Part of Series
"This guy is the funniest, freshest voice in Texas mystery writing today. His work stands out like a DayGlo parka in deer season." —Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning Thief HOG HEAVEN: After a high-school football star dies in a late-night motorcycle collision with a wild pig, the boy’s wealthy father comes up with a creative scheme to rid Blanco County of the feral pests: He tattoos the ear of one particular pig, then offers a $50,000 reward for anyone who shoots it. Game warden John Marlin is not pleased—chiefly because the bounty is likely to bring a wave of poachers and trespassers to the area. The tension rises even higher when the death of the local boy turns out to be more complicated than it originally appeared. Fans of Ben Rehder’s earlier comic mysteries will be in heaven—Hog Heaven. REVIEWS FOR BEN REHDER'S NOVELS: “Murderously funny.” —Chicago Tribune “Another of Rehder’s relentlessly twisted tales. Outrageous fun.” —Kirkus Reviews “Wickedly funny.” —Dallas Morning News “The odd cast of characters and bizarre plots and subplots make for a rollicking good read.” —Houston Chronicle “Rehder has made the leap from writing skillful comic pleasantries to pulverizing satire.” — Austin American-Statesman “Rehder writes with an assured hand and a knowing tip of the wide-brimmed cowboy hat to the ways and wiles of the characters that people his distinctly Texan landscape.” —San Antonio Express-News “[An] increasingly popular (and increasingly enjoyable) series. With this novel, the Marlin series has completed the transition from light mystery to no-holds-barred madcap comedy crime fiction (à la Westlake or Hiaasen).” —Booklist “Rehder continues to improve with each book. [His] series will appeal to fans of Southwestern mysteries laced with a bit of humor.” —Library Journal “This series about Blanco County, Texas, game warden John Marlin keeps getting odder and funnier…But one thing’s for sure: Rehder has jumped to a new level...just might grab a chunk of the outsize Hiaasen crowd.” —Booklist “Down-home humor that is both intriguing and entertaining.” —Dallas Morning News “Rollicking good fun.” —San Antonio Express-News “Rehder’s clever storytelling skills, his expert comic timing and flair for characters have made this series shine. Rehder doesn’t just write niche mysteries, he’s proving to be one of the genre’s rising talents with his twisted tales.” —South Florida Sun-Sentinel “The writing here is confident and vigorous; the tone is quintessentially Texan and relentlessly wry. There’s sure to be a long career for this happy, wacky series.” —Publishers Weekly “Ben Rehder writes about the Texas Hill Country with such insightful appreciation that he’s come to own the territory, much the same way Carl Hiaasen owns South Florida.” —Austin Chronicle
Author
Ben Rehder wanted to become a writer ever since he was dropped on his head as a toddler. As he grew into a young adult and the vertigo gradually dissipated, his passion for literature grew. Ben longed to craft the type of soul-stirring prose that would touch people’s lives and help them explore new emotional horizons. But he went to work at an ad agency instead. Throughout his rewarding and fruitful career in the ad business, Ben has been known to write such imaginative and compelling phrases as “Act now!,” “Limited-time offer,” and “Compatible with today’s rapidly changing network environment.” However, there eventually came a time when, as unbelievable as it sounds, writing brochures and spec sheets simply wasn’t enough to satisfy Ben’s creative urges. Ben knew: It was time to write a novel. “But what kind of novel?” Ben asked himself, drawing stares from passersby. A mystery? A thriller? A work of suspense? Ben had read hundreds of books in these genres and loved them all. But nothing had sparked his creative juices enough to try it himself. Fate played a hand one day when Ben’s father-in-law tossed him a copy of a Carl Hiaasen novel. And then it hit him. It literally hit him, right in the forehead. When the swelling went down and Ben had a chance to read the book, he discovered a type of fiction he had never experienced before—the comic crime novel! He loved the wacky characters, the zany plots, the interesting writing that threw a good deal of humor into the mix. So Ben set out to write his own novel. After many grueling minutes in front of a computer, Ben was proud to present Buck Fever. Like many best-selling classics, Buck Fever has lots and lots of verbs, prepositions, adjectives, and the occasional gerund. It was even nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel! Next came Bone Dry, Flat Crazy, Guilt Trip, Gun Shy, and Holy Moly. Best of all, Ben is now releasing the earlier novels in ebook format at the low low price of just $2.99. What a deal!
