This is book one of a terrific series. Go get it!
Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: Only 99 cents for Kindle for a limited time!: Dead on the Island (Truman Smith Private Eye Book 1) - Kindle edition by Bill Crider. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazo...
Showing posts with label Truman Smith Mystery Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Truman Smith Mystery Series. Show all posts
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Friday, October 23, 2015
FFB Review: "Murder Takes A Break: A Truman Smith Mystery" by Bill Crider
In this fifth and final Truman
Smith mystery, Galveston Private Investigator Truman Smith still has no
interest in looking for anyone. Dino wants him to quit trying to figure why
alligators and birds get killed and get back to finding people. Because of the backstory
that series readers are familiar with, Truman is not remotely interested. Dino
has pushed this same idea before, but this time he swears things will be
different and wants Truman to trust him.
Truman knows better than that having
heard the “trust me” line before. Instead of looking for folks, these days
Truman works as a freelance contractor of sorts running a credit check or
background on folks. It is the middle nineties and he can easily accomplish
both from home when he is not reading a book. But, Randall Kirbo had come to
Galveston back in March for spring break and vanished. Nine months later the son of Jack Kirbo, who
used to play football at the same time Truman and Dino did back in day, is
still missing and Galveston PD has gotten nowhere. Jack and Dino were friends on
the football team and still are as well and have had some business dealings
that have worked out well for both parties. Because of all that and more, Dino
wants Truman to see if he can find the kid.
December on the island means it is
time for the annual “Dickens on the Strand” and the accompanying throngs of
tourists and traffic. Certainly not two of Truman’s favorite things and neither
are Mr. and Mr. Kirbo. Definitely not the boorish Jack Kirbo. His wife is devastated
and just needs some sort of answer as to what happened to her son. It is
because of her that Truman agrees to investigate the situation. That
investigation will lead him to the underground party scene, a murder, and a lot
more in Murder Takes A Break: A Truman Smith Mystery.
Fifth in the series that began with Dead
on the Island, the character of Truman Smith is pretty well fleshed out
as is his occasional sidekick, Dino. Readers know what makes Truman tick and
what demons continue to haunt him. That leaves the book to be about the mystery
and several are at work here in this complicated tale. As expected regarding
anything from Texas legend and author, Bill Crider the book works on all
levels. The twists and turns are many, the humor is occasional, the action is
frequent, and the read is mighty good from start to finish.
Murder Takes A Break: A Truman Smith Mystery
Bill Crider
Walker And Company
October 1997
ISBN# 0-8027-3308-5
Hardback (also available in audio
and e-book formats)
184 Pages
$21.95
Material supplied by the good folks
of the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
For more reading suggestions today make sure you check out Patti Abbott's blog.
For more reading suggestions today make sure you check out Patti Abbott's blog.
Friday, October 09, 2015
FFB Review: "The Prairie Chicken Kill: A Truman Smith Mystery" by Bill Crider
With Patti partying hard at Bouchercon, make sure you check out the complete list of reading suggestions at Sweet Freedom .......
When you solve the murder of an alligator as well a few other things you get a reputation for getting things done. Truman Smith might prefer to sit at the house on Galveston Island, but Dino comes to drag him into yet another fine mess. Though, at first, it doesn’t appear to be that big a deal. At least not like last time with the hunt for Outside Harry.
When you solve the murder of an alligator as well a few other things you get a reputation for getting things done. Truman Smith might prefer to sit at the house on Galveston Island, but Dino comes to drag him into yet another fine mess. Though, at first, it doesn’t appear to be that big a deal. At least not like last time with the hunt for Outside Harry.
According to Dino, Lance Garrison
wants to see Truman. Because of their past history dating back to High School
and a broken nose he contacted Dino to spread the word. Not only has he made a decent amount of money
for Dino, Lance did all right for himself as he made plenty of money on the
stock market while working for a brokerage firm there. He had a gift, made a
ton of bucks, and came back to build and live in a fancy house with a view of
the bay. If a major storm comes churning through the Gulf the house will be
toast, but in the meantime the views of the sunsets are spectacular.
So too is the sight of Anne who is
sitting a couch in Lance’s house when Dino and Truman arrive. Anne was a
special love in High School long ago. The sight of her rattles Truman to the
core as he still has incredible feelings for her. She is married now and older,
but she still has Truman in ways he can’t fully explain. According to Anne, her
father-in-law asked for Truman specifically and Truman still would like to make
Anne happy if he can.
Out in the Eagle Lake area north of
Houston near a little town called Picketville, Red Hineman (Anne’s father in
law) manages quite few acres for Lance Garrison. Thanks to government program the
land is a natural habit for water fowl and other birds. One of those is the Atwater
Prairie Chicken also known as a grouse. With only 108 or so in the world,
including forty or 50 in captivity, the bird is a very endangered. Now,
somebody has killed one by shooting it. The dead bird was placed in such a way
to make a clear statement. The government sent somebody to investigate, but all
he did was massively annoy Red. Lance is involved in the bird project and
wants Truman to go poke around and see if he can figure out what happened before
the Feds impose penalties and take other actions.
