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Samuel Craddock Mystery #4
A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge
In the course of their developing friendship, Samuel Craddock has learned to accept that his neighbor Jenny Sandstone’s personal life is strictly secret. But when her dying mother tells Craddock that Jenny is in danger, he is confronted with a dilemma. He wants to respect Jenny's privacy, but he is haunted by the urgency in the dying woman's voice.
When Jenny is the victim of a suspicious car accident, Craddock has no choice but to get involved. He demands that she tell him what he needs to know to protect her and to solve the mysteries surrounding the strange events that began taking place as soon as Jenny’s mother passed away.
Forced to confront the past, Jenny plunges into a downward spiral of rage and despair. She is drinking heavily and seems bent on self-destruction. Craddock must tread lightly as he tries to find out who is behind the threats to her. But only by getting to the bottom of the secrets buried in Jenny’s past can he hope to save her both from herself and from whoever is out to harm her.
When Jenny is the victim of a suspicious car accident, Craddock has no choice but to get involved. He demands that she tell him what he needs to know to protect her and to solve the mysteries surrounding the strange events that began taking place as soon as Jenny’s mother passed away.
Forced to confront the past, Jenny plunges into a downward spiral of rage and despair. She is drinking heavily and seems bent on self-destruction. Craddock must tread lightly as he tries to find out who is behind the threats to her. But only by getting to the bottom of the secrets buried in Jenny’s past can he hope to save her both from herself and from whoever is out to harm her.
271 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2015
47 people are currently reading
474 people want to read
About the author
Terry Shames
19 books277 followersTerry Shames is the award-winning, best-selling author of eleven Samuel Craddock mysteries. Her first book, A Killing at Cotton Hill won the Macavity Award for Best First novel Her books have been shortlisted for the Strand Critics Award, Lefty awards, and won the RT Reviews Critics award. The eleventh in the series, The Troubling Death of Maddy Benson, October, 2024, was an Amazon Editor's Pick and won a starred review in Library Journal.
In 2024, she debuted the Jessie Madison thriller series, with Perilous Waters. In March, 2025, she published Out of Control, a suspense novel.
Terry is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers.
She lives in Southern California with her husband, her dog Monty and her cat Max.
For more visit her website at www.Terryshames.com.
In 2024, she debuted the Jessie Madison thriller series, with Perilous Waters. In March, 2025, she published Out of Control, a suspense novel.
Terry is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers.
She lives in Southern California with her husband, her dog Monty and her cat Max.
For more visit her website at www.Terryshames.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
October 20, 2015
4.5 stars
Not quite two years ago, Terry Shames rather quietly appeared on the mystery scene with Samuel Craddock, former police chief of a small Texas town. Before long, word began to spread about this appealing guy and the rambunctious citizens of Jarrett Creek and, today, readers everywhere wait for the treat they know is coming with each new entry in the series. A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge is the latest and is every bit as entertaining as I had anticipated.
Make no mistake, murder is an ugly thing and this book, like its predecessors, is no lightweight romp through a horde of unlikely suspects. Samuel cares about his town and its people and is understandably worried when vandalism and threatened harm against a pair of horses seem to point to a bigger issue that initially eludes him. His friend Jenny is clearly at the core of whatever is going on and her reaction to his gentle probing is surprising as well as alarming. Later, missing persons add to the mix and dangerous secrets begin to come to light.
Jarrett Creek is full of people I'd like to know---Samuel, of course, a gentle soul named Truly, artist Ellen---and even some of the less engaging. The latter, after all, may not always be the most pleasant of people but they're human and, thus, flawed but not irredeemable. Ms. Shames has a way with her characters that makes them very believable while she's also quite adept at creating an interesting plot that holds the reader's attention. I'm as pleased as I can be with this installment in Samuel Craddock's life and am already wishing next January would get here so I can pick up The Necessary Death of Nonie Blake.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, April 2015.
