Bubba and the Missing Woman

Bubba Snoddy #3

by C.L. Bevill

Quite naturally, Bubba’s got another problem. The woman he likes, a lot, is missing. Folks ‘round Pegramville don’t have an inkling whether Bubba done did anything this time. In fact, Bubba doesn’t know what to think, but he is plumb dedicated on finding Willodean Gray, through fair means or foul. It will take a trip to the big city of Dallas, a run-in with an unstable superhero called The Purple Singapore Sling, a kidnapping by a Dallas crime lord, and a headlong hunt for a devious individual who snatched the fair Sheriff’s Deputy to figure out which end is up. What Bubba comes to understand is not all the crazy folks live in the country.

Bubba’s on the edge and he’s goin’ hog-wild in a donut factory!

Genres: Mystery, Humor, Fiction, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Animals, Southern

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2011

About the author

C.L. Bevill has been in the U.S. Army, cleaned floors, a graphic illustrator, a therapist, and a stay at home mother. She lives in the Alabama area with her husband and daughter and keeps plugging away at the next great American novel.

Reviews

[Margitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bubba Snoddy just rocks my boat. The good way. The author has a cult following and I am happily one of them. These characters will create enough chaos to quell the mayhem in any life, including yours:

- Sheriff John Headrick of the Pegram Country Sheriff's Department in Texas;

- Bubba's helicopter mom(Mz.Demetrice);

- her long time friend and housekeeper in the antebellum Snoddy Mansion, Mz. Adelia;

- the beautiful cop, Deputy Willodean Gray. One kiss from her turns Bubba's life into a San Francisco earthquake;

- and yes, quite a few residents of the Dogley Institute for Well-Being, in particular David Beathard, the 'psychotherapist', now in a brand new alter ego as the superhero, THE PURPLE SINGAPORE SLING in a plum-like disguise. He knows his Shakespearean insults from A to Z, for sure;

- Precious, Bubba's Bassett hound, the only diva in these dramas.

- Dan - Bubba's new Buddhist bodyguard. Larger than life, standing 7 ft and a quarter inch in his socks, with just about the same width, his hands the size of soccer balls. Only once does he get madder than a mosquito in a mannequin factory.

- Bubba's 1954 Chevy 3100 with a personality of its own.

There are two important elements in our cult's lives:

1) Bubba had a perverse tendency to be arrested, even if most of the time it turned out that he hadn't done anything wrong. Yes, That's a whole mess of smoke without any fire.

2) A town of two thousand inhabitants who can rightfully claim gossip as their national sport. Rumors run around like chickens with their heads cut off in Pregramville.

The blurb says it the best.

Quite naturally, Bubba’s got another problem. The woman he likes, a lot, is missing. Folks ‘round Pegramville don’t have an inkling whether Bubba done did anything this time. In fact, Bubba doesn’t know what to think, but he is plumb dedicated on finding Willodean Gray, through fair means or foul. It will take a trip to the big city of Dallas, a run-in with an unstable superhero called The Purple Singapore Sling, a kidnapping by a Dallas crime lord, and a headlong hunt for a devious individual who snatched the fair Sheriff’s Deputy to figure out which end is up. What Bubba comes to understand is not all the crazy folks live in the country.

Bubba’s on the edge and he’s goin’ hog-wild in a donut factory!

Like the good cult members we are, we rush along into this intricate, hilarious, tongue-in-cheek circus of perditious possibilities. Alas, we end up felicitous, serendipitous to the core - as was expected, believe or not.

Bubba must be read in series. This is the real housewives of Pegram county - on steroids.

Absurd and doggone funny. I don't mind what their goal was. I just enjoyed the ride tremendously.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Bubba has gotten himself into yet another adventure!!!! Poor Bubba. How many times can that poor man get himself arrested???? Can Precious be any more precious??? Can I laugh any harder?? Absolutely love the book. CL Bevill is an excellent author and I can't wait for another installment of Bubba.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always entertaining!