Lance is a jerk always has been and
always will be, but he is willing to pay $500 a day plus expenses. Not only is
it a chance to make Lance pay for his help, it is also a way for Truman to
spend at least a little time with Anne. So Truman agrees and before long is
dealing with a cast of suspects including a possibly crooked sheriff, the local
militia, a radio host sure the government is about to attack any minute, small
town politics, and more in The Prairie Chicken Kill: A Truman Smith Mystery
by Bill Crider.
Fourth in the series that began with
Dead
on the Island this read finds Truman Smith once again in a strange case
as he moves around Southeast Texas. As this was first published in the mid 90s,
it does not follow the current fad of dropping a body during the first three
pages or feature an incredible hook in the opening sentence. Instead of the
current gimmicks all the rage, it features a read that opens with introducing
the characters and their relationship, the premise or initial mystery, and then
builds slowly and steadily from there as events make things more and more
complicated. A little darker in tone
than most of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series, Truman drinks his Big Reds and
gradually puts the clues together in a case where nearly everyone is a suspect.
Plenty of twists and turns fill the read making The Prairie Chicken Kill: A
Truman Smith Mystery by Bill Crider another very good read.
The Prairie Chicken Kill: A Truman Smith Mystery
Bill Crider
Walker And Company
July 1996
ISBN# 0-8027-3282-8
Hardback (also available in audio
and e-book formats)
208 Pages
$20.95
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano
Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
Friday, September 04, 2015
FFB Review: "When Old Men Die: A Truman Smith Mystery" by Bill Crider
For the rest of today's reading suggestions, make sure you check Patti's blog .......
January on Galveston Island means that one can still go fishing when northern sections of Texas and the United States are experiencing the brutal joys of old man winter. While one can stand on the gulf coast pier and throw a line into the ocean until the pier closes at five that does not mean the fish will cooperate. They
January on Galveston Island means that one can still go fishing when northern sections of Texas and the United States are experiencing the brutal joys of old man winter. While one can stand on the gulf coast pier and throw a line into the ocean until the pier closes at five that does not mean the fish will cooperate. They
Truman Smith has known Dino for a
lot of years. Rarely does he come out and Dino never ventures out over the
water even if it by way of a solid pier. Not only did Dino have to pay three
bucks to come out onto the pier, he is missing part of his lineup of reality
television talk shows that were so prevalent back in the 90’s. Whatever he
needs is very important, at least to Dino, through Truman Smith isn’t exactly
thrilled with him for a variety of reasons.
He is less thrilled when he hears
what drove Dino to actually leave his home. Dino wants to hire Truman Smith and
his private investigator skills to find the legendary local guy known as
“Outside Harry.” An island fixture the man has been homeless for decades.
Outside Harry has been homeless and probably always will be once he is found
safe. It is a lifestyle choice for Outside
Harry and one that will make him harder to find than the average person. Dino,
who never was a part of the family business when gambling interests ran
Galveston Island, has been making use of his contacts and can’t find him. Dino
and his wife, Evelyn, want him found simply because he is missing and they are
worried something might have happened to him.
“Besides,” Evelyn went on, “if you
don’t look for him, nobody will. Nobody cares what happens to an old man like
that.” (Page 8)
There is that as Truman is well aware.
Dino is willing to pay in terms of cash and sweetens the deal with an unopened
box of Tender Vittles for Truman’s cat, “Nameless” so Truman agrees to do a
little looking. That
search for Outside Henry leads him to a legendary island
building, more than one ambush, and plenty more in “When Old Men Die: A Truman
Smith Mystery.”
Third in the series following Dead
on the Island and Gator
Kill the read is a complex tale of mystery and deceit along with a
touch of Texas History. Darker in tone than the Sheriff Dan Rhodes Series,
the Truman
Smith series features a private investigator that is trying to come to
terms with his past and the guilt he feels. As such, each book finds him a
little further along that path as he slowly copes with recent events. There are
the occasional small flashes of humor, but mainly this book and the series in
general is more action orientated with serious situations that are more
detailed than in some of the author’s other books. This is a very good series
that should be read in order due to the numerous events referenced in When Old Men Die: A Truman Smith Mystery.
This series, much like the author, does not get the recognition that is well
deserved.
When Old Men Die: A Truman Smith Mystery
Bill Crider
Walker and Company (subsidiary of
Bloomsbury Publishing)
November 1994
ISBN# 0-8027-3195-3
Hardback
192 Pages (available in audio cassette
and e-book versions)
$19.95
Material supplied by the good folks
of the Plano Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
