Showing results by author "Ben Rehder" in All Categories

Red O’Brien and Billy Don Craddock are finishing a construction project for one of their regular customers when he makes an unexpected request - help him regain custody of his beloved beagle, Teddy. The way they go about it is a howl.

After a young woman and a bull are found dead in a dark pasture, Blanco County game warden John Marlin is asked to assist with the investigation. Was it a case of rustling gone wrong? Or maybe a prank turned deadly? Marlin hopes the woman's boyfriend can shed some light on the situation, but he's nowhere to be found. Is he on the run or did the woman's violent brother take matters into his own hands?

Ricky Delgado works as a chicken hanger at the poultry plant in Rugoso, Texas, a small border town just 30 miles south of Laredo. His quiet, illegal lifestyle is disrupted when he learns that his brother Tomás has been shot and injured shortly after crossing the border. Together, Ricky and Tomás and seek justice, or remain silent and endure the injustices common to all "wetbacks" within the states. Meanwhile, Ricky is fighting a battle within his own body, a disease he acquired in the poultry plant.

Sean Hudson thought nothing of hopping a fence to dig illegally for Native American arrowheads, spear points, and other artifacts. Did his thieving, trespassing ways get him killed? How else to explain the small pickaxe that was found sunk deep into his skull? Blanco County game warden John Marlin has dealt with these kinds of looters before, so it's no surprise when the sheriff asks him to assist with the investigation. Marlin quickly learns that this case - like the soil at a dig site - has many layers.

Everyone thinks Boz Gentry died in a fiery traffic accident, but Roy Ballard and Mia Madison aren't convinced. As legal videographers, it's their job to provide evidence of insurance fraud - and the more they dig into the Gentry case, the more they realize this might be the most elaborate scheme they've ever encountered. Of course, when millions of dollars are at stake, con men will take drastic steps to protect their scam- including arson, assault, or even murder.

Charlie Dunbar had big plans for the summer break, but becoming a fugitive was nowhere on the list. Even more unexpected, his partner in crime is his own ailing grandfather. Now they're on the run, trying to make it across the country to see a special kind of doctor, while the world becomes mesmerized by their journey. They are the subject of heated debates on cable news channels. Thousands of people voice their support on Facebook fan pages. And Charlie's own parents appear on live TV to plead for him to come home safely. But Charlie isn't ready yet.

When televangelist Peter Boothe decides to build a megachurch on the banks of the Pedernales River, he thinks his biggest problem will be a few unhappy neighbors. However, when backhoe operator Hollis Farley unearths a rare fossil on the construction site - a discovery that could lead to plenty of embarrassing Darwinian publicity - the cover-up begins.

Deke Gilbert was a legend on the central Texas demolition derby circuit, until a suspicious late-night crash ended his life. Unfortunately, Deke left behind a teenage daughter, Christie, who now has nowhere to go. That’s when good ol’ boys Red O’Brien and Billy Don Craddock step up and, in a rare moment, do the right thing. They give Christie a place to stay until her 18th birthday, just a few months away. But things get complicated when Christie brings home gossip that draws Red and Billy Don into an investigation of Deke’s death.

Safari Adventure is a small but popular zoo that entertains visitors from all over Texas - until one morning when most of the animals escape and a body is found on the premises. Game warden John Marlin works closely with the sheriff’s office, at first to capture the animals, and then to solve the mystery of the missing zookeeper. But local good old boys Red O’Brien and Billy Don Craddock just might figure it all out first, after they pick up a hitchhiker with a questionable past and some inside information that makes him a prime suspect.

Kendyl Jordan is a beautiful woman who drives an eye-catching classic car—until the car goes missing, possibly with something of great value hidden inside it. Can Roy Ballard help her find it? Despite Ballard’s budding reputation, Kendyl learns he’s not even a private investigator, he’s a legal videographer with very little experience. Still, he seems to have a knack for the job, and it doesn’t take him long to ID a couple of dangerous suspects. That’s when the case takes more twists and turns than a winding Texas Hill Country road.

Alex Dunn owned one of the most valuable collections of hobo nickels in the world, and it appears somebody killed him for it. Now Roy Ballard and Mia Madison are hired by the insurance company to track the collection down, which means they might reveal the identity of the killer in the course of their investigation. But the more they dig, the more suspects they uncover, including Dunn's children, his ex-wife, and a buxom masseuse who takes a hands-off approach to the services she offers.

An unidentified wild creature is on the loose in Blanco County, and, over the protests of game warden John Marlin, the locals have convinced themselves they're dealing with a mythical vampirish beast called a chupacabra. It doesn't help Marlin's cause when a dead body turns up with a fang-like wound in its neck.

Charlie Dunbar tenía grandes planes para las vacaciones de verano, aunque convertirse en fugitivo no era uno de ellos. Lo que era aún más inesperado es que su cómplice sería su abuelo enfermo. Ahora están huyendo, intentando cruzar el país para visitar a un particular médico, mientras el mundo queda fascinado con su viaje. Son objeto de acalorados debates en los canales de noticias. Miles de personas expresan su apoyo en páginas de Facebook. Y los propios padres de Charlie salen en directo en la televisión para suplicarle que vuelva a casa sano y salvo. Pero Charlie aún no está preparado.

Es ist die Woche vor Beginn der Hirschjagdsaison – in Texas kommt das einem landesweiten Feiertag schon ziemlich nahe – und die Einheimischen werden zunehmend nervös. Der Wildhüter John Marlin hat alle Hände voll zu tun: Meldungen über Wilderei gehen schneller ein, als er Strafzettel für Verstöße in der Schonzeit ausstellen kann. Dann kommt ein Anruf ganz anderer Art.

Charlie Dunbar hatte große Pläne für die Sommerferien, aber auf der Flucht sein stand nicht auf der Liste. Umso größer ist die Verwirrung, dass sein Komplize ausgerechnet sein kranker Großvater ist. Auf der Flucht versuchen sie nun, quer durch das ganze Land zu einem Spezialisten zu gelangen, während die Welt ihre Reise gebannt verfolgt. Sie werden zum Thema hitziger Debatten auf allen Nachrichtensendern. Tausende Menschen bekunden ihre Unterstützung auf Facebook-Fanseiten. Selbst Charlies Eltern treten live im Fernsehen auf, er soll bitte sicher zurück nach Hause kommen.

Roy Ballard ist als freiberuflicher Videofilmer tätig. Sein besonderes Händchen zeigt sich immer dann, wenn es darum geht,Versicherungsbetrüger zu entlarven. Während er nun wieder mal mit einem zeitaufwendigen Routinefall voller mühsamer Observierungen beschäftigt ist, sticht ihm etwas ins Auge, das ihn nicht mehr loslassen will. Dort, bei Roys Zielperson, steht ein kleines blondes Mädchen in einem pinken Oberteil und Jeansshorts – genau wie Tracy Turner, eine am Vortag entführte