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Blanco County Mysteries #7
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.
Fans of Ben Rehder’s earlier comic mysteries will be in heaven—Hog Heaven.
317 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2013
100 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Ben Rehder
76 books276 followersBen 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!
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!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
August 17, 2013
Ben Rehder's new book HOG HEAVEN is like a chance to go back home again. To his readers dismay, we believed after the first 6 Blanco County Mysteries, there would be no other. But the readers spoke and Ben listened and took us back to Central Texas. Getting to hang out with Red O'Brien and Billy Don Craddock, the trailer park crowd, Game Warden John Marlin and his wife and the elite of the area run into serious and hilarious encounters when a local high school player gets involved with the seedy side of College sports. It is a light read, easy to stay with the many plots such a the aforementioned football player who gets killed by running into a wild pig, a father deals with his grief by putting a target on all wild hogs in Blanco County and this causes tumult in this usually quiet area of the State. I have loved Ben Rehder's work since his first book. He is amazing with his sense of humor and his serious side. This book has everything I love about Texas, the State itself, football, great characters, intriguing mysteries and well Ben Rehder.
I cannot recommend this title enough. I believe you will love this book too. Ben has dialed off into other topics for a trio of books, all as amazing as this series. But this is his bread and butter. Don't worry if you haven't read him before you can jump right in on this series but I can almost tell you, you will be left wanting more from this remarkable writer and if you were like me, you'll have his entire library either on your bookshelf or your Kindle. Like I said, it was a fun trip home and the journey made it that much more fun.
I cannot recommend this title enough. I believe you will love this book too. Ben has dialed off into other topics for a trio of books, all as amazing as this series. But this is his bread and butter. Don't worry if you haven't read him before you can jump right in on this series but I can almost tell you, you will be left wanting more from this remarkable writer and if you were like me, you'll have his entire library either on your bookshelf or your Kindle. Like I said, it was a fun trip home and the journey made it that much more fun.
January 1, 2016
This great light mystery uses the unusual and creative angle of a rural Texas county game warden as its detective. It covers a lot of bases - betrayal, hunting, game laws, rural Texas life, sports, drug use, social issues, and even a sexy Russian almost spy - with a big heart and great good humor.
I paired this with the Amazon WhisperSync audio book; it was marred by a narrator who apparently believes that Southerners are all hicks who talk v--e--r--y ... s--l--o--w--l--y. That made for a long, ponderous, and frankly, sometimes offensive listening experience. He also often seemed condescending and was unable to walk the fine line between finding the humor in the characters and making fun of them. Without the audio, the book itself was a wonderful discovery and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
May 3, 2021
Fantastic read in this fun series. Rehder is to Texas as Hiaasen is to Florida. I appreciate that Rehder takes on some social issues in his series with a light, skillful and meaningful touch. This is generally a lighter mystery series with good humor that moves with a quick pace.
November 21, 2013
REVIEW: HOG HEAVEN by Ben Rehder (Kindle edition)
Reviewed by Walter Danley 20 November 2013
REHDER RAINS!
Ben Rehder’s latest installment in the Blanco County Mystery series is just as masterly as all the others, maybe better. His characters are fully developed with a loving touch of someone who knows them intimately. With a touch of country humor, Rehder weaves a web of mystery sure to please any fan of the genre.
In telling the tale the author offers two distinct life lessons; the sad results of homosexual intolerance by a few bigoted unaware rubes, and the behind the curtain crimes of big-time college football recruiting.
Rehder never disappoints his readers. With a dry humor and clever plotting, he delivers a five-star entertainment that will have you smiling and page-turning with delight.
Reviewed by Walter Danley 20 November 2013
REHDER RAINS!
Ben Rehder’s latest installment in the Blanco County Mystery series is just as masterly as all the others, maybe better. His characters are fully developed with a loving touch of someone who knows them intimately. With a touch of country humor, Rehder weaves a web of mystery sure to please any fan of the genre.
In telling the tale the author offers two distinct life lessons; the sad results of homosexual intolerance by a few bigoted unaware rubes, and the behind the curtain crimes of big-time college football recruiting.
Rehder never disappoints his readers. With a dry humor and clever plotting, he delivers a five-star entertainment that will have you smiling and page-turning with delight.
April 5, 2014
A pig with a $50,000 reward up for grabs, red-necks, cheating spouses, a new way of taking pain-killers, a sociopath, a beautiful Russian, crooked high school football coaches, a crazed Booster and a game warden being shot at...ah this can only mean one thing; a welcome return to Blanco County and the craziness that is Ben Rehder.
The author is back in top form...highly recommended with some genuine laugh out loud moments.
The author is back in top form...highly recommended with some genuine laugh out loud moments.
August 31, 2020
I enjoyed the story and think it is my favourite so far. I liked this story because despite having two stories (um maybe a few more sub plots, so much happened) running through the book it didn't get complicated and I was able to keep them straight and see how they were all connected. The mystery was good and liked it the way that college football and hunting were twisted together and thought it lead to an interesting adventure. All the usual characters played a part in the plot and you just have to love them, even the hapless poachers Red and Billy Don. Off to start the next book.
When a teenage football star died no body had any idea the trouble it would spark. He died when his motorbike hit a hog, leading to his father setting up a very unusual competition. He has tattooed a hog and then released it into the wild, the win gets a cash prize for killing it. The big problem game warden John Marlin can see is that nobody knows which hog is the right one until they have killed it and checked the ear and with the big cash prize they will get a lot of hunters take up the challenge. It is only after the boys phone is discovered that Marlin and the police find the reason the boy was traveling so fast, he was being chased. As they launch an investigation into his death they will have to delve deep into the world of college football. But with all.the extra hunters in town, tempers are going to flare and set off a hate crime that Billy Don isn't going to stand for. Red just wants to find the pig and get his money but with Billy Don in such a temper is he going to miss out on his big scoore yet again.
The author has stuck with this narrator for the last few books and I must admit he is growing on me and I quite liked him.
When a teenage football star died no body had any idea the trouble it would spark. He died when his motorbike hit a hog, leading to his father setting up a very unusual competition. He has tattooed a hog and then released it into the wild, the win gets a cash prize for killing it. The big problem game warden John Marlin can see is that nobody knows which hog is the right one until they have killed it and checked the ear and with the big cash prize they will get a lot of hunters take up the challenge. It is only after the boys phone is discovered that Marlin and the police find the reason the boy was traveling so fast, he was being chased. As they launch an investigation into his death they will have to delve deep into the world of college football. But with all.the extra hunters in town, tempers are going to flare and set off a hate crime that Billy Don isn't going to stand for. Red just wants to find the pig and get his money but with Billy Don in such a temper is he going to miss out on his big scoore yet again.
The author has stuck with this narrator for the last few books and I must admit he is growing on me and I quite liked him.
January 23, 2018
Perfect blend of humor and action. Even the serious law enforcement officers do not always go by the book. For humor we have a feral pig hunt. A $50,000 bounty will be paid to whoever gets the pig with the tattoo in its ear. Naturally this will attract miscreants from all over, including 3 from East Texas who think they are the bull of the woods. The idea, of course, is to drastically cut down on the feral pig population. I will leave it to your investigative skills to figure out who ends up with the pig
We get a look at the world of illegal college football recruiting. Hopefully it isn't as rampant as shown in this story. Really enjoyable read.
We get a look at the world of illegal college football recruiting. Hopefully it isn't as rampant as shown in this story. Really enjoyable read.
June 22, 2021
Rural Blanco County only has about ten thousand people. But being a Texas county, it has some talented high school football players, and also a large population of wild hogs. When one of the football players runs into one of the hogs while riding a motorcycle at high speed, a strange series of events ensues, leading to another opportunity for game warden John Marlin to assist the local sheriff in an investigation. Two kinds of "hunters" are involved: those who shoot the pigs, and those who are trying to recruit the football players, with the latter group proving to be more dangerous.
This is one of my favorites in the series so far.
This is one of my favorites in the series so far.
February 15, 2023
Another Ben Rehder gem. This episode is less looney that previous episodes but it’s wholly entertaining as always. This must be where he introduces us to the main character of his non-comic Roy Ballard series, which puzzles me slightly given that this was published two years after the first of the Roy Ballard series of books. ‘Salright, though, even if it’s a mite toned down vs. the earlier ones.
I always look forward to the next Blanco County book when I finish one but with the next two volumes already waiting on my to-read shelf I fear that I’m coming too close to finishing the series. Keep writing them, Ben!
I always look forward to the next Blanco County book when I finish one but with the next two volumes already waiting on my to-read shelf I fear that I’m coming too close to finishing the series. Keep writing them, Ben!
October 18, 2020
What I love about all of this series is the humor and the easy reading. There is a contest to find and kill a feral pig that has a tattoo inside it's ear. The prize is $50,000.00. Can Red and Billy Don do it? A young athlete dies in a motorcycle accident. Was it an accident?
November 18, 2020
Format: audiobook
Narrator: Robert King Ross
I really enjoyed this story. A pig hunting contest gives rise to lots of humour and at last a bit of good luck for Red and Billy Don.
Very enjoyable series, well worth a listen.
Narrator: Robert King Ross
I really enjoyed this story. A pig hunting contest gives rise to lots of humour and at last a bit of good luck for Red and Billy Don.
Very enjoyable series, well worth a listen.
January 26, 2021
Blanco County sure does have lots going on at any given time and this book does not disappoint with this. So many mysteries that need to be solved and we have some great officers that jump right in and solve them all!
March 5, 2024
My favorite book by Mr Rehder
A fun read full of the author's trademark wit. I wish I had his imagination! If you've never read one of his books, this is the place to begin the adventure.
A fun read full of the author's trademark wit. I wish I had his imagination! If you've never read one of his books, this is the place to begin the adventure.
December 31, 2024
Great story
Every time I read one of Mr Reader's books I cannot believe how good they turn out to be. The dialogue and plot are tight and the characters well rounded. And red and billy don crack me up.
Every time I read one of Mr Reader's books I cannot believe how good they turn out to be. The dialogue and plot are tight and the characters well rounded. And red and billy don crack me up.
September 3, 2018
Good story and nice cast of characters
This is the first in the series I have read. Good fun,reminds me of Carl Hiaasen which can't be bad
This is the first in the series I have read. Good fun,reminds me of Carl Hiaasen which can't be bad
September 9, 2018
Another fun read about the denizens of Blanco County...with lots of twists and turns, and a very satisfying ending.
September 30, 2018
Surprisingly good.
I really didn't expect much from a book about Texas rednecks and pig hunting, but I couldn't put it down.
I really didn't expect much from a book about Texas rednecks and pig hunting, but I couldn't put it down.
October 7, 2020
I think this has been my favorite so far!
March 15, 2023
good read and series
September 11, 2023
Fun read
October 30, 2023
I love reading about Blanco County. Yes, some of characters seen really caricatures but I have met some people like them. (I'm from San Antonio.)
Read
January 11, 2024They just keep getting better
Rehder is at the top of the mystery detective game warden genre. I couldnt put Hog Heaven down and am eager to start the next in the series.
Rehder is at the top of the mystery detective game warden genre. I couldnt put Hog Heaven down and am eager to start the next in the series.
April 6, 2024
Good book and justice was served. I rate it 5 stars.
September 8, 2021
The book store employee who recommended Ben Rehder to me called him the Carl Hiaasen of the Hill Country. While that may be a little oversold, Rehder is certainly solidly evocative of the collision of region, personalities, and dirty-doings that Carl Hiaasen is so damn good at.
And speaking of collisions... that's where Hog Heaven starts and it doesn't let up. It was an often hilarious, contained good well-drawn characters (even some of the stereotypes show up to be more than the first blush appearance), and it definitely managed to capture the Texas Hill Country (both beauty and scuffed knees & scabs). I liked the central mystery and the hikes down all the side paths to solve it.
I tore through my first exposure to Ben Rehder and look forward to reading more in the future!
And speaking of collisions... that's where Hog Heaven starts and it doesn't let up. It was an often hilarious, contained good well-drawn characters (even some of the stereotypes show up to be more than the first blush appearance), and it definitely managed to capture the Texas Hill Country (both beauty and scuffed knees & scabs). I liked the central mystery and the hikes down all the side paths to solve it.
I tore through my first exposure to Ben Rehder and look forward to reading more in the future!
January 29, 2017
Another rousing tale of adventures in Blanco County. Funny and serious at the same time.
As usual for Ben, this tale covers some alarming aspects of billing as well as a lot of other stuff happening in this country. Not to mention the involvement of game law, but law in general. The Texas Game Warden is in the position to enforce a mirid of laws of the land. Ben Render manages to twist them to get a chuckle out of his readers and keep our interest up 'til the end. Looking forward to more Blanco County.
As usual for Ben, this tale covers some alarming aspects of billing as well as a lot of other stuff happening in this country. Not to mention the involvement of game law, but law in general. The Texas Game Warden is in the position to enforce a mirid of laws of the land. Ben Render manages to twist them to get a chuckle out of his readers and keep our interest up 'til the end. Looking forward to more Blanco County.
December 31, 2013
This was a quick, fun read. The mystery isn't all that mysterious, but the cast of quirky, larger-than-life Texas characters kept me turning the pages. A high school football player dies in a collision with a feral pig, his heartbroken father places a bounty on a pig's head as a way to seek justice, and hilarity ensues. I really liked the relationship between Red and Billy Don (the Dumb and Dumber of Blanco County, TX), and Billy Don's genuine friendship with Armando the florist.
December 28, 2013
Interesting tale centered around the sport recruitment industry -- high school athletes, University reputations being protected, big money and big egos, and a murder worth investigating. The characters are developed at a good pace to have substance and believable dialog. I'm not even a sport fan but I enjoyed this book for the skill demonstrated by the author.
September 3, 2014
Texas is known for its deep love of football, and this book shows just how far some people will go to get star high school football players into college programs. It's a fun read with a good plot and interesting characters. This is the first Blanco County Mysteries Book (#7) I've read, and I look forward to reading more of them.
December 23, 2014
This was an entertaining book which caused a few "laugh-out-loud" moments. The writing is similar to Carl Hiassen's books. I listened to the audio-book and the narrator gets the southern drawl and swag just right. There are quite a few books in the "Blanco County Mysteries" and yes, I would read another.
October 26, 2015
Hog Heaven Book
I've read most of his books. I find them crazily entertaining. I like the characters in his books. I like Red, Billie Don. Marlin, and all the trouble they get into. This book twists and turns, and in the end.... Well, read the book. I have a very hard time laying this book down, so I can sleep! That is the sign of a good book!
I've read most of his books. I find them crazily entertaining. I like the characters in his books. I like Red, Billie Don. Marlin, and all the trouble they get into. This book twists and turns, and in the end.... Well, read the book. I have a very hard time laying this book down, so I can sleep! That is the sign of a good book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews