Jeremiah Spur Mysteries

Sissy Fletcher, the preacher's daughter, disappeared on the night of the Rodeo Dance ten years ago and has been missing ever since. Until now, that is-a team drilling an oil well has made a grisly discovery in an isolated pasture. Seeing as how it's an election year, finding her killer is a bigger priority than it might usually be in sleepy Washington County, Texas, where not much ever happens anyway. Though it's becoming clear that the town isn't quite as sleepy as it seems. Martin Fletcher, Sissy's brother, seems to believe he's on a mission from God to raise hell in Washington County. He and his partner, Dud Hughes, aim to start small, with armed robbery, and work their way up to bigger things, but an inquiry into his sister's death threatens to draw a little more attention his way than he wants just now. As the mood begins to the shift in the town, three men put their heads together to work the case: ex-Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur, who is retired but can't get the thrill of the chase out of his blood; the current sheriff, Dewey Sharpe, who just may not be as dumb as he looks; and Deputy Clyde Thomas, an African-American ex-Dallas cop who is probably the savviest of the bunch. All in all, James Hime's The Night of the Dance, is a terrifically original, jaunty, and action-packed debut from a writer to watch.

When the CIA comes knocking at ex-Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur's door, asking for a favor, he's not that interested in helping. At least, not until the agent mentions that the man-Benjamin Farkas-who needs help requested Jeremiah specifically because he knew Jeremiah's father. Since Jeremiah hasn't seen his father since he was a little boy, this piques his interest, and he reluctantly agrees to travel from his ranch in tiny Brenham, Texas, to the big city-Austin-in order to investigate the disappearance of an accountant, who has vanished along with $10 million of his boss's money. The fact that Farkas was once a CIA-trained button man makes him uncomfortable, but the question of his father's connection means he can't say no. At the same time, Deputy Sheriff Clyde Thomas-a black man in a rural Texas jurisdiction who worked with Jeremiah on the last murder case to hit Brenham-is looking into the shooting deaths of a local drug dealer and his girlfriend, a violent and nasty crime for the usually quiet town. Clyde's working theory is that it's a message in a battle over drug territory, but there are a lot of questions. It seems unlikely that Captain Spur's case and Deputy Thomas's case are related. But, in all things criminal, even in sleepy Brenham, Texas, things are rarely what they seem.

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.

Sissy Fletcher, the preacher's daughter, disappeared on the night of the Rodeo Dance ten years ago and has been missing ever since. Until now, that is-a team drilling an oil well has made a grisly discovery in an isolated pasture. Seeing as how it's an election year, finding her killer is a bigger priority than it might usually be in sleepy Washington County, Texas, where not much ever happens anyway. Though it's becoming clear that the town isn't quite as sleepy as it seems. Martin Fletcher, Sissy's brother, seems to believe he's on a mission from God to raise hell in Washington County. He and his partner, Dud Hughes, aim to start small, with armed robbery, and work their way up to bigger things, but an inquiry into his sister's death threatens to draw a little more attention his way than he wants just now. As the mood begins to the shift in the town, three men put their heads together to work the case: ex-Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur, who is retired but can't get the thrill of the chase out of his blood; the current sheriff, Dewey Sharpe, who just may not be as dumb as he looks; and Deputy Clyde Thomas, an African-American ex-Dallas cop who is probably the savviest of the bunch. All in all, James Hime's TheNight of the Dance, is a terrifically original, jaunty, and action-packed debut from a writer to watch.