigue, and compelling characters. I did think that the lost son would be resurrected, but alas, no.
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September 19, 20253.4
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews