Murder Most Fowl

Progress has come to Blackstone County, Texas. Hack got his computer at the jail. The computer is nice and all that and though he feels vindicated he isn't satisfied. They need televisions in the jail. And he wants cameras for the patrol cars. Considering how many times Sheriff Rhodes has had a physical alteration next to his county car, cameras might be a good thing. What isn't a good thing in the minds of many is that Wal-Mart has set up right outside Clearview. As has happened across the country in numerous small towns, the arrival of the big chain has destroyed the small downtown area of Clearview. A once thriving downtown is now vacant and virtually empty of any pedestrian traffic. The arrival of the store has caused the closing of most of the Mom and Pop stores as well as driving off some of the smaller chains. Elijah "Lige" Ward used to have a hardware store. These days he chains himself to the front doors of Wal-Mart in protest demanding the store to close. Of course, Sheriff Rhodes has to go out and deal with that situation. Emus have also come to the county and as a result there are now thefts of Emus instead of cattle. While cattle rustling can be tracked and dealt with, Emu theft is a bit trickier. The old standby, chickens, is still around and still being raised to fight by some on the county. You know with all this going on, there will be another murder and Rhodes will soon be working the case, chasing suspects, and dealing with a host of other issues in the county. At least it is early June and election season is far off. He's going to lose a few votes by finding out all the dirt on his neighbors. Sheriff Dan Rhodes wouldn't have it any other way. Well, he would like not to get in some many brawls with suspects and he probably would like to be home for dinner on a more regular basis. Released in 1994, this novel takes readers back to Blackstone County for another adventure in an idyllic setting. The recurring characters, except his daughter, Susan return. Ivy makes a couple of appearances to bounce ideas of as well as to provide dietary comedic life. Marrying Ivy has changed the sheriff in many ways, including his pantry. It also seems to have regulated her to a role less on stage which is too bad because she is interesting and a character worth having around. Another solidly good outing that keeps the series going and provides an interesting case for the good sheriff. Cozies don't get much better then this and it is a good one. Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

Dan Rhodes is the sheriff of a small Texas town that sounds a lot like Alvin, Texas, where author Bill Crider resides. Crider conjures up an hilarious mental pictures when he describes Lige Ward chaining himself up to the local Wal-Mart in protest for being put out of his small business. That is followed by a portable john bobbing down a river and being shot at by three very inebriated young men. All the hilarity stops when a dead body is discovered inside the john. Crider throws in the requisite red herrings as the sheriff looks into the life of the victim and tries to find the killer. He has to deal with stolen emus, guinea hens, and roosters before he finally discovers the perpetrator. Sheriff Rhodes can always be counted on for a laugh and a good read.

Life just hasn't been the same since the Wal-Mart came to Blacklin County, Texas. Now that the chain store and a big grocery sit out on the edge of the town of Clearview, the downtown area is littered with abandoned storefronts. Elijah Ward once owned one of those local shops, and now he's chained himself to Wal-Mart's exit door as a protest. Sheriff Dan Rhodes takes Ward and his wife into custody, knowing full well that they have a valid point but will soon be released and may even protest Wal-Mart again. Alas, they never get the chance, as they are both found dead within the span of a few days. "Lige" Ward's body is found in a porta-potty that three young drunks have launched into a creek in order to shoot holes into it. A day later, Rhodes finds Rayjean Ward lying in the middle of a cockfighting ring in the woods behind her home. And though the Wal-Mart manager has been seen in a place where he shouldn't have been, these recent incidents all come down to some pretty fowl business: roosters, emus, guinea hens, and illegal cockfighting. Can Rhodes figure everything out and soon restore order to his rural Texas community? This seventh episode in the series is an average one, a continuation of what readers will be familiar with from the previous books. It's nice to see that Ivy, the new Mrs. Dan Rhodes, is having a positive influence on her husband. He evens asks for her advice during the investigations and is surprised but thrilled when one of Ivy's hunches turns out to be right. Is it women's intuition, or is Ivy rising to the occasion of being a sheriff's wife? Either way, her presence is welcome.