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when Bubba is getting to know Deputy Willodean, she disappears. They find her car wrecked and she is missing. A tow truck is reported stolen and Bubba and Sheriff John suspect that is what was used to cause the wreck. The Sheriff tells him that Willodean had a stalker - the reason she left the Dallas police department. The man has been sending her letters. The Sheriff also calls her family and they arrive at her apartment. And are there when Bubba goes to get a piece of clothing for the tracking dogs. It turns out Willodean's mother and sisters are all in the police force. And her 8 year-old niece thinks she is, too. The only one not on the force is her father. Bubba runs into some trouble when he gets to the apartment because they think he might have had something to do with her disappearance. He goes to pick up the troubled "psychoologist" whi is now dressed all in purple and calls himself the Purple Singapore Sling, a super hero. But he does have a good understanding of people, even if he's not really a psychiatrist. He gives Bubba important hints about people and he and Bubba run around trying to find out about the stalker and what really happened. They fall foul of the Dallas police and have to leave Dallas in a hurry. Bubba has to figure out WHY Willodean was kidnapped and why Nancy had him on her visitors list in prison - and why she was surprised when he told her his mother was fine.....slowly it starts to add up - to Bubba and the Singapore Sling if no one else.

[Denise Eggleston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third Bubba Snoddy book and is as enjoyable as the first two. Someone near to him is kidnapped and Bubba is not content to just let the police handle it. Instead he runs his own investigation landing him, again, in jail not just once but twice (sort of). We meet old characters and new ones. As a Basset hound lover myself, I wish the author would give Bubba's Basset, Precious, more "face time," but you gotta love any book that features one of these floppy-eared hound dogs.

I've loved all three of the Bubba books and hope there are many more.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well another great Bubba book. These books get better and better. Love the character David, he is very funny and I would've never thought it would be that person who did the kidnapping. This book had more twist and turns to it and was alot funnier. On to the next Bubba book. Happy Reading :)

[Alice Teets · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like these books. Yes, I guessed who the "bad guy" was way before it was told in the story, but I didn't care. I like the process, I LOVE the characters, and I like the writing. I'd recommend it for a quick, fun read!

[Pat Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me a while to finish, not because of any flaws in the book, but because I have had a busy couple of weeks.

I love Bubba. I think he must be a cousin or something. Pegram County sounds just like the area of East Texas where my family has spent the last five generations.

Read these books.

[Connie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of Bubba and his Mama.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Bubba and the Missing Woman” starts off immediately after the previous book ends.
Deputy Sheriff Willodene Gray, the woman of his dreams, is missing and there is blood in her car,
There was a clue in the last book about problems in Willowdene’s life, but things got hectic and Bubba never got to know what they were.
Seems to me that he’s about to get a dramatic update.
There’s a couple of things to know about Bubba – he comes across as pure Redneck Texan but he ain’t, he protects his own, and he will search for Willodene to the gates of Hell and beyond.
Face it, three books in, I’m as emotionally invested in Willodene as Bubba. I’m 66 years of age and I must admit that Willodene (the name rather than the person) fascinates me – it actually helped me get to sleep last night as I thought of Elven or Fae adventures she might appear in.
As always family and friends play a major part, as does the continuing mayhem that is Bubba’s life. There’s even a Lottery going as to when he gets banged up again – problems occur when he widens his area of operations. Do other jails count?
But this is a book about an odyssey, Bubba’s heroic quest to find the woman he loves. He’s driven, he’s obsessed and he’s very, very worried that he’ll fail.
For those who have read the series so far “Bubba and the Missing Woman” is a fine addition to an already impressive series.
I don’t give 5 Stars – that is reserved for books that have stayed with me over the decades, but if I live that long I wouldn’t at all surprised to see it get that extra Star.
4.5 Stars.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third Bubba Book I've read. It's about a big red-neck Texan who usually gets in trouble accidentally. This was probably the best one I've read so far. He is on the hunt for a kidnapper who has taken his girl friend who is a deputy. He has unusual traveling companions to help him. For light reading it's pretty fun.

[Reba Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good clean reading . Kept me awake at night . Can't wait to read the next book in the series. Reminded me of m family back in Texas.

Would recommend the Bubba series to any fan of humorous mystery . Hope to see man more books published by this author

[Mailis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picks up right after the clever cliff-hanger of the previous book. Keeps you on your toes. And teaches you swearwords you didn't know even existed. Excellent.

[E. Jeannette Hoppe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny , uplifting read.

I loved the Bubba series. Laugh out loud read. Wish there were more. Bubba and Will need to get married, have little Bubba's.

[Shantelle Hahn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story seens to drag on and on but the comic relief, and quirky characters make it worth while

[Anne Turnley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bubba to the rescue again

Bubba fall!s in love and the object of his affections is promptly kidnapped! He cannot rest and tries searching for her. As usual, he runs afoul of the police as he tries to investigate.

[The Pirate Ghost (Formerly known as the Curmudgeon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started with a little more serious feel to it. Still there, the humor that I loved so much from the first books, but Bubba seemed much more desperate than in the first two books and that stiffled some of the good humor....But... it made for a better story.

By midway the book had found its footing and sense of humor and it ended strong. I give it 4 stars and dub it a really good read (though in truth, the first two in the series carried it for the first few chapters.)

No real disappointment here. Bubba is fun. C.L.Bevill is funny. If you don't beleive me, try reading her blog.

It is an almost satirical story about people that are really characatures of real people, based on sterotypes and likey actual human redneck traits.

Ah-heck... it's just a fun read, something to lift the spirits before reading frankenstien for the seventyith time.

not much to warn about. Some bad language, a bit of playing with stereo types and one sweet basset hound. Good for YA to OA.

[Conda Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

For self-pubbed, this author proved to me that self-published books could be good. Despite all the errors in Bubba and the Dead Woman, I still enjoyed the wacky world of Bubba Snoddy to read the next, Bubba and the Twelve Days of Christmas, which was better written and edited. Onto the third, where I bumped up against the reason that many books need a publisher.

The problem with Bubba and the Missing Woman was that it starts a minute after the previous title. There's a lot of backstory and explanation throughout the tale. Which is a problem if you've read the previous novel as it considerably slows down the pace of the novel--and I don't care to read a summary of what I've already read, over and over. It's a problem if you haven't read the previous novel because the plot and whodunit is told in this novel. Talk about spoilers!

A publisher wouldn't let this large problem go unresolved.

Despite that, I enjoyed ...the Missing Woman and finished it. I love Bevill's down home humor. But I'm not rushing out to buy the next one in the series, either, although I probably will.

[BJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it is time for Bubba and me to take a break. The first book was in desperate need of an editor, but the story was good enough to get me to read the second. Then, about halfway through the second one, I noticed a turn for the better with grammar and had hope for the series. It is really funny even though a bit on the corny side. That convinced me to go on with the series--that and the fact that I know some people who love the series, and I like to know what they are talking about when discussing Bubba. Number three has the same humor, though not so much. This book is mostly boring with repetition and long summaries of the previous two books. There isn't really much of a mystery, and the characters are beginning to grate on my nerves. Perhaps reading three Bubba books back-to-back is the wrong approach with this series, so I'm moving on to something else before considering number four. Maybe I will come back to Bubba one day, but for now the series is on indefinite hiatus.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

leading straight on from Bubba and the 12 deadly days of Christmas, Bubba must find his sweetheart, Willodean after she disappears from a road crash.

AS usual, everyone gets involved, including Willodean's family, black gangstas and David from the "Institute" as Bubba investigates why she has disappeared and where she might have gone.

I found this book really hard to finish. I skipped large sections of descriptions, summaries and theories because none of it really enhanced or enlivened the story. Bubba is mistaken by most characters he encounters to be a redneck; unfortunately, in this story, he pretty much IS a "yokel" as we say in the UK - "long in the arm and thick in the head". Obviously not true of rural people, but Bubba is certainly made to fit the stereotype in this book.

The ending could have been so much more, and the middle sooooo much less!!

I much preferred the first two Bubba books.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another lighthearted Bubba mystery. This one takes place immediately after the previous book ended, and dovetails with the ending of that one. Enjoyed that David (one of the "Loonies) was also a player in this one, though Im not sure why the character change, except that we're told he has multiple personalities in the previous book. We meet Willodean's family, and much is made of her young niece, so I can only assume we will be seeing more of the family, or at least the youngster.

The books are starting to feel a bit formulaic, so I might be taking a break before reading the next in the series. I do enjoy these characters, and the stories are fun enough that I'll likely read the next before long - when I need a quick light read.

[moxieBK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #3 in the "Bubba and the..." Mystery Series.

Bubba is one of my favorite characters of all time. Yeah, sure he is a stereotype...but he's also smart, and has an awesome truck, dog and girlfriend...in that order.

This book concludes, for me, a three book set that really is the best of this series. The first three books were very tightly written. The characters were spot-on and lovable; the plot: creative and twisty enough that it kept my interests, right from the git-go. And the length was perfect.

The books follow this one are all right, and I like them, but these three are just the best.

Four stars.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a must read for me because the book before it in the series ended abruptly with Bubba´s girlfriend turning up missing as the mystery is solved. Since this one picks up right where that one ends, there is some rehashing of the last book which is irritating if you´ve just finished the last one, as I had. Also, because Bubba is so desperate to find Willodean, it´s not as funny as some of the others, although some of the characters he encounters are quite funny. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it, and will continue reading the series.

[Dee Cash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to Read It

After reading the first book I had to read this one to find out what happened to Willadean. I just hate books that end leaving you hanging which is what the first one did. I think I liked the first one better because this one seemed to do an awfully lot of unnecessary rambling. Maybe I' slots my sense of humor because I found very little to make me laugh about Bubba and the Missing Woman. I would like to come across a book or a movie is that would makes laugh out loud all the way through it. This was not the one.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series gets better with each book. If you haven't read the others in the series, stop and start at the beginning.

I was annoyed at the cliffhanger ending of the previous book; this volume makes up for it. It is a lovely mystery that had me guessing who did the nefarious deed. The book is chock full of interesting characters (one of whom is a basset hound), interesting visual imagery, and humor. Yes, I laughed out loud at some of the expressions. I am looking forward to the next book.

If you like mysteries with a chunk of humor, I think you'll like this book.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

An average mystery book. My dad loves this series and keeps getting me to read more of it. It's more or less the same as the previous books, something happens, southern big guy goes on solving mysteries despite law enforcement trying to have him stay out of it and misunderstandings happen, etc. Its the same formula as the first 2 books, the humor is about the same level, kind of amusing but not really funny.

The book does keep you entertained but it's not a masterfully written book or anything like that. Just a nice easy read.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of CL Bevill. I just love the Bubba series. It seems each story has Bubba running either into a dead body, or someone is not who they are suppose to be. Bubba is always in trouble. He has a controlling mother, a loyal dog, a mansion needing work and an old pickup truck. For country bumpkin lovers, this is the story for you. A good funny and heartfelt read.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could've done without the lengthy rehash of the previous book in the series. This book wasn't as funny as the previous ones either. It felt contrived to tack a mystery onto the ending of another mystery.

Nevertheless, I look forward to another Bubba book that has nothing to do with books two and three of this series.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that makes you laugh out loud while you are reading it. Then you have to read what was funny out loud to your bed mate because you woke him up. Not as good as the last in the series but enough to make me wonder what happens next. And you definitely have to read this if you love or hate Matt Lauer.

[Gay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! Poor Bubba, he finds himself in more predicaments. This is the third story I have read about Bubba. Each one gets better than the last. He's just a "Good 'ol Boy" who loves his family and the deputy sheriff, Willodean Gray. When she is kidnapped, nothing will stop him from finding her. Just a fun mystery.