Not quite two years ago, Terry Shames rather quietly appeared on the mystery scene with Samuel Craddock, former police chief of a small Texas town. Before long, word began to spread about this appealing guy and the rambunctious citizens of Jarrett Creek and, today, readers everywhere wait for the treat they know is coming with each new entry in the series. A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge is the latest and is every bit as entertaining as I had anticipated.
Make no mistake, murder is an ugly thing and this book, like its predecessors, is no lightweight romp through a horde of unlikely suspects. Samuel cares about his town and its people and is understandably worried when vandalism and threatened harm against a pair of horses seem to point to a bigger issue that initially eludes him. His friend Jenny is clearly at the core of whatever is going on and her reaction to his gentle probing is surprising as well as alarming. Later, missing persons add to the mix and dangerous secrets begin to come to light.
Jarrett Creek is full of people I'd like to know---Samuel, of course, a gentle soul named Truly, artist Ellen---and even some of the less engaging. The latter, after all, may not always be the most pleasant of people but they're human and, thus, flawed but not irredeemable. Ms. Shames has a way with her characters that makes them very believable while she's also quite adept at creating an interesting plot that holds the reader's attention. I'm as pleased as I can be with this installment in Samuel Craddock's life and am already wishing next January would get here so I can pick up The Necessary Death of Nonie Blake.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, April 2015.
December 9, 2015
This is the newest in the Samuel Craddock Mystery series, and the fourth such. Craddock is the Acting Police Chief for Jarrett Creek, Texas, 6 feet tall, widowed and somewhat older than your usual top cop, he had been chief years back, now and for the past few months filling in at the mayor’s request until the town, now bankrupt, can afford to hire someone else. But this is ‘his town,’ and like most of the townspeople, he cares about the people who live there. Jenny Sandstone, his next-door neighbor, asks for his help in caring for her beloved horses while she visits with her mother, 75 years old and hospitalized after suffering a stroke.
After doing the necessary chores with his cows and Jenny’s horses, he goes to the hospital to see how both women are doing. Jenny being out of the hospital room for a few minutes, her mother, Vera, presses Samuel to look into a couple of things that have been worrying her, asking him to try to find her husband, who apparently walked out on his family years back, and also asks him to “find his first wife.” (Strange, since no one seems to know anything about there having been a prior marriage!) She also tells him that she thinks Jenny is in danger. Soon Samuel finds himself with other things to worry about, when a shop in town is vandalized, and although he suspects that the gallery owner’s ex-husband is responsible, she refuses to get an order of protection, insisting that she thinks some local high school kids are behind it.
Samuel does indeed keep a protective eye on Jenny, and some incidents occur in short order, three of them with her horses as the target, and then someone runs her car off the road and into a ditch. A lot of questions surround Jenny’s brother, from whom she has long been estranged, and Samuel’s investigation raises a lot of questions surrounding him. His inquiries take him into the neighboring town, Bobtail, 15 miles away; some jurisdictional questions arise, the answers wholly unexpected.
This novel was just the thing for this time of year, when one [or this reader at least] prefers to avoid the dark and graphic (the people of Jarrett Creek and Bobtail are delightful), and it is recommended.
After doing the necessary chores with his cows and Jenny’s horses, he goes to the hospital to see how both women are doing. Jenny being out of the hospital room for a few minutes, her mother, Vera, presses Samuel to look into a couple of things that have been worrying her, asking him to try to find her husband, who apparently walked out on his family years back, and also asks him to “find his first wife.” (Strange, since no one seems to know anything about there having been a prior marriage!) She also tells him that she thinks Jenny is in danger. Soon Samuel finds himself with other things to worry about, when a shop in town is vandalized, and although he suspects that the gallery owner’s ex-husband is responsible, she refuses to get an order of protection, insisting that she thinks some local high school kids are behind it.
Samuel does indeed keep a protective eye on Jenny, and some incidents occur in short order, three of them with her horses as the target, and then someone runs her car off the road and into a ditch. A lot of questions surround Jenny’s brother, from whom she has long been estranged, and Samuel’s investigation raises a lot of questions surrounding him. His inquiries take him into the neighboring town, Bobtail, 15 miles away; some jurisdictional questions arise, the answers wholly unexpected.
This novel was just the thing for this time of year, when one [or this reader at least] prefers to avoid the dark and graphic (the people of Jarrett Creek and Bobtail are delightful), and it is recommended.
April 26, 2015
As A Deadly Affair At Bobtail Ridge opens Samuel Craddock is awakened by a pounding at his door. His neighbor, Jenny Sandstone is on his porch and very upset. Her mom, Vera Sandstone, apparently has had a stroke and has been rushed to a hospital in nearby Bobtail, Texas. Jenny needs to get to the hospital and wants Samuel to call Truly Bennett to take care of her horses. Despite his aversion to horses, Samuel takes care of them himself and before long he is at the hospital.
Once there he comes upon an obvious confrontation of some sort in the hallway near Vera’s room between Jenny and some guy who has gone so far as grab her arm. Chief of Police Sheriff Samuel Craddock inserts himself in the situation and learns the man is named Wilson Landreau. He is a public defender and Jenny refers to the whole incident as politics. Jenny makes it clear that not only is there nothing to talk about, she does not want Samuel Craddock involved in any way. One wonders how she would characterize Vera’s cryptic warning to Samuel Craddock just a few minutes later about Jenny being in danger.
Good thing he also knows a thing of two about police work while living in this South Texas rural area located in the middle of the triangle formed by Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. He has been Chief of Police for Jarret Creek before and while he did not really want the job again he is very good at it. It does not take long for Craddock to come to the conclusion that Vera may have been right in her warning. Jenny is clearly in a world of trouble on multiple fronts and refusing any and all offers of help. Who is messing with her and why are just two questions that need to be answered as things escalate. How current events link back to an unspoken horror from more than a decade ago drive the majority of this book.
That is not to say that the various secondary storylines present in earlier books do not continue here. They do which is why this excellent series should absolutely be read in order. Like any real good series, characters grow and evolve, relationship dynamics change, and people age as the books move forward in time. Of course, you could read this fourth installment in the series first, but you really need to go back to the beginning with the award nominated A Killing At Cotton Hill.
A Deadly Affair At Bobtail Ridge: A Samuel Cradock Mystery
Terry Shames
http://www.terryshames.com
Seventh Street Books
http://www.seventhstreetbooks.com
April 2015
ISBN# 978-1-63388-046-7
Paperback
250 Pages
$15.95
ARC material requested and received for my use in an objective review via the Amazon Vine program.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
Once there he comes upon an obvious confrontation of some sort in the hallway near Vera’s room between Jenny and some guy who has gone so far as grab her arm. Chief of Police Sheriff Samuel Craddock inserts himself in the situation and learns the man is named Wilson Landreau. He is a public defender and Jenny refers to the whole incident as politics. Jenny makes it clear that not only is there nothing to talk about, she does not want Samuel Craddock involved in any way. One wonders how she would characterize Vera’s cryptic warning to Samuel Craddock just a few minutes later about Jenny being in danger.
Good thing he also knows a thing of two about police work while living in this South Texas rural area located in the middle of the triangle formed by Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. He has been Chief of Police for Jarret Creek before and while he did not really want the job again he is very good at it. It does not take long for Craddock to come to the conclusion that Vera may have been right in her warning. Jenny is clearly in a world of trouble on multiple fronts and refusing any and all offers of help. Who is messing with her and why are just two questions that need to be answered as things escalate. How current events link back to an unspoken horror from more than a decade ago drive the majority of this book.
That is not to say that the various secondary storylines present in earlier books do not continue here. They do which is why this excellent series should absolutely be read in order. Like any real good series, characters grow and evolve, relationship dynamics change, and people age as the books move forward in time. Of course, you could read this fourth installment in the series first, but you really need to go back to the beginning with the award nominated A Killing At Cotton Hill.
A Deadly Affair At Bobtail Ridge: A Samuel Cradock Mystery
Terry Shames
http://www.terryshames.com
Seventh Street Books
http://www.seventhstreetbooks.com
April 2015
ISBN# 978-1-63388-046-7
Paperback
250 Pages
$15.95
ARC material requested and received for my use in an objective review via the Amazon Vine program.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
April 15, 2015
Another solid entry for the Samuel Craddock mysteries by Terry Shames. I really like the characters in this series and recommend you give the books a try. While each of them can be read as a stand-alone, you'll get the most out of them by reading them in order. Now for the comment that makes an author's blood run cold - when will the next one be out?
April 15, 2020
Really like the tone and pace of this series. I read book 5, and then 4, and no problem. I think in a series each book should stand alone. And these do.
Thank you Ms. Shames, and I will read the next book
Thank you Ms. Shames, and I will read the next book
March 20, 2017
Folksy mystery that reminds me of Tony Hillerman books with a different setting . No regrets in spending the time to enjoy this book .
April 22, 2019
Book 4 tells Jenny Sandstone's story. She has been an on going character from the first book of this series. The novel opens with Jenny, looking wild eyed and distraught pounding on Craddock's front door. Her mother, Vera, has had a stroke, and is hospitalized. Jenny needs her neighbor to take care of her horses. As the story progresses, Samuel must take care of more than the horses. Jenny's mother dies, her property is vandalized, and finally her hated brother reenters her life. He claims their mother altered the will. He is no longer disinherited. He has possession of the house, but not the contents.
In a death bed speech, Jenny's mother tells Samuel that she thinks Jenny is in danger. She also asks him to try and find Howard and find his first wife. Samuel recognizes that Jenny has a very strong sense of privacy. She also is fiercely independent. He tries to walk a fine line between being helpful and being intrusive. He is also walking the same line with his friendship with Ellen. Her husband is back in Jarret Creek and is not 'behaving himself'. As Chief of Police, it is Samuel's responsibility to become closer involved with both women. Jenny's brother is creepy threatening; Ellen's ex husband is violently angry. Will Craddock be able to resolve the problems and still keep their friendships?
Shames has a good understanding of grief. Jenny's mourning becomes entwined with family issues. She begins to use alcohol to cope, and turns into an ugly drunk. I so admire Shames strength as a writer as she allows her characters to show foibles as well as positive behaviors. Shames is not a humorous cozy writer. She is willing to take on serious subjects, here how a dysfunctional family can control an adult's life. However she is savvy enough to lighten her stories with humorous dialogue, and sometimes descriptions of foolish behaviors of the characters in her work.
Highly recommended
In a death bed speech, Jenny's mother tells Samuel that she thinks Jenny is in danger. She also asks him to try and find Howard and find his first wife. Samuel recognizes that Jenny has a very strong sense of privacy. She also is fiercely independent. He tries to walk a fine line between being helpful and being intrusive. He is also walking the same line with his friendship with Ellen. Her husband is back in Jarret Creek and is not 'behaving himself'. As Chief of Police, it is Samuel's responsibility to become closer involved with both women. Jenny's brother is creepy threatening; Ellen's ex husband is violently angry. Will Craddock be able to resolve the problems and still keep their friendships?
Shames has a good understanding of grief. Jenny's mourning becomes entwined with family issues. She begins to use alcohol to cope, and turns into an ugly drunk. I so admire Shames strength as a writer as she allows her characters to show foibles as well as positive behaviors. Shames is not a humorous cozy writer. She is willing to take on serious subjects, here how a dysfunctional family can control an adult's life. However she is savvy enough to lighten her stories with humorous dialogue, and sometimes descriptions of foolish behaviors of the characters in her work.
Highly recommended
December 14, 2025
“A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge”, fourth in the 'Samuel Craddock' series, starts with a message from the dying mother of Jenny Sandstone.
For a wonder she is dying of natural causes, something that is quite rare in the series!
Jenny is under threat but flat out refuses to talk about it.
And she's hitting the bottle heavily!
Samuel embarks on a personal mission to find out what's up and he'll have to trawl through decades of history to get a clue.
As always the good citizens of Jarrett Creek play a prominent part, mostly for good, but not always.
And the forthcoming local college prom is causing quite a stir as parents attempt to prevent their offspring from doing exactly what there parents did once upon a time.
It does ask the question whether some people are born evil and, in this case, the answer would seem to be in the affirmative.
It's a cosy series with a dark heart and I quite like it.
3.5 Stars, raised to 4 Stars.
For a wonder she is dying of natural causes, something that is quite rare in the series!
Jenny is under threat but flat out refuses to talk about it.
And she's hitting the bottle heavily!
Samuel embarks on a personal mission to find out what's up and he'll have to trawl through decades of history to get a clue.
As always the good citizens of Jarrett Creek play a prominent part, mostly for good, but not always.
And the forthcoming local college prom is causing quite a stir as parents attempt to prevent their offspring from doing exactly what there parents did once upon a time.
It does ask the question whether some people are born evil and, in this case, the answer would seem to be in the affirmative.
It's a cosy series with a dark heart and I quite like it.
3.5 Stars, raised to 4 Stars.
October 29, 2019
3.75 Stars
4th book in the Samuel Craddock series.
I found this book series and have been knocking them off relatively quickly. Acting Police Chief Craddock becomes involved in his neighbor’s, Jenny, personal life when her dying mother discloses to him that Jenny is in danger. He delves into her past and uncovers rage, bullying, murder and a lifetime of secrets. Craddock is an older Texas law enforcement officer who relies on brains vs brawn. The only issue I had was Jenny’s character was so out of sync with the prior books. I understand in this story it was due to her past but it seemed to be a 180. Overall, a very satisfying series.
2019(47)
4th book in the Samuel Craddock series.
I found this book series and have been knocking them off relatively quickly. Acting Police Chief Craddock becomes involved in his neighbor’s, Jenny, personal life when her dying mother discloses to him that Jenny is in danger. He delves into her past and uncovers rage, bullying, murder and a lifetime of secrets. Craddock is an older Texas law enforcement officer who relies on brains vs brawn. The only issue I had was Jenny’s character was so out of sync with the prior books. I understand in this story it was due to her past but it seemed to be a 180. Overall, a very satisfying series.
2019(47)
January 20, 2024
Very consistently enjoyable, just like the first couple of her books were. The mystery keeps moving along, the people are all interesting and sometimes amusing. The detective Samuel Craddock has an ongoing story concerning his growing friendship with his neighbor and a possible love interest with a newly separated woman who opens a store. I'm not sure if any of that is going anywhere, but I don't have strong feelings (for/against) either way, you know? If something happens, good, but if not I'm sure the author will find other things to interest me.
Which makes for a comfortable reading experience. I trust her to get it right.
Which makes for a comfortable reading experience. I trust her to get it right.
June 27, 2025
Sheriff Samuel Craddock visits the dying mother of his neighbor, Jennie Sandstone. She tells him Jennie is in danger and asks him to find some people who might be able to tell him what is going on. Jennie sure will not. Jennie's mother dies soon and immediately Jennie is involved in a car accident that Samuel does not think is an accident. But, still Jennie refuses to talk, even as she spirals into rage and grief. How can Samuel help her when she refuses to tell him anything about her past and why her brother is no longer a part of her life. There are always a lot of questions in a small town and a lot of motives for murder, too. I always enjoy a visit to Bobtail.
October 9, 2019
This is book #4 in the Sam Craddock series and the best I've read to date. This is a small town in Texas setting mystery. I'm very vested in this series because I love the characters. Terry Shames is such a good writer that I feel I'm right there and know all the characters and take part in the mysteries.
This book focuses on Jenny Sandstone, who is Sam's next door neighbor. Her Mom passes away and her long lost brother appears. There is something going on between them but Jenny won't say and as things happen, the story starts to unravel.
This book focuses on Jenny Sandstone, who is Sam's next door neighbor. Her Mom passes away and her long lost brother appears. There is something going on between them but Jenny won't say and as things happen, the story starts to unravel.
November 11, 2023
Another well written and plotted investigation for Samuel Craddock.
Most of the regular characters are here, in and out of danger.
Jenny is dealing with the most issues and does not necessarily deal with it well. Her Mom dies and her estranged brother reappears, forcing Sam to find out why the rift in the family. He must solve past mysteries in addition to finding out who is attacking her currently.
I was so caught up in the storyline, I never wanted to put the book down.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
Most of the regular characters are here, in and out of danger.
Jenny is dealing with the most issues and does not necessarily deal with it well. Her Mom dies and her estranged brother reappears, forcing Sam to find out why the rift in the family. He must solve past mysteries in addition to finding out who is attacking her currently.
I was so caught up in the storyline, I never wanted to put the book down.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
August 27, 2020
Well written . Love the settings and the real feel of the characters .She weaves her stories beautifully. Looking forward to the next one!
Love the settings and the real feel of the characters ! She has a way of weaving the story and fleshing out the characters that is the mark of a great storyteller. On to the fifth one!
Love the settings and the real feel of the characters ! She has a way of weaving the story and fleshing out the characters that is the mark of a great storyteller. On to the fifth one!
July 24, 2024
Love this series
I’m binging on Samuel Craddock mysteries this week and enjoying each one. In this one an elderly woman on her deathbed tells Samuel her daughter is in danger and begs him to protect her. She dies without explaining, so Samuel begins digging up secrets, even though the daughter, a tough prosecutor, tells him to butt out of her business.
I’m binging on Samuel Craddock mysteries this week and enjoying each one. In this one an elderly woman on her deathbed tells Samuel her daughter is in danger and begs him to protect her. She dies without explaining, so Samuel begins digging up secrets, even though the daughter, a tough prosecutor, tells him to butt out of her business.
October 31, 2016
Love this series!!! Not quite a 5 but well over a 4--Shames' work lacks the humor of Bill Crider's mysteries, but she has the same ability to create the feeling of a small town with its ensemble of strange and unexpected personalities.
November 5, 2018
These are just comfortable reads. I love the town, I respect Samuel Craddock and the stories go down so easily. This one tells the story of some old family troubles which come to the fore after many years. Good stuff.
July 14, 2019
A another great book in the Sammuel Craddock series.
When his neighbor Jenny's mother falls ill,
Samuel finds himself pulled into the family's troubled past.
A well told story.
This is a wonderful series.
When his neighbor Jenny's mother falls ill,
Samuel finds himself pulled into the family's troubled past.
A well told story.
This is a wonderful series.
February 12, 2021
I love the Samuel Craddock series, but this one is not a favorite because I thought Samuel was treated shamefully by his friend Jenny and another woman he was trying to help, and by the end I had nothing but contempt for Jenny's dying mother. Still, a good mystery.
September 26, 2023
Chalk up another great one in this series. I've now read three Samuel Craddock mysteries, and I intend to keep going. These are wonderful, beautifully-written mysteries that are quite simply a pleasure to read
September 13, 2017
Great Mystery
which takes you to the end
It makes you think that every character is a suspect.
which takes you to the end
It makes you think that every character is a suspect.
April 27, 2019
An ill friend's request sends Samuel Craddock to investigate and discover a terrible family secret.
Comment:
Time spent with Samuel Craddock is time well spent.
Comment:
Time spent with Samuel Craddock is time well spent.
May 1, 2019
Loving this series... just gets better with each new installment!
May 12, 2019
Fun filler book. I will read more by this author because I liked the tone and ease of the mystery.
August 11, 2019
Samuel Craddock is drawn into his neighbor Jenny’s troubled family history when her mother dies after leaving Samuel with a cryptic message about Jenny’s father.
June 14, 2020
I really enjoy this series...great characters & stories!
June 23, 2020
I couldn’t put this book down - what a great series. I hope more are coming!
November 20, 2021
Interested small town police procedure, a little handed on the clues. Knew who was murdered but not why til near the end.
January 4, 2023
I love this series. I hope it continues. Cannot wait to get my hands on the next one.
March 27, 2023
Too many white male thugs in this one. Three subplots and they don't differ enough to keep my interest. The first book I really didn't like in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews