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Sheriff Dan Rhodes #13
A Mammoth Murder
One hot summer morning, big, tough Bud Turley brings an enormous tooth into the Blacklin County police station and asks Sheriff Dan Rhodes to keep it for him until the paleontologist from the community college comes up to examine it. Turley insists that the tooth is proof that Bigfoot roams the woods---unless it is from a prehistoric animal, which Rhodes thinks is more likely. But Turley's buddy Larry Colley has maintained for years that he's seen Bigfoot. Most inhabitants of Blacklin County have avoided those woods, but Colley and Bud are at home there, and Turley is ready to crow over his find. However, the next day his body is found in the forest, leaving Larry Colley more certain than ever that a monster is lurking there.
Dan Rhodes is not sure that Bud's death is the work of an "ordinary" criminal. And he wouldn't be too surprised if somehow feral hogs were involved; Rhodes knows what many Texans don't---it is estimated that at least a million and a half feral hogs roam the state; many believe it could be twice that many. But when the sheriff is faced with the murder of an elderly woman in the small store she ran at the edge of the woods, he knows he has a human killer on his hands.
A Mammoth Murder is Bill Crider's thirteenth mystery featuring Sheriff Dan Rhodes, his two-man headquarters "staff," and the quirky citizens of Blacklin County. Readers of the series will unanimously welcome another visit to this hospitable, if surprising, Texas community where mixed with the real-life inhabitants you'd find in any small Southwest town, there will always be some really unique goings-on.
Dan Rhodes is not sure that Bud's death is the work of an "ordinary" criminal. And he wouldn't be too surprised if somehow feral hogs were involved; Rhodes knows what many Texans don't---it is estimated that at least a million and a half feral hogs roam the state; many believe it could be twice that many. But when the sheriff is faced with the murder of an elderly woman in the small store she ran at the edge of the woods, he knows he has a human killer on his hands.
A Mammoth Murder is Bill Crider's thirteenth mystery featuring Sheriff Dan Rhodes, his two-man headquarters "staff," and the quirky citizens of Blacklin County. Readers of the series will unanimously welcome another visit to this hospitable, if surprising, Texas community where mixed with the real-life inhabitants you'd find in any small Southwest town, there will always be some really unique goings-on.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published April 18, 2006
2 people are currently reading
162 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 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 4, 2016
After the report of a "Bigfoot" sighting in the county that Sheriff Dan Rhodes patrols, a large number of Bigfoot seekers arrive in the small Texas town to see what they can find. The reported evidence given to hold by the Sheriff was a rather large tooth found in a local drainage ditch near the woods.
A local paleontologist is also called in to investigate the findings further. That's when the newest rounds of killings begin.
As Sheriff Rhodes begins his investigations he soon suspects an earlier disappearance, about ten years ago of a young boy, may be tied in with the recent spat of murders. To compound the situation an ancient Mammoth skeleton is also discovered near the same spot the big tooth was found,
Not only that, but he local Dairy Queen , and copious amounts of Dr. Pepper conspire to keep The Sheriff off of his diet, along with the usual bunch of local color and characters, make this a great addition to this series.
A local paleontologist is also called in to investigate the findings further. That's when the newest rounds of killings begin.
As Sheriff Rhodes begins his investigations he soon suspects an earlier disappearance, about ten years ago of a young boy, may be tied in with the recent spat of murders. To compound the situation an ancient Mammoth skeleton is also discovered near the same spot the big tooth was found,
Not only that, but he local Dairy Queen , and copious amounts of Dr. Pepper conspire to keep The Sheriff off of his diet, along with the usual bunch of local color and characters, make this a great addition to this series.
January 3, 2018
"Bud Turley, called Bud Squirrelly by those who thought he had a lot of peculiar ideas, put the gigantic tooth down on Sheriff Dan Rhodes’s desk and said, ‘I want you to take custody of this tooth, Sheriff’"
With that opening, the very essence of both A MAMMOTH MURDER and Bill Crider’s character Sheriff Dan Rhodes is laid bare: humorous, witty and entertaining. A MAMMOTH MURDER was originally published in 2006 by St. Martin’s Press, and it is the 13th mystery to feature Blacklin County Sheriff Dan Rhodes.
Bud Turley found the tooth in Blacklin County’s version of the Bermuda Triangle. A patch of dark timbered country called “Big Woods,” which is home to a mean-spirited pack of wild hogs, rattle snakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, and rumors of Bigfoot. Turley is certain the tooth he found belongs to the latter and he wants Sheriff Rhodes to protect it until an expert—a local community college teacher—can look at it the next day.
A report of a dead body in Big Woods interrupts Rhodes’s enjoyment of the tooth. The dead man is Bud Turley’s best (and only) friend Larry Colley whose body is discovered alarmingly close to where Bigfoot’s tooth was found. The death toll rises when an elderly shopkeeper is found dead in her store. Rhodes is certain the murders are connected, but he is continually bothered by a feeling of missing something both important and obvious.
A MAMMOTH MURDER is a charming, sly, and entertaining novel. The mystery is quirky and sincere. The dialogue is sharp and genuinely funny; most of it coming from the mouths of Rhodes’s dispatcher and jailer, Hack and Lawton. The two jab at each ferociously and enjoy, more than just a little, playing with Rhodes’s patience.
The story is bolstered by a colorful cast—Bigfoot hunters, amateur crime writers, a local newspaper reporter better at her job than Rhodes would like, and Rhodes’s wife Ivy, who put him on a low fat diet and knows nothing about his daily Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Not to mention Hack and Lawton.
The mystery is great, too. There are enough red herrings to keep the reader interested, and just enough action to make it exciting. Even better, there is something of a cold case thrown in—a young boy was killed in Big Woods ten years earlier, and Sheriff Rhodes is certain it is connected with the two recent killings—and the resolution is very satisfying.
With that opening, the very essence of both A MAMMOTH MURDER and Bill Crider’s character Sheriff Dan Rhodes is laid bare: humorous, witty and entertaining. A MAMMOTH MURDER was originally published in 2006 by St. Martin’s Press, and it is the 13th mystery to feature Blacklin County Sheriff Dan Rhodes.
Bud Turley found the tooth in Blacklin County’s version of the Bermuda Triangle. A patch of dark timbered country called “Big Woods,” which is home to a mean-spirited pack of wild hogs, rattle snakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, and rumors of Bigfoot. Turley is certain the tooth he found belongs to the latter and he wants Sheriff Rhodes to protect it until an expert—a local community college teacher—can look at it the next day.
A report of a dead body in Big Woods interrupts Rhodes’s enjoyment of the tooth. The dead man is Bud Turley’s best (and only) friend Larry Colley whose body is discovered alarmingly close to where Bigfoot’s tooth was found. The death toll rises when an elderly shopkeeper is found dead in her store. Rhodes is certain the murders are connected, but he is continually bothered by a feeling of missing something both important and obvious.
A MAMMOTH MURDER is a charming, sly, and entertaining novel. The mystery is quirky and sincere. The dialogue is sharp and genuinely funny; most of it coming from the mouths of Rhodes’s dispatcher and jailer, Hack and Lawton. The two jab at each ferociously and enjoy, more than just a little, playing with Rhodes’s patience.
The story is bolstered by a colorful cast—Bigfoot hunters, amateur crime writers, a local newspaper reporter better at her job than Rhodes would like, and Rhodes’s wife Ivy, who put him on a low fat diet and knows nothing about his daily Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Not to mention Hack and Lawton.
The mystery is great, too. There are enough red herrings to keep the reader interested, and just enough action to make it exciting. Even better, there is something of a cold case thrown in—a young boy was killed in Big Woods ten years earlier, and Sheriff Rhodes is certain it is connected with the two recent killings—and the resolution is very satisfying.
July 11, 2014
When Bud Turley comes into his office with a large tooth he claims is from 'Bigfoot,' Sheriff Dan Rhodes knows the day is going to be out of the ordinary. It quickly becomes more so, as a call comes in reporting a dead body out in the Big Woods, which turns out to be very near the location where Bud found the tooth. Lots of excitement for rural Blacklin County, Texas.
