“Thanks to Ben Rehder, Texas now has its own Hiaasen. Don’t miss it.”—Tim Dorsey, author of the Serge Storms mysteries. Buck Fever: It’s the week before deer hunting season, as close to a statewide holiday as you get in Texas, and the locals are getting restless. Game Warden John Marlin has his hands full with poaching complaints coming in faster than he can write out-of-season tickets. Then a … tickets. Then a call of a different sort comes in. A man dressed up in some sort of deer costume has been shot at the Circle S ranch, and witnesses are reporting a massive wild-eyed buck prancing about the pasture in a lovesick frenzy. Marlin’s seen a lot in his years, but this is wilder than he could have imagined: the man in the deer suit is a good friend, and the whacked-out whitetail isn’t exactly a stranger either. It’s the beginning of a mad, frantic weekend in Blanco County, one that will see a few more men shot, an invasion by Colombians with more than hunting on their minds, and damn near the end of Marlin’s life. Ben Rehder serves it all up with a huge helping of humor in this debut comic mystery that will firmly establish him as the funniest crime writer in Texas.
REVIEWS FOR BUCK FEVER:
“This debut novel is a complete success, tearing out of Texas chock-full of characters so nutty and events so strange it seems as if they must be real. 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 (Starred Review)
“This is a wild and crazy first novel, crowded with weird people, unusual relationships (both animal and human), and frequent humor that will appeal to fans of Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey, and other comic mystery writers. Strongly recommended for most collections.”
—Library Journal (Starred Review)
“It’s been our pleasure to be among the first reviewers to take notice of several writers who eventually became best sellers, including Nevada Barr, Lee Child and Randy Wayne White. Ben Rehder has what it takes to join that group. Imagine Carl Hiaasen with a Texas accent…”
—Denver Post
“Briskly paced, amusing, spiced with deftly drawn good-old-boy portraits: an altogether promising debut.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“…side-splitting…akin to the Tom Robbins style of humor writing.”
—ESPN Outdoors
“Austinite Ben Rehder’s debut novel is the summer’s best find. With a nod and a wink to Carl Hiaasen, Rehder comes out swinging with a sardonic Tex-centric look at trophy deer hunters, beer-guzzling poachers, and Game Warden John Marlin—the man charged with keeping them all in line. Buck Fever is too fun to be legal.”
—Texas Monthly
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This entire series is a hoot. It follows the trials of a game warden in Blanco County, Texas. The writing reminds me of Dave Barry and Carl Hiaassen.
Buck Fever by Ben Rehder is filled with original characters that are about as unpredictable as Texas weather. The book has a unique voice to it. Sarcasm, wit, and attitude roll off the page with ease. Wasn’t easy to put this one down but eventually you have to eat and sleep. Already bought the next one in the series.
Texas politics and deer hunting
Any book by this author is a sure bet for an entertaining read. Need I say more? No! Why give anything away except that he has much fun with a certain part of Texas and his recurring characters do have some endearing qualities!!!!
Great characters. Could have been based on a true story lol. Looking forward to reading more from Ben.
I really enjoyed this book and plan on reading the whole series.
Moved along nicely. Has an Elmore Leonard feel, tempo and crazy characters.
What a fun read! I’m not into hunting, but I saw this book for free on BookBub, so I gave it a try. From the very first chapters, the lively characters roped me in. I could totally picture Red and Billy Don. Great entertaining read!
This was a really fun read! I was sorry when it ended.
I really enjoyed reading this book…..I thought the premise was unusual, and it was a book that you can read rapidly…..I would like to read other books by this author….
Having lived in Texas for a total of 20 years in Houston, San Antonio and Austin several years ago, I found the characters spot on and thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth. It was very entertaining and accurate from my experience. However, the premise was a bit far fetched, hence 4 stars. I still recommend it and plan to read more from this …
Hilarious
Loved this book. Comical, entertaining characters and situations.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading this book. I am not a fan of this genre but the author drew me in with his wry humor and affectionate descriptions of small town life in Texas and colorful well drawn characters .
I do recommend this book and look forward to reading the rest of this series
When I stated this book, I thought it belonged in a hunting magazine. But the more I read, the more interesting it got. Probably the most unusual book I’ve ever read.
It is Texas!
Even if you don’t have a well-developed sense of humor, I think you’ll get a huge charge out of Buck Fever. Game Warden John Marlin is the kind of officer we’d all like to have on our side, and Red and Billy Don kept me laughing out loud. I highly recommend this book!
I was in the mood for some lighter reading, so this book came around, and filled the bill. Great humor buried in a law enforcemet mystery. John Marlin ,local game warden works with local law enforcement, like two cats in an alley. As John uncovers the mystery of the behavior of their pet buck, he finds unexpected love, humor and danger, great …
Thoroughly non-PC and extremely funny.
Have not had the pleasure of reading anything else the author has written. This book was a really good read. The ending a bit of a surprise.