After finishing Bill Crider’s twelfth Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery, Red, White & Blue Murder, I admire his storytelling skills even more. Although the books are all set in a small area in Texas, Crider doesn’t hesitate to include the regular residents of Blacklin County as killers or criminals. Outsiders aren’t the only villains. In fact, in this one, I was surprised to see a character I’d grown to like brought face-to-face with reality.

Red, White & Blue Murder takes place over just a few days in early July. There’s been no rain in Blacklin County for almost two months, and before that, the county suffered from a three year drought. Sheriff Dan Rhodes is worried about the county and fireworks over the Fourth of July. Although the city has banned them, the county still allows fireworks. But, the first fire occurs when a small house burns down, and there’s a body inside. It takes some time to identify the body, but Rhodes suspects it’s Grat Bilson, the new president of the Sons and Daughters of Texas.

It can only get worse for Rhodes before it gets better. He’s called to a fireworks stand where a woman is waving a gun around. Despite his attempt at persuasion, the fireworks stand makes an excellent target for an angry woman, and an exciting picture when fireworks explode. And, of course, it’s Sheriff Rhodes. He can’t escape excitement even at the annual county celebration. He gets hit with a chair, may have killed a man, and was hit by an ashtray. He always seems to trust people a little too much, and they take advantage of that trust.

Of course, it’s enjoyable to see Rhodes solve a murder or two. But, another book means we also get to return to Blacklin County and catch up with Rhodes, his wife, Ivy, Hack Jensen and Lawton at the jail. Red, White & Blue Murder is another excellent mystery with a surprise killer. Well done, Bill Crider.

Bill Crider’s website is still https://www.billcrider.com/

Red, White & Blue Murder by Bill Crider. St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2003. ISBN 9780312271855 (hardcover), 215p.

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