This thirteenth entry in the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series, by Bill Crider, continues to please, providing an interesting story, a plot with sufficient twists and turn to satisfy, and well-drawn characters. Sheriff Rhodes, in particular, is unflappable, full of homegrown wisdom, and, despite getting a little long in the tooth, still very much a man of action--but considered action. When the first murder victim is joined by another the next day, and both murders seem somehow connected to a decade-old disappearance in the Big Woods, the sheriff must try to tie all of it together, while continuing to field the daily calls and irritations small-town law enforcement must handle. Add to the mix an anthropological dig, out-of-town reporters, and a Big Foot society--to say nothing of the feral pig problem--and Sheriff Rhodes has his hands full.
If you've never read books in this series, you should. This is a good one.
This thirteenth entry in the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series, by Bill Crider, continues to please, providing an interesting story, a plot with sufficient twists and turn to satisfy, and well-drawn characters. Sheriff Rhodes, in particular, is unflappable, full of homegrown wisdom, and, despite getting a little long in the tooth, still very much a man of action--but considered action. When the first murder victim is joined by another the next day, and both murders seem somehow connected to a decade-old disappearance in the Big Woods, the sheriff must try to tie all of it together, while continuing to field the daily calls and irritations small-town law enforcement must handle. Add to the mix an anthropological dig, out-of-town reporters, and a Big Foot society--to say nothing of the feral pig problem--and Sheriff Rhodes has his hands full.
If you've never read books in this series, you should. This is a good one.
August 22, 2012
Im going to begin by saying this book was weird, but not really that bad. It had little to do with bigfoot and although i didnt know who the killer was until the end i wasnt impressed with the ending.It wasnt the kind of book that you couldnt put down, believe me. On the other hand i like fiction and murder mysteries so it was a good book. It was like watching a re-run of a CSI episode that was exciting the first time because youre trying to figure out who the murdere is but the second time you watch it its like 'eh'. There is not much to say on this book except that its actually a novel in a series and there are more murders mysteries solved by sheriff Rhodes, the main character in the series. I recommend this book to any bigfoot fans out there who liKe murder mysteries.
October 6, 2012
#13 in the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series. A straight forward murder mystery leading Rhodes to the killer..except for a last minute twist. Fun read.
Dan Rhodes series - When a dead body turns up in a Blacklin County forest better known for its bigfoot sightings, Rhodes hopes the murderer won't be as hard to catch as the legendary monster itself. One morning Bud Turley alerts the sheriff that he's found bigfoot's tooth in a patch of woods notable for a local boy having disappeared there years back. The fossil tooth proves to be that of a mammoth, but a corpse turns out to be Turley's best friend and then another murder takes place nearby. Turley has already summoned amateur bigfoot investigators nationwide to investigate.
Dan Rhodes series - When a dead body turns up in a Blacklin County forest better known for its bigfoot sightings, Rhodes hopes the murderer won't be as hard to catch as the legendary monster itself. One morning Bud Turley alerts the sheriff that he's found bigfoot's tooth in a patch of woods notable for a local boy having disappeared there years back. The fossil tooth proves to be that of a mammoth, but a corpse turns out to be Turley's best friend and then another murder takes place nearby. Turley has already summoned amateur bigfoot investigators nationwide to investigate.
August 4, 2017
This was an extremely easy read, but it lacked substance. The story was okay, the characters were okay, there was no real attachment to anything about the book for me. Phrases were overused ("[Name] said" was used to both end and begin dialogue EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.), there were a lot of plot holes and things that just weren't addressed that should have been, etc.
That being said, if you're looking for a book that is simple to read and quick to finish to distract you or fill time, this isn't a terrible book. It was okay. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.
That being said, if you're looking for a book that is simple to read and quick to finish to distract you or fill time, this isn't a terrible book. It was okay. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.
January 2, 2016
I think this is one of the best entries in the Dan Rhodes series.
A man most people in Blacklin County thinks is some kind of nut finds a giant tooth, he believes comes from a Bigfoot or Sasquatch (although in Texas, it might well be a swamp ape). This brings a gaggle of Bigfoot hunters to town, causing all sorts of trouble for the Sheriff.
Then of course, the inevitable murder which takes Rhodes all over the county, and which inexorably leads to more murders.
Great stuff.
A man most people in Blacklin County thinks is some kind of nut finds a giant tooth, he believes comes from a Bigfoot or Sasquatch (although in Texas, it might well be a swamp ape). This brings a gaggle of Bigfoot hunters to town, causing all sorts of trouble for the Sheriff.
Then of course, the inevitable murder which takes Rhodes all over the county, and which inexorably leads to more murders.
Great stuff.
July 14, 2014
Back. To Blacklin County
Blacklin County is a hard scrabble Texas county where Sheriff Dan Rhodes enforces the law. In this outing he faces murder, feral hogs and just maybe Bigfoot. If the legendary ape man did not kill the victims, who did and why? As always, Rhodes is laid back, sardonic and just a little unlucky. He makes mistakes along the way, but he ultimately solves the mystery. Visits to Blacklin County are always a pleasant way to spend time
Blacklin County is a hard scrabble Texas county where Sheriff Dan Rhodes enforces the law. In this outing he faces murder, feral hogs and just maybe Bigfoot. If the legendary ape man did not kill the victims, who did and why? As always, Rhodes is laid back, sardonic and just a little unlucky. He makes mistakes along the way, but he ultimately solves the mystery. Visits to Blacklin County are always a pleasant way to spend time
January 10, 2016
On the front jacket of the book as well as in the summary above, one reads: “…Turley is ready to crow over his find. However, the next day his body is found in the forest, leaving Larry Colley more certain than ever that a monster is lurking there…Rhodes is not sure that Bud's death is the work of an "ordinary" criminal.”
BIG PROBLEM: The book is about Larry Colley’s death not Bud Turley’s. Obviously, whoever wrote the jacket cover did not read the book
BIG PROBLEM: The book is about Larry Colley’s death not Bud Turley’s. Obviously, whoever wrote the jacket cover did not read the book
July 30, 2016
We listened to two mystery audiobooks, one on the way to West Texas, and one on the way home, both by my favorite mystery writer, Bill Crider. That's what a 9 1/2 hour drive to the other side of the state will do for you. Oh my, did we love hearing the story of guitar-playing Dr. C. P. "Seepy" Benton in Of All Sad Words. And does Bigfoot live in Texas? That's what Sheriff Dan Rhodes has to find out in A Mammoth Murder. We were entranced for nineteen hours and that's no small feat.
July 5, 2009
Bob Turley thinks he's found a Bigfoot's tooth. But the paleontologist he contacts says that it really comes from a mammoth. Meanwhile, Bob's best buddy Larry is found in the sinister Big Woods, home of snakes and feral pigs and--Bob believes--Bigfoot. To Sheriff Dan Rhodes, it's also the place where a little boy disappeared ten years ago. Now he's got to find Larry's murderer there.
February 16, 2008
Sheriff Dan Rhodes series is great. Read them in order.
April 3, 2013
I loved the story plot. Now on to the next one. :)
June 26, 2012
Love all the Sheriff Dan Rhodes books. About to finish the series and hope there will be more.
October 22, 2017
Funny, enjoyed it.............
November 30, 2024
Bud Turley found a huge tooth in the woods, and he wants Sheriff Rhodes to keep it safe until a paleontologist from the local community college can get a look at it. Turley is sure the tooth is evidence of the existence of Bigfoot in Texas, but Sheriff Rhodes isn’t convinced.
A day later, Bud’s lifelong bestie, Larry, dies brutally at someone else’s hand, and an aging storekeeper turns up dead in her store.
I’ve just never found these books particularly funny. I don’t know why I keep reading them. As I look at my reading roadmap for the next six months, I can safely say none of these appear there.
As Rhodes digs into the deaths, the paleontologist digs into the origins of the huge tooth. It’s a mammoth, not a wooly one, but some kind of mammoth that allegedly existed in Texas 10,000 years ago. The sheriff mourns the absence of Dr. Pepper in glass bottles made from real sugar, not corn syrup, and he connects the current cases to a 10-year-old one.
In fairness to Crider, I read this while seemingly nice people squeezed my already holiday-taxed bank account in the name of automobile maintenance. Admittedly, that could have had some impact on my perceptions of the book. But not much.
A day later, Bud’s lifelong bestie, Larry, dies brutally at someone else’s hand, and an aging storekeeper turns up dead in her store.
I’ve just never found these books particularly funny. I don’t know why I keep reading them. As I look at my reading roadmap for the next six months, I can safely say none of these appear there.
As Rhodes digs into the deaths, the paleontologist digs into the origins of the huge tooth. It’s a mammoth, not a wooly one, but some kind of mammoth that allegedly existed in Texas 10,000 years ago. The sheriff mourns the absence of Dr. Pepper in glass bottles made from real sugar, not corn syrup, and he connects the current cases to a 10-year-old one.
In fairness to Crider, I read this while seemingly nice people squeezed my already holiday-taxed bank account in the name of automobile maintenance. Admittedly, that could have had some impact on my perceptions of the book. But not much.
May 17, 2025
“A Mammoth Murder” starts with the discovery of a dinosaur tooth.
An excavation reveals more bones and, not far away, a more recent corpse.
It's murder!
It brings back memories of a missing boy in the area and the massive, but unsuccessful, search to find any trace of him.
By the time Dan figures out that there is someone who can possibly identify the killer it's too late - he or she has struck again.
As is usual in the series Dan doesn't so much solve anything as wait for the pieces to come together in his mind - until now he's never been wrong and the guilty party usually digs the hole deeper so that there can be uncertainty about their guilt.
Each episode in the series differs only in the mystery element, the rest is homespun musing in small-town America.
3 Stars.
An excavation reveals more bones and, not far away, a more recent corpse.
It's murder!
It brings back memories of a missing boy in the area and the massive, but unsuccessful, search to find any trace of him.
By the time Dan figures out that there is someone who can possibly identify the killer it's too late - he or she has struck again.
As is usual in the series Dan doesn't so much solve anything as wait for the pieces to come together in his mind - until now he's never been wrong and the guilty party usually digs the hole deeper so that there can be uncertainty about their guilt.
Each episode in the series differs only in the mystery element, the rest is homespun musing in small-town America.
3 Stars.
August 15, 2018
Dan Rhodes is the Sheriff of a small, nondescript county in Texas. One day one of the local characters comes into the jail and asks the Sheriff to look after a "bigfoot tooth" he has found. Of course the tooth doesn't belong to a bigfoot, but rather a mammoth that died during the last Ice Age. The the murders begin to happen, and Rhodes sets out to solve them, in his usual intrepid, and often humorous, way. Generally a fun read, and the rather mundane mystery makes for a satisfactory framework on which to hang the story.
May 10, 2020
Another good Sheriff Rhodes mystery.
Local oddball and Bigfoot enthusiast Bud Turley finds a tooth that he is convinced is a Bigfoot tooth. The next day, Bud's best friend and fellow Bigfoot fan Larry Colley is found murdered in the same woods the tooth was found.
A second murder happens soon after and the sheriff is also reminded of a unsolved missing persons case in the same woods 10 years before.
As always, there is some humour here. But the book hit close to home for me in the family that is dealing with the tragedy from 10 years ago.
A good story with great characters.
Local oddball and Bigfoot enthusiast Bud Turley finds a tooth that he is convinced is a Bigfoot tooth. The next day, Bud's best friend and fellow Bigfoot fan Larry Colley is found murdered in the same woods the tooth was found.
A second murder happens soon after and the sheriff is also reminded of a unsolved missing persons case in the same woods 10 years before.
As always, there is some humour here. But the book hit close to home for me in the family that is dealing with the tragedy from 10 years ago.
