Synopsis (from
the publisher):
Sylvester Bradshaw owns the Bouree restaurant, home of the best catfish
within a hundred miles of Brenham, Texas. Besides being known for his
cooking and for being one of the town’s nastiest residents, he
also happens to have invented a machine that several venture
capitalists and one former NFL star would like to invest in at almost
any cost. But Bradshaw---stubborn and miserly---can’t be enticed
no matter what offer they put on the table. Nobody gets a look and
nobody gets to know how the device works, not even his family.
When the restaurant is ransacked and he goes missing, the only person
willing to take his disappearance seriously is Jeremiah Spur. The
retired Texas Ranger and rancher is a dedicated customer, if not a
friend, which makes him the only man on whom the Bradshaws can pin
their hopes.
— ◊ —
— ◊ —
Where Armadillos Go To Die
A Jeremiah
Spur Mystery
James
Hime
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-312-53486-8 (0312534868)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-53486-8 (9780312534868)
Publication Date: November 2009
List Price: $25.99
— ◊ —
Review: Retired
Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur is drawn into the investigation of a
restaurant owner gone missing in Where
Armadillos Go To Die, the outstanding third mystery in this
series by James Hime.
Sylvester Bradshaw owns one of the most popular restaurants in
Washington County, Texas. His catfish always tastes clean and fresh,
and customers from as far away as Houston, even people who don't like
the cantankerous man, show up to dine there. His secret: a machine that
removes impurities from the fish. But he's ultra-secretive about the
device, refusing to market or even license it. When he -- and his
invention -- disappears one evening, his sons don't seem all that
worried. But his daughter is, asking Jeremiah to look into what might
have happened.
The great appeal of Where Armadillos
Go To Die is in its narrative style that seems to perfectly
capture living and working in a small town in Texas. It's homey, at
times a bit quirky, and always enjoyable. The richly drawn characters
-- and there are quite a few of them -- are as varied as the landscape
of ranchland is not, and include infomercial king Big Ty Daniels
("known the world over for his gridiron feats and his toaster oven");
Robert Bruni, an attorney from Houston who seems to know more than he
lets on; Clyde Thomas, a security salesman and part-time PI looking for
his big break; and Jeremiah's wife Martha, a gentlewoman who's the very
definition of the word.
About the only weakness in Where
Armadillos Go To Die is that it really isn't much of a mystery.
The plot gently rolls along, steady and sure, but the surprises are
few, the outcome long foreshadowed. Still, everything else about the
book is so well done that it's well worth accompanying Jeremiah Spur on
his investigation into the circumstances surrounding the missing
inventor.
The title is taken from the lyrics of a fictional country song that
"tended to put Jeremiah in mind of Washington County itself", the last
verse of which goes ...
Lord give me the grace
'Fore we meet face to face
Without so much as a sigh
My fate in Your hands
To accept like a man
Where armadillos go to die.
Special thanks to St. Martin's Minotaur for providing a copy of Where Armadillos Go To Die for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Where Armadillos Go To Die? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
The
Night of the Dance
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), May 2003
ISBN-10: 0-31231322-5 (0312313225)
ISBN-13: 978-0-31231322-7 (9780312313227)
Scared
Money
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), October 2004
ISBN-10: 0-31233136-3 (0312331363)
ISBN-13: 978-0-31233136-8 (9780312331368)
Where Armadillos Go To Die
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), November 2009
ISBN-10: 0-312-53486-8 (0312534868)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-53486-8 (9780312534868)
Omnimystery keywords for Where Armadillos Go To Die ...
Location(s) referenced: Texas.
