It has been a long time since I’ve read a Bill Crider mystery. According to the reading log I keep at Goodreads, it has been since 2003. That's too long.It should be noted that I am not a good mystery reader. A good mystery reader carefully follows the plot of a mystery, especially the small twists and loops. While reading mysteries, I often miss parts of the plot that turn out to have great ultimate significance. And I, a natural skeptic, am always annoyed when small towns (mysteries---who knows why?---often take place in small towns) experience frequent casual murders. That said, I loved this mystery. No, I didn’t follow the plot very well and, yes, two wild-hog-related-murders took place back-to-back in this little town, but, for me, the ultimate test of a good book is the characters and the characters in this story were fabulous. The character of Soppy Benton, in particular, seemed so real that I almost feel like he is someone I know personally. Delightful story.