A good story with great characters.
December 31, 2018
Actually 3 1/2 stars. I am going to read more of his Sheriff Rhodes mysteries.
June 13, 2019
This was a slow and easy read. Crider did a good job with the characters and I was unable to guess who the murderer was. I will read more by Crider.
July 13, 2020
Audiobook performed by George Guidall
April 18, 2022
Good solid mystery that’s a little funny and a quick read. No complaints but not something I’ll be dying to reread
April 11, 2024
Pretty slow, compared to the other novels in this series.
September 24, 2025
4.5 stars—this book in the series had more of Rhodes’ dry humor and a good plot. Really enjoyed it.
June 14, 2019
This is the lucky 13th book in the Dan Rhodes series by Bill Crider. For this edition the author pulled out all the stops; there are feral hogs, snakes, an old buried body and a couple of bodies that weren't buried before they come to Sheriff Dan Rhodes' attention. If that isn't enough for the reader, there's a bit more humor included. Our 'crime-bustin' sheriff' has a lot of trouble running loose in Blacklin County. The Sheriff is much more active in this book; he has to face snakes and fighting Bigfoot fans in order to keep the peace.
A few of the eccentrics of the county come to the fore in this tale. Bigfoot is always an interest among the natives but Bud Turley creates a storm of interest when he finds a large tooth in the woods. He convinces a college professor to come to look over the tooth; in the meantime, Rhodes keeps the tooth in custody. Bud and his friend Larry Colley are two of the County's quacks and resident Bigfoot hunters. When Bud is found dead, folks want to blame Bigfoot. This brings out all the Bigfoot crazies from around the nation to tiny Blacklin County, Tx.
Everyone is looking for a CSI or forensic solution, but Sheriff Rhodes shows that it just takes good police work to find the murderer(s). I read this through my public library; it was a book-on-tape. George Guidall is the perfect voice to capture the small-town mentality of Blacklin County.
A few of the eccentrics of the county come to the fore in this tale. Bigfoot is always an interest among the natives but Bud Turley creates a storm of interest when he finds a large tooth in the woods. He convinces a college professor to come to look over the tooth; in the meantime, Rhodes keeps the tooth in custody. Bud and his friend Larry Colley are two of the County's quacks and resident Bigfoot hunters. When Bud is found dead, folks want to blame Bigfoot. This brings out all the Bigfoot crazies from around the nation to tiny Blacklin County, Tx.
Everyone is looking for a CSI or forensic solution, but Sheriff Rhodes shows that it just takes good police work to find the murderer(s). I read this through my public library; it was a book-on-tape. George Guidall is the perfect voice to capture the small-town mentality of Blacklin County.
January 9, 2015
As a mystery, not so imaginative or compelling, though the hunt for the killer opens a number of possibilities. Perhaps the most overdone phrase of the book is when Sheriff Dan Rhodes keeps saying, "I feel like I'm missing something here...." I mean, yeah, I get it, but you don't have to keep pointing it out. Still, the backwoods community where the Rhodes mysteries take place are always a hoot. Anyone who lives in a small town can find actual neighbors in these pages.
July 2, 2009
It took a little while for this book to take hold with me (sorry Bill!), but once it did, I wanted to stay up and finish it. It was interesting how the threads of an old missing person case, a current murder, a discovery of a mammoth tooth, and suspicions of Bigfoot in the area all come together in Blacklin County, Texas.
February 27, 2014
It's probably not fair to compare Bill Crider's Texas sheriff Dan Rhodes to Craig Johnson's popular Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire of A&E fame. I read back to back novels from these two authors and Johnson's Longmire appeals to me more than Rhodes. Rhodes comes off as almost too inept to be believable and the supporting cast isn't as dynamic as Logmire's deputies.
July 31, 2016
This is not the sort of book I normally would read. I picked it up because it has Bigfoot on the cover. This is a clever marketing tactic, because Bigfoot (and the mammoth, for that matter) is no more than a quick tangential storyline in this otherwise formulaic and not particularly well-written mystery.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews