Murder among the Owls

Reading the Dan Rhodes books by Bill Crider is always like a visit with a few old friends: comfortable, warm and friendly, people you know and like, familiar setting. If you're from Texas, it's even more familiar. This volume of the series has a few interesting twists, including an ownerless cat, a metal detector club, and a new understanding of women's clubs in small town America. Dan Rhodes is just one small man trying to understand and make his peace with the universe, and I find I like him a lot, and smile at his predilection for Dr. Pepper and cholesteral.

If a sheriff's investigation into an elderly lady's death could be said to be a cozy mystery, this would be the one. A black cat shows up on Sheriff Rhodes' doorstep, striking fear into the heart of Yancey the Pomeranian and silencing his incessant yap. Rhodes' wife Ivy immediately recognizes it as the cat belonging to Helen Harris, former elementary school teacher, member of the Rusty Nuggets (a metal detecting club) and member of the OWLS, the Older Women's Literary Society (it should be clarified that Ivy only went as a guest, not being qualified by age). The sheriff discovers poor Helen lying dead on the floor, apparently victim of a faulty footstool, although something about the scene doesn't seem right. A missing will seems to show more hint at a possible motive for murder. Was it cousin Thorpe, general hell-raiser and trailer park denizen looking to make some fast cash?

I gave this series a try at Karl's suggestion, essentially pre-screening it for my mother, who believes she is always looking for another series (she reads much slower than I do). Strangely, though Bill Crider has a number of books in this series, my (northern) library system only has a few, leading me to pick this one on the strength of the owl association (we have a thing for owls here, along with birds in general). I wasn't feeling up to the demands of anything serious, and I must say this fit the bill nicely. Though Sheriff Rhodes isn't going to set any investigation aflame with speed, being the ambling sort of dude that he is, he is generally kind, funny, and not above tweaking the dispatcher's nose by being stingy with gossip or information. It's only fair--the dispatcher isn't above twitting Rhodes about a new book series or a dust-up at the local McDonalds (this clearly took place in the time period before the all-day breakfast menu).

To be honest, the dynamic between Sam the cat--who may or may not be moving in--Yancy the dog, and the sheriff kept me as entertained as the investigation. Would Yancey resume barking? Why did Speedo the dog live outside? Will Rhodes offer Sam to everyone he encounters? Is Rhodes' cat allergy real? Will Sam and Yancey ever make peace?

You can see there are a lot of important questions here, but I suspect I'm going to have to go back to an earlier book to get answers about Speedo.

And the mystery, you ask? It was fine. Solving it was more a matter of sudden inspiration than methodical detective work, but it was entertaining enough along the way. Totally appropriate for moms. show less

Having been introduced to Sheriff Dan Rhodes in Bill Crider's short story collection, THE NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME, I couldn't wait to encounter him in a full-length book. So I picked up MURDER AMONG THE OWLS (2007).

Police procedurals in which the protagonist is a sheriff have both similarities and differences with other varieties of this subgenre. First, although populous urban counties do have sheriffs (at least in my experience), those in mystery stories tend to be the sheriffs of thinly populated rural areas. Second, sheriffs are directly elected by the voters (again in my experience), not appointed or hired as are police chiefs and officers. So they must balance their desire to do a good job and catch criminals with the need to show more placate the voters. Sheriff Dan Rhodes is a good example.

When a cat turns up on their doorstep one morning, the Sheriff's wife recognizes it and sends him out to check on the cat's owner, a fellow member of the OWLS (a women's book group). Sure enough, the lady in question appears to have met with an accident while changing a lightbulb. But then who let her indoor cat out? Sheriff Rhodes is unwilling to take this "accident" at face value and begins investigating even before the medical examiner corroborates his suspicions. Throughout the book, we see instances where the Sheriff, a local boy, uses his knowledge of the townspeople and his (and his wife's) connections to advance his investigation.

There is plenty of humor in this story (particularly in the interactions of the visiting cat with Rhodes' dogs), but plenty of action as well. Suspects proliferate and everyone has something to hide until Sheriff Rhodes' observant nature gives him the final clue he needs to solve the murder. I must confess that I did guess the murderer, but not the motive. I wouldn't call this a fault, though -- I enjoy trying to guess "whodunnit" and relish my infrequent successes.

I see by the front of the book that I have quite a bit of catching up to do with Sheriff Rhodes and also with Mr. Crider's two academic mystery series (and I do love a good academic mystery). The lengthy list promises a lot of enjoyment. show less

Great book!! Keep me guessing from start to finish.

Sheriff Dan Rhodes #14