Showing posts with label Samuel Craddock Mystery series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Samuel Craddock Mystery series. Show all posts

Sunday, November 30, 2025

Review: The Curious Poisoning of Jewel Barnes: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames


This comes out Tuesday...


It is always a great pleasure when another book in the long running Samuel Craddock Mystery series by Terry Shames comes out. The latest, The Curious Poisoning of Jewel Barnes, is another solidly good one.

 

As the book begins, it is the fall of Craddock’s discontent. He thought he was in love and they had a future together. But, Wendy Gleason is gone as she has reconnected with her high school love who has come back into her life. It has been a bit of a whirlwind these last few weeks for them and they are about to be married. A break up is hard enough, but with Jarret Creek so small, everybody for miles around knows every excruciating detail.

 

Loretta has stopped by this morning, as she almost always does, with some food and news. This time the news is a bit strange as one of two twin sisters thinks the other is trying to kill her. Lily and Jewel, part of the Barnes family, have lived together their entire lives. They live a couple of blocks over from the family home. Much of their lives, they have bickered, but nothing too serious and nothing ever got out of hand to the point that anyone else, in the family or outside, had to really intervene.

 

That may have changed in the here and now of mid-November. Loretta says she has heard from Hannah, another sister, there is some sort of serious feud going on. Lily is sure her twin sister is trying to poison her and, to hear Loretta tell it, the fear that Lily has is very real.

 

Chief Samuel Craddock does not think much of it as everybody in that family has a temper and there is always some sort of petty disagreement going on. Some families are just like that. Not only that, but the twins are in their mid-forties so Craddock believes they should both have some sense. Beyond that, why would one try to kill the other one now?

 

Loretta does not know, but she is clearly concerned as is Hannah who told her some of the details. So, he agrees to see each of the twins and check in, but that takes awhile as various other problems take precedence. That includes the possibility of an illegal dumpsite just outside the limits of his jurisdiction. A site that, it soon becomes clear, nobody wants to talk about or have it investigated.

 

Soon, Jewel is dead from an apparent poisoning. Lily is the main suspect. She is also devastated by the death of her twin sister. That death also has rocked Hannah and the entire family. A death that has to be investigated by Craddock and others as either it was an accident or deliberate.

 

If that wasn’t enough, Wendy’s kids who have always thought the world of Craddock are concerned about the return of the old flame and his criminal history. It doesn’t take long for Craddock to realize they have reason to be concerned though he has no idea what to do about it. Where is the line between being a lawman and a concerned ex-boyfriend?

 

As always in this series, much is going on via many fronts, and Samuel Craddock does his best. The Curious Poisoning of Jewel Barnes: A Samuel Craddock Mystery brings back numerous characters that are old friends/ The latest installment of a great series that began with A Killing at Cotton Hill is another solidly good read.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3JmQlU1

 

My digital ARC came by way of Severn House, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Tuesday, October 08, 2024

Review: The Troubling Death of Maddy Benson: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames


The Troubling Death of Maddy Benson: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames opens with a phone call. Mrs. Jack Currey is worried about her sister and Chief of Police Samuel Craddock just happened to be the one answering the phone. Jarrett Creek, Texas, is a very small town and he pretty much either knows everyone or knows of them. He has no idea who Maddy Benson is, but her sister is insistent she lives in the area.

 

She also reports that her sister seemed to be out of breath and said something about needing to get away before saying she would call back and hung up. Mrs. Jack Curry is rattled and clearly is concerned about her sister. She finally explains she has not lived there long which is why Chief Craddock does not know her. Mrs. Jack Curry provides the address and Sheriff Craddock realizes that the location is out in a relatively new development north of town.

 

Chief Craddock and Deputy Maria Trevino go looking in the area and eventually spot an open gate at Tom Gainer’s property. His gate is always closed during the week as he only comes around on weekends. Further investigation deeper into the property yields a body.

 

The body is female and she has been shot in the middle of the back.

 

It does not take long at all to determine that the deceased woman is Maddy Benson. Her murder unleashes a complicated tale that had stirred up quite a few members of the local citizenry. People who had found out what she was doing and objected. Threats had been made. The suspect list is a long one and it is not helped by the fact that her family is beset by their own internal grievances and relationship drama.

 

Much is going on in The Troubling Death of Maddy Benson: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames. While it is a good mystery/police procedural read, this is a book that is not for everyone.

 

A major aspect of the read is what is happening in Texas with abortion and reproductive health care rights. Author Terry Shames deftly encapsulates the fear on one side and the outright anger and hostility shown by some on the other side. It is a deeply felt issue for many people. Therefore, some readers may have a hard time with this read.

 

The latest in the series, The Troubling Death of Maddy Benson: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames deftly deals with a hard subject while entertaining readers with a complicated mystery. Simply put, it is a good read.

 


Make sure you read Lesa Holstine’s review as well as her author spotlight on author Terry Shames. 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3ZLGs8a


My reading copy was an ARC from the publisher, Severn House, through NetGalley. 

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Tuesday, October 03, 2023

Review: Guilt Strikes at Granger’s Store: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames


As Guilt Strikes at Granger’s Store by Terry Shames opens, Wendy is frantic. Samuel Craddock has been dating her for a couple of years now and has never heard her like this before. She is very upset and for good reason.

Her daughter, Allison, is in jail in Monterrey, Mexico. Chief of Police Samuel Craddock has some influence locally, but Mexico is far out of his jurisdiction and sphere of influence. Apparently, Allison was in some sort of auto accident. She is okay, but in custody because she did not have Mexican auto insurance. The authorities take a dim view of this kind of situation. Finding out what is going on as well as how to help, if he can, is going to take time.

At the same time, a far more urgent matter, and one that is in his jurisdiction comes up while he is talking to Wendy and trying to calm her fear. A few months ago, Melvin Granger had a stroke that resulted in him being bedridden. The prognosis for Melvin is not good.

His son, Mark, moved back home from Houston to take care of Dad and run the Feedstore. Word has gotten around that Mark has big plans for the store. He plans to update it and add some sort of gift shop, among other things. None of his plans should have caused anybody to attack him, yet that is exactly what has happened.

Found by his sister, Chelsea, who is just now also home to take care of dad as well as to talk to Mark about his plans, he was on the floor of the store this very morning. Mark had a cut on his forehead and was very dazed. Mark and Chelsea were to meet and go over his renovation plans. Not that their meeting would have moved her, in all likelihood. She is very much against the idea of any changes. The fact that this happened reinforced her belief that this idea of Mark’s is a bad one.

It might be, according to the attackers, as one of the two men who attacked Mark, also told him to leave town. Before he is loaded into the ambulance, Mark tells Chief Craddock that there have also been a couple of strange and threatening phone calls. Clearly, somebody wants the store left as is and is not taking no for an answer.

As the situation with Wendy’s daughter in Mexico gets stranger by the day, so too does the situation with the store in Jarret Creek, Texas. The result is Sameul Craddock is forced to juggle both deals and a couple of other things in Guilt Strikes at Granger’s Store. So much for that idea that small town life is easy.

A long running and very good series that began with A Killing at Cotton Hill, this tenth book in the series is another solidly good one. No new ground in character development is broken here as the majority of these characters were fleshed out long ago. Instead, the primary focus is on the mysteries of what happened with Alison south of the border and what happened at Granger’s store. Each is a satisfying mystery in its own right.

This latest book in the series very briefly references earlier events, but does so in such a way that one could easily read this one first if new to the series. For long time readers, it is a much-needed treat to go back to Jarret Creek and the life of Samuel Cradock and friends. Guilt Strikes at Granger’s Store is strongly recommended, as is the entire series. 



My reading copy came as an ARC from the publisher, Severn House, through NetGalley.

 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2023

Tuesday, October 04, 2022

Review: Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames


While this review previously appeared here back on August 2nd, today is publication day, so I am running my review again today. This is a great series and one you should read.

 

Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames opens with many of the locals less than thrilled with the coming event featuring motorcycle folks from all over. Some want the entire town closed for business during the Jubilee Motorcycle Rally. They want to force those attending to go over to Bobtail, another small town about ten miles away, to do their shopping. The theory being shutting down everything will keep the bikes and their noise out of the town.

Of course, the small business folks who need the money from the out of towners hate the idea as do the locals who do not want to be inconvenienced. Folks are very heated on both sides of the issue. The town meeting causes some folks to say things that would have been better left unsaid. Thanks to Police Chief Samuel Craddock and a couple of others, a compromise is worked out, where some businesses have an early curfew while others do not.

Soon the rally is underway, the compromise is working well, and things at the rally which draws hundreds of folks from all over the state of Texas and beyond are going okay. That is until a murder happens.

A murder that makes things way more complicated as Craddock and his team have been trying to keep things calm at the rally and in town. Not that ever having a murder is a good thing, but the timing right now is really bad, and not just because of the local event.

Craddock is also dealing with a serious family problem as his niece Hailey is giving her parents fits. The little girl he remembers is not the child she was if her parents are right about everything that is going on with her. The teen years can be ugly and things are ugly. Sixteen and acting out with alcohol, possibly using drugs, and sneaking out to see an older guy are just part of it. She is acting up at school too and her grades are falling. Things are so bad her parents are thinking of sending her to a boarding school for troubled kids.

Hailey and Samuel used to get along pretty well and she liked to watch the cows Samuel has and spend time with him. He offers for her to come stay a few days to give everyone a break. Samuel believes that if things get difficult, he can get advice and help from his lady friend, Wendy, as she has raised two girls and survived the teen wars. Before long, Hailey is in the house. The bad thing is, trouble in more than one form, followed her from Austin.

Between the murder of a local business owner, Hailey’s antics, and other things, there is no rest for a good lawman. Samuel Craddock and his patience is put to the test constantly through this read. Drama and trouble, on and off the job, power Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames as does the summer time Texas heat and humidity.

If you have not acquainted yourself with the series, you should, and you could safely start here as references to prior events/books are limited. If you are a reader of the series that began long ago with A Killing at Cotton Hill: A Samuel Craddock Mystery then you know you are in for another fun read as author Terry Shames does not disappoint with Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery.

While the book came out today, I was able to skip the library wait and read it during the last week of July thanks to a digital ARC from them through NetGalley.


 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2022

Tuesday, August 02, 2022

Review: Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames


Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames opens with many of the locals less than thrilled with the coming event featuring motorcycle folks from all over. Some want the entire town closed for business during the Jubilee Motorcycle Rally. They want to force those attending to go over to Bobtail, another small town about ten miles away, to do their shopping. The theory being shutting down everything will keep the bikes and their noise out of the town.

Of course, the small business folks who need the money from the out of towners hate the idea as do the locals who do not want to be inconvenienced. Folks are very heated on both sides of the issue. The town meeting causes some folks to say things that would have been better left unsaid. Thanks to Police Chief Samuel Craddock and a couple of others, a compromise is worked out, where some businesses have an early curfew while others do not.

Soon the rally is underway, the compromise is working well, and things at the rally which draws hundreds of folks from all over the state of Texas and beyond are going okay. That is until a murder happens.

A murder that makes things way more complicated as Craddock and his team have been trying to keep things calm at the rally and in town. Not that ever having a murder is a good thing, but the timing right now is really bad, and not just because of the local event.

Craddock is also dealing with a serious family problem as his niece Hailey is giving her parents fits. The little girl he remembers is not the child she was if her parents are right about everything that is going on with her. The teen years can be ugly and things are ugly. Sixteen and acting out with alcohol, possibly using drugs, and sneaking out to see an older guy are just part of it. She is acting up at school too and her grades are falling. Things are so bad her parents are thinking of sending her to a boarding school for troubled kids.

Hailey and Samuel used to get along pretty well and she liked to watch the cows Samuel has and spend time with him. He offers for her to come stay a few days to give everyone a break. Samuel believes that if things get difficult, he can get advice and help from his lady friend, Wendy, as she has raised two girls and survived the teen wars. Before long, Hailey is in the house. The bad thing is, trouble in more than one form, followed her from Austin.

Between the murder of a local business owner, Hailey’s antics, and other things, there is no rest for a good lawman. Samuel Craddock and his patience is put to the test constantly through this read. Drama and trouble, on and off the job, power Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames as does the summer time Texas heat and humidity.

If you have not acquainted yourself with the series, you should, and you could safely start here as references to prior events/books are limited. If you are a reader of the series that began long ago with A Killing at Cotton Hill: A Samuel Craddock Mystery then you know you are in for another fun read as author Terry Shames does not disappoint with Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery.

While the book is not scheduled to be released by Severn House until October 4, 2022, I was able to read it now thanks to a digital ARC from them through NetGalley.


 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2022

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Review: A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames


A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary is the eighth book in this long running and very good series. This time Chief of Police for Jarret, Texas, Samuel Craddock becomes increasingly concerned about the disappearance of his neighbor and friend, Loretta Singletary. Until he really sat back and thought about it, he hadn’t paid much attention to the fact that in recent weeks Loretta started dressing different and had a new hair style. Loretta Samuel Craddock was used to how she was, her routines such as the one that included her walking over from her house early in the morning bringing home made cinnamon rolls warm from her oven, and the fact that she kept her life fairly private. She is not one to talk about her personal business or share a lot of confidences so he wasn’t paying much attention to the changes she was doing in recent weeks.

Then she upset the routine by going missing and can’t be found anywhere. The easy explanations of Loretta taking a trip to visit family, shopping with a friend, don’t fit. Loretta is gone and no one has a clue where she has gone. By poking around a bit in her home and asking a lot of questions of everyone in her life, Samuel Craddock begins to piece together the idea that she has signed up for one of those dating sites. In her case, one that caters to seniors and folks that live in small towns. A little research also convinces him that such sites are dangerous for anyone and that is especially true for the older folks.

When another woman in a nearby town is killed, Chief of Police Samuel Craddock’s fear almost becomes flat out panic. The other woman’s personal circumstances mirrored Loretta’s and she used the same dating site. If the local church going folks would quit arguing over the long tradition of the goat rodeo, Chief Craddock would sure appreciate it as there is far more important matters at stake.

A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary by Terry Shames is another excellent entry in the long running series. The author skillfully weaves together a complicated tale of increasing suspense and mystery as the pages go by. Along the way there is plenty of background detail in two secondary storylines regarding life in Small Town Texas and how everyone knows your business. Those secondary storylines work to relieve the suspense a bit and provide a dash of humor here and there while not slowing down the overall pace of the book.

Make sure you take the time to return to the world of Samuel Craddock and Jarrett, Texas. You will be glad you did. 




A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary: A Samuel Craddock Mystery
Terry Shames
Seventh Street Books
April 2019
ISBN# 978-1-63388-490-8
Paperback (also available in eBook format)
272 Pages
$15.95

Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2019

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Review: A Reckoning In The Back Country: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames

As it approaches Thanksgiving in Jarrett Creek, Texas located about 30 miles west of Bryan in South Texas, something strange is going on. Dogs of various types are vanishing from the property of various residents. What seemed to be an isolated event here and there seems to be adding up to several cases. Police Chief Samuel Craddock assumed, as did most folks at first, that the dogs had just run off. Now he thinks a person or persons unknown might be taking the dogs. Whether they are being taken as bait to train dogs for dog fighting, to be sold for medical experimentation, or some other situation does not bode well for the missing dogs and Chief Craddock is looking into the matter.


Though there is a far more pressing issue that has to be dealt with first. Thanks to Loretta and her morning delivery of cinnamon rolls, something that Craddock looks forward to though it does not happen nearly as often as it used to, he knows that Doctor Lewis Wilkins is missing. He and his wife, Margaret, live out on the far side of the lake. The local grapevine reports, via Loretta, that his wife has been calling around to various folks they know to see if they know where her husband is as he didn’t make it home the previous night. 

It is not long before the wife, Margaret Wilkins, calls Chief Craddock who heads over to her home. Her house is over on the west side of the lake. Craddock realizes on his arrival that the house has a troubled history. So too do the Wilkins. It isn’t long before the reason he never made it home becomes obvious and the talk of the town. H

A Reckoning In The Back Country by Terry Shames is the seventh book in the series and another excellent read from start to finish. Author Terry Shames brings the world of Jarret Creek alive in the reader’s imagination from the first paragraph. Unlike many series, the characters major and minor, evolve over time as hopefully those of us in the real world do. Theoretically at least, here in the real world, one should learn from mistakes on the past. That same concept is present in this series and makes the characters all the more real to the reader.

Rich and varied dialogue, intriguing and complicated characters, and multiple mysteries are always present in this series and are again at work in A Reckoning In The Back Country. While it would be best to read them in order starting with A Killing At Cotton Hill one could start here. Or almost as easily start with the most recently published book before this one, An Unsettling Crime For Samuel Craddock, as it is a prequel to the series.

No matter where you start, this is an excellent series well worth your time and highly recommended.

For another perspective on the book make sure you check out Lesa Holstine’s review from earlier this month.


The series in order of publication and review:






A Reckoning In The Back Country: A Samuel Craddock Mystery
Terry Shames
Seventh Street Books
January 2018
ISBN# 978-1-63388-367-3
Paperback (also available in eBook format)
283 Pages
$15.95


Material supplied by the Dallas Public Library System.



Kevin R. Tipple ©2018

Friday, February 10, 2017

Lesa's Latest Contest: A Samuel Craddock Giveaway

If you haven't read one of Terry Shames' outstanding Samuel Craddock mysteries, now's your chance. Yes, An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock is the 6th in the series. But, it's the perfect place to start because it introduces readers to a newly appointed Police Chief Craddock. I'm giving away 2 copies of it on my blog, http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com. Entries from the U.S. only, please. Details on the blog.

Good luck!

Lesa Holstine
lesa.holstine@gmail.com

http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

Monday, February 06, 2017

Review: An Unsettling Crime For Samuel Craddock: A Samuel Craddock Mystery Prequel by Terry Shames

Billed as a Samuel Craddock Mystery Prequel the latest read from author Terry Shames takes readers back decades ago when a young Samuel Craddock came home to be police chief of the small south Texas town, Jarret Creek. It is the mid-80s and the city council wants a younger man to deal with the drug problem. A stint in the Air Force as well as college wasn’t law enforcement experience or training, so the county paid for Samuel to take a three month training course over in Austin.

As An Unsettling Crime For Samuel Craddock opens, Samuel gets a call about a very bad situation over in “darktown.” Known as the area where the African Americans live, a tragedy has happened. In the wake of an overnight fire, a certain home there is the scene of five deaths. The fire wasn’t totally responsible. At least one of the victims was shot. It appears that quite possibly all of the bodies are of kids.

Despite the fact the case occurred inside the city limits of Jarret Creek, according to the John Sutherland of the Texas Highway Patrol, he will be handling the case as he claims they have jurisdiction. While that might be true, the more likely scenario is for investigators from the legendary law enforcement agency in Texas, the Texas Rangers to take over. Even when the Rangers arrive in the form of Curren Wills and Luke Schoppe, Sutherland insists on handling the case his way.

Not only is Sutherland arrogant and abusive, he is also clearly racist. It isn’t surprising when Sutherland, ignoring Craddock, goes after the wrong man providing that he also does not care one whit about anything other than clearing a case one way or another. That drug problem Craddock was hired to deal with has its own complications and will take a backseat to the more pressing problem of making sure that an innocent man goes free.

Racism to varying degrees is a constant undertone to this latest mystery. Readers are treated to a different version of Jeanne, Craddock’s wife, as she is very much alive in the read. Also clear are some of the issues that will define Craddock’s legacy in the coming years.

For those new to the series, it would make a lot of sense to begin with An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock. For those of us that have read all of the books, there is plenty of mystery and character nuance to consider in this read. We get to learn how it all began in this highly entertaining read. Prequels often don’t work, but this one does from start to finish. 

The series in order of publication and review:
An Unsettling Crime For Samuel Craddock: A Samuel Craddock Mystery Prequel (you are here)




An Unsettling Crime For Samuel Craddock: A Samuel Craddock Mystery Prequel
Terry Shames
Seventh Street Books
Jan 2017
ISBN# 978-1-63388-209-6
Paperback (also available in eBook format)
270 Pages
$15.95


Material supplied by the Plano Public Library System.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2017