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Red River Mystery #8
Laying Bones
It's January 1969 in the small rural community of Center Springs, Texas. Constable Ned Parker suspects a larger mystery behind the seemingly accidental death of his nephew, R .B., who was found in his overturned pickup near Sanders Creek bridge. It appears that R. B. drowned in the shallow water, but something doesn't add up for Ned, who begins turning over stones in search of what really happened the night R. B. died. The mystery leads Ned to the Starlite Club, a dangerous honky-tonk recently constructed in a no-man's land on the Lone Star side of the Red River. His investigations there uncover suspicious characters, drugs, and gambling, but even more troubling are a series of murders that seem designed to eliminate anyone who might know what really happened to R. B. on that cold January night. As he works his way through the cover-up, Ned lands himself in a high-stakes game of consequences with no good end in sight. Are the good citizens of Center Springs conspiring against Constable Parker in his search for the truth?
- GenresThriller
368 pages, ebook
First published January 12, 2021
28 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
About the author
Reavis Z. Wortham
22 books238 followersReavis Z. Wortham retired in 2011 and now works harder than before as the author of the critically acclaimed Red River historical mystery series. Kirkus Reviews listed his first novel, The Rock Hole, as one of their Top 12 Mysteries of 2011. True West Magazine included Dark Places as one of 2015’s Top 12 Modern Westerns. The Providence Journal writes, “This year's Unraveled is a hidden gem of a book that reads like Craig Johnson's Longmire on steroids.” Wortham’s new high octane contemporary thriller from Kensington Publishing, Hawke's Prey, featuring Texas Ranger Sonny Hawke was released in June, 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 13, 2021
Suspenseful, pacey, and unpredictable!
Laying Bones is an engrossing, gritty novel that takes us to Center Springs, Texas in 1969, where Constable Ned Parker suddenly finds himself mixed up in a complex investigation involving drug smuggling, illegal gambling, corruption, and multiple murder when the suspicious death of his cousin leads back to the honky-tonk club recently built on the banks of the Red River.
The prose is authentic and rich. The characters are sensible, intelligent, and tenacious. And the plot unfolds and unravels quickly into a compelling tale full of family, community, intrigue, drama, greed, deception, power, manipulation, mayhem, violence, and murder.
Overall, Laying Bones is an ominous, pacey, immersive thriller by Wortham that may be the first time I’ve visited Lamar County but certainly won’t be my last.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Laying Bones is an engrossing, gritty novel that takes us to Center Springs, Texas in 1969, where Constable Ned Parker suddenly finds himself mixed up in a complex investigation involving drug smuggling, illegal gambling, corruption, and multiple murder when the suspicious death of his cousin leads back to the honky-tonk club recently built on the banks of the Red River.
The prose is authentic and rich. The characters are sensible, intelligent, and tenacious. And the plot unfolds and unravels quickly into a compelling tale full of family, community, intrigue, drama, greed, deception, power, manipulation, mayhem, violence, and murder.
Overall, Laying Bones is an ominous, pacey, immersive thriller by Wortham that may be the first time I’ve visited Lamar County but certainly won’t be my last.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 30, 2021
This is the first book I've read in the series, but it worked fine as a stand alone.
1969 in Central Springs, Texas, a rustic country town where everyone knows each other.
Constable Ned Parker's nephew R.B. is found dead in the wreckage of his rolled truck.
The investigation leads to the disreputable Starlite Club where illegal activities, including drugs, gambling and underage drinking abound.
When a succession of murders begin, it seems that someone is trying to cover up what really happened the night R.B. died.
Most of the story is told from Ned's fourteen year old grandson Top's point of view, as he grows up in the small community, we are able to see it through his eyes.
This quaint and folksy coming of age/mystery was spirited and plucky.
With lots of colorful characters that all seem to be related, it took a minute to sort them all out.
But what a fun group!
The down home writing made for easy and enjoyable reading.
Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the gifted copy to review.
1969 in Central Springs, Texas, a rustic country town where everyone knows each other.
Constable Ned Parker's nephew R.B. is found dead in the wreckage of his rolled truck.
The investigation leads to the disreputable Starlite Club where illegal activities, including drugs, gambling and underage drinking abound.
When a succession of murders begin, it seems that someone is trying to cover up what really happened the night R.B. died.
Most of the story is told from Ned's fourteen year old grandson Top's point of view, as he grows up in the small community, we are able to see it through his eyes.
This quaint and folksy coming of age/mystery was spirited and plucky.
With lots of colorful characters that all seem to be related, it took a minute to sort them all out.
But what a fun group!
The down home writing made for easy and enjoyable reading.
Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the gifted copy to review.
December 15, 2020
I have enjoyed Laying Bones a Texas Red River mystery by Reavis Z. Wortham. Remember that name. If you by some chance have missed him and his books? Shame on you. He is one of the best authors right now. He has a way with the written word like no one else except James Lee Burke. His stories are funny, dark and thrilling. Once again we are back in time, it's 1969 on the Red River and they are having troubles with booze, gambling and narcotics. Not to mention what side of the border is the gambling going on. Oh, I must not forget the murders. I must thank #PoisonedPenPress #Edelweiss and #Netgalley for giving me this arc. This one is highly recommended.
January 14, 2021
It's been a very long three years since the last Red River mystery, and I was thrilled to bits to find out that Reavis Wortham had finally written another one. Laying Bones is an excellent addition to the series, and it has a great twist at the end that I didn't see coming (but should have).
Wortham always creates a strong mystery and finding the truth behind R.B. Parker's death is no exception. In Laying Bones, he gets extra points for fooling me, although I'm going to say that I was so wrapped up in the story that I ignored the clues he planted along the way. Besides the mystery, there are two major reasons why I enjoy this Red River series so much: the pitch-perfect sense of place and a standout cast of characters.
Wortham puts you right smack dab in the middle of rural northeast Texas in the 1960s and lets you watch as the problems of the outside world slither in. He can paint a scene that comes alive in your mind's eye, and he does it, not just by visual cues of kids going to see a John Wayne movie in a midnight blue 1964 Comet but also by language, and I think it's the language more than anything else that draws me so deeply into Wortham's stories. In the small farm village where I grew up, we didn't say "barbed wire," it was "bobwire" like it is in Wortham's fictional Center Springs-- and "You ain't just a woofin'" was a common phrase used that I haven't heard since I moved away.
The second major reason, the standout cast of characters, is probably the strongest reason of all for my love of this series. Wortham lets you see the story from more than one point of view. You get to see the world through Ned Parker's teenage grandson Top's eyes as well as those of his young cousins and friends. In Laying Bones, Top mostly feels like a fifth wheel as the others have begun pairing up. These kids are good kids, but they certainly do have a knack for being where they shouldn't be-- usually at the instigation of the free-spirited Pepper. However, if they didn't have that knack, they wouldn't be able to provide Ned and the others with valuable information from time to time.
You also get to see the story through the grownups' eyes. There's a whole passel of Parkers led by Ned. Cody, his nephew, is the police chief who's finally reached the stage of his career where he knows when to tell his uncle to calm down and stay put. But of all the grownup characters, one of my two favorites is big John Washington, the Black deputy. In his quiet way, readers get to see what life was like for Blacks in 1960s Texas. When it comes right down to it, I don't know who I'd want to have at my back in a fight, John Washington or retired Texas Ranger Tom Bell. Mr. Tom might have been chasing outlaws in the 1930s, but anyone who dismisses either him or Ned Parker as just an old man does so at their own peril. Both of these men don't talk much but they have a huge presence.
From the mystery to the sense of place to the characters, these Red River mysteries are most definitely more-ish, and I hope with all my heart that it's not another three years before I see these folks again.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
Wortham always creates a strong mystery and finding the truth behind R.B. Parker's death is no exception. In Laying Bones, he gets extra points for fooling me, although I'm going to say that I was so wrapped up in the story that I ignored the clues he planted along the way. Besides the mystery, there are two major reasons why I enjoy this Red River series so much: the pitch-perfect sense of place and a standout cast of characters.
Wortham puts you right smack dab in the middle of rural northeast Texas in the 1960s and lets you watch as the problems of the outside world slither in. He can paint a scene that comes alive in your mind's eye, and he does it, not just by visual cues of kids going to see a John Wayne movie in a midnight blue 1964 Comet but also by language, and I think it's the language more than anything else that draws me so deeply into Wortham's stories. In the small farm village where I grew up, we didn't say "barbed wire," it was "bobwire" like it is in Wortham's fictional Center Springs-- and "You ain't just a woofin'" was a common phrase used that I haven't heard since I moved away.
The second major reason, the standout cast of characters, is probably the strongest reason of all for my love of this series. Wortham lets you see the story from more than one point of view. You get to see the world through Ned Parker's teenage grandson Top's eyes as well as those of his young cousins and friends. In Laying Bones, Top mostly feels like a fifth wheel as the others have begun pairing up. These kids are good kids, but they certainly do have a knack for being where they shouldn't be-- usually at the instigation of the free-spirited Pepper. However, if they didn't have that knack, they wouldn't be able to provide Ned and the others with valuable information from time to time.
You also get to see the story through the grownups' eyes. There's a whole passel of Parkers led by Ned. Cody, his nephew, is the police chief who's finally reached the stage of his career where he knows when to tell his uncle to calm down and stay put. But of all the grownup characters, one of my two favorites is big John Washington, the Black deputy. In his quiet way, readers get to see what life was like for Blacks in 1960s Texas. When it comes right down to it, I don't know who I'd want to have at my back in a fight, John Washington or retired Texas Ranger Tom Bell. Mr. Tom might have been chasing outlaws in the 1930s, but anyone who dismisses either him or Ned Parker as just an old man does so at their own peril. Both of these men don't talk much but they have a huge presence.
From the mystery to the sense of place to the characters, these Red River mysteries are most definitely more-ish, and I hope with all my heart that it's not another three years before I see these folks again.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
July 8, 2021
Southern dialogue and euphemism overkill. The plot included too many tangents. This was a police procedural mystery but half of the book focuses on a group of teens which really doesn't add to the storyline.
November 24, 2020
Laying Bones (by Reavis Wortham) is the eighth book in The Red River Mystery Series, a series of books set in rural Northwest Texas in the 1960s. This is the first one in this series that I've read and it works fine as a standalone although it seems more like one complete, self-contained chapter of an ongoing saga.
From the blurb: "It's January, 1969, in the small rural community of Center Springs, Texas. Constable Ned Parker is looking into the seemingly accidental death of his nephew R.B., who was found in his overturned pickup near Sanders Creek bridge. ... Constable Parker finds himself involved in a high stakes game of consequences with no end-game in sight."
Shady honky-tonks, drugs, murders, rowdy good ol' boys, small town politics, and a world that's changing too fast to suit good country folk -- that's the basic set-up. The plot unfolds in a narrative that alternates between third person and first person (Full disclosure; I've never been especially fond of that type of alternating narrative perspective).
The first person part is told from the point of view of Ned's grandson Top, a fourteen-year old boy who lives with his grandparents. That part of the story is part coming-of-age story and part color commentary that provides a "folksy" background for what's happening. On the downside, as is the case in many small communities, about half of all those involved seem to be related and it can be a bit of a chore trying to keep up with Top's references to Uncle so-and-so, Aunt such-and-such, and Cousin this-one or that-one.
Top isn't all that involved in the central mystery so it really ends up being something of a mash-up of coming-of-age and rural crime fiction.
It gets a little disorienting at first, trying to keep up with a good sized cast of characters, but once it all starts unfolding it comes together pretty well. All in all it's a good story, I've already made a point of obtaining the first book in the series and, if it holds up, I'll probably read the others.
*There are a sprinkling of four-letter words, some violence (not graphic), and adult situations (again, more suggestive than graphic) but it falls well within a PG-13 rating.
***I received a digital copy of this title from NetGalley
From the blurb: "It's January, 1969, in the small rural community of Center Springs, Texas. Constable Ned Parker is looking into the seemingly accidental death of his nephew R.B., who was found in his overturned pickup near Sanders Creek bridge. ... Constable Parker finds himself involved in a high stakes game of consequences with no end-game in sight."
Shady honky-tonks, drugs, murders, rowdy good ol' boys, small town politics, and a world that's changing too fast to suit good country folk -- that's the basic set-up. The plot unfolds in a narrative that alternates between third person and first person (Full disclosure; I've never been especially fond of that type of alternating narrative perspective).
The first person part is told from the point of view of Ned's grandson Top, a fourteen-year old boy who lives with his grandparents. That part of the story is part coming-of-age story and part color commentary that provides a "folksy" background for what's happening. On the downside, as is the case in many small communities, about half of all those involved seem to be related and it can be a bit of a chore trying to keep up with Top's references to Uncle so-and-so, Aunt such-and-such, and Cousin this-one or that-one.
Top isn't all that involved in the central mystery so it really ends up being something of a mash-up of coming-of-age and rural crime fiction.
It gets a little disorienting at first, trying to keep up with a good sized cast of characters, but once it all starts unfolding it comes together pretty well. All in all it's a good story, I've already made a point of obtaining the first book in the series and, if it holds up, I'll probably read the others.
*There are a sprinkling of four-letter words, some violence (not graphic), and adult situations (again, more suggestive than graphic) but it falls well within a PG-13 rating.
***I received a digital copy of this title from NetGalley
January 2, 2021
I was fortunate to get an early read on this fantastic mystery! Not only was it a great brainteaser--set in 1960s rural Texas--but it took me back to that time in my life. I wasn't exposed to murder, illegal gambling, or teenagers doing drugs, but I did go into small one-room stores where folks gathered as much for company (and gossip) as for supplies and eat in plenty of Southern kitchens.
Wortham enriched the compelling storyline with music, dress, and food--fried chicken, long-cooked vegetables, fruit cobbler, and homemade biscuits. Racial inequality is still the norm, but the focal families have good friends across the divide and they welcome them into their homes and lives.
There are plenty of red herrings and genuine clues to the murders. I've stopped trying to guess whodunnit and just go along with the great story. If a book doesn't pique my interest, I don't finish it. I finished this one and can't wait for the next!
Wortham enriched the compelling storyline with music, dress, and food--fried chicken, long-cooked vegetables, fruit cobbler, and homemade biscuits. Racial inequality is still the norm, but the focal families have good friends across the divide and they welcome them into their homes and lives.
There are plenty of red herrings and genuine clues to the murders. I've stopped trying to guess whodunnit and just go along with the great story. If a book doesn't pique my interest, I don't finish it. I finished this one and can't wait for the next!
March 7, 2021
I've read a few Sonny Hawke books by this author but this is the first of this series. It was pretty good. A bit overkill though. Literally. Guessing over 12 murders in less than a weeks time? In a real small town and no one blinks an eye. Just a lot of harumphing by the men and cooking by the women.
The book is full of crusty old coots, troublesome and meddling teenagers, salt of the earth farmers, righteous lawmen, and vicious bad guys. The storytelling is solid and it felt like the late 1960's were captured well.
I'll go back and read a couple more in this series. Not great but good.
The book is full of crusty old coots, troublesome and meddling teenagers, salt of the earth farmers, righteous lawmen, and vicious bad guys. The storytelling is solid and it felt like the late 1960's were captured well.
I'll go back and read a couple more in this series. Not great but good.
March 24, 2021
Interesting premise, this strip of no man's land along the Red River and some interesting characters, especially the three kids: Top, Mark and Pepper. Just the right amount of "Texas" dialogue, but once the bodies start falling it got a little out of control for me. A couple loose ends with the preacher's family, but this is my first book in this series, so maybe some of the side stories continue on in the next book.
November 20, 2025
The book was overall decent. It was an easy read about how life was in Texas in the 1960’s. A lot of dead people.
Chapter 12 there’s a mistake involving character names. This is where Odell Chatworthy is working at the auto mechanic shop and he gets hit in the head by the stranger but in the book it says “Cy’s left eye went black”. Cy is not there. Cy is not even mentioned in any other chapter.
Chapter 12 there’s a mistake involving character names. This is where Odell Chatworthy is working at the auto mechanic shop and he gets hit in the head by the stranger but in the book it says “Cy’s left eye went black”. Cy is not there. Cy is not even mentioned in any other chapter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2022
The author knows his Texas blue northers! Great dialogue and description. Dialect written just the right way so it didn't slow down the eye and mind while reading. Loved that he included Howard Taft as the TV weatherman.... one of those tiny details that doesn't matter except to those of us reading in North Texas and appreciating the name drop.
January 25, 2023
DNF. 120 pages in and the insane amount of characters and random plot cast-offs made this confusing to read. The author also tries too hard to make the characters and theme ‘southern and western’ feeling and it takes away from the plot too much. Honestly couldn’t even tell you what the plot was of this book.
October 24, 2023
I’ve read each book in this series, and Reavis Wortham hit the mark on this one. Keeps you guessing, action-packed, definitely a must read by anyone who enjoys a story about good guys battling evil. Wortham’s style of character and story development connects the reader to the action as if right there in the midst of what’s happening. Great read!
May 21, 2021
I really enjoyed this author! I'm not usually into this style of mystery but everything was so we'll drawn out and interesting I felt like I was there through out the whole story. I'm going to look for his other works because of his writing style, made me think of Longmeir and his series.
May 5, 2022
First of all, great title. I really like this story about a small town big family trying to uncover a chain of murders along their border town. Young and old, both men and women all become wrapped up in the mystery of this whodunit. The ending was satisfying and I would recommend it in a heartbeat.
June 19, 2024
So hard to get through. I can read a good book in a couple days but this just didn’t flow that easy for me.
January 19, 2025
Excellent addition to the series!
Great read! Drew me in and I couldn’t put it down! Fast becoming a favorite author of mine. Can’t wait for the next one!
Great read! Drew me in and I couldn’t put it down! Fast becoming a favorite author of mine. Can’t wait for the next one!
April 3, 2025
Like these stories about Top and Pepper and their law enforcement relatives. There were lots of dead bodies in this one, mostly bad guys.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. I didn't realize it was a part of a series but it worked as a stand alone book. I definitely want to check out the other books in the series!
May 7, 2021
Enjoyed it, it's gripping and entertaining.
Solid mystery, well thought and interesting characters, a plot that kept me hooked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Solid mystery, well thought and interesting characters, a plot that kept me hooked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews