Thomas Dunne Books (Hardcover),
ISBN 0-312-20889-8
Ghosts in the jail? An uninvited body in a new grave? Buildings falling down? The sleepy little town of Clearview abuzz with rumor and conjecture? Ah, yes, time to return to Blacklin County, Texas, where those two cagey septuagenarians, Hack the dispatcher and Lawton the jailer, delight in giving Sheriff Rhodes a bad time. 

Reading the other books in the Sheriff Rhodes series won't enhance or improve your enjoyment of A Ghost of a Chance. But if fun reads, intriguing mysteries, and amusing characters merit a place in your library, grab Bill Crider's backlist. Each book stands alone, but all bewilder the logical mind and tickle the funny bone. What else can you expect from books set in Texas? 

In addition to the ghosts plaguing the jail until removed to the local cemetery, the sheriff contends with thieves plundering the statuary in said cemetery (and a few others), a body or two, exploding meth labs and a shoot out. Not to mention three homeless cats, his own dogs and his jail personnel. Also an emu, nosy neighbors, and a romance novelist who may or may not be the chief suspect in at least one of the murders. 

Laid-back characters, a sleepy little town, and a plot that gets more and more bizarre as the good sheriff keeps investigating -- and ruining his clothes in the process -- all add to this mystery's charm. Middle-aged, married, and on a low fat diet, Sheriff Rhodes sleuths, follows clues and somehow manages to survive the onslaught of crooks, wannabe crooks and the antics of his staff. 

Did I enjoy the book? Yes, indeed. Will I recommend it to all my mystery reading friends? Absolutely. Grab it and enjoy. 

Patricia White

Patricia White is the Sapphire Award-winning author of A Wizard Scorned. Her current book, the contemporary PS, I've Taken a Lover, is available from Lionhearted Books . The Wandering Troll, an electronic magazine, began serializing her novel Prophecy Be Damned in April 2000.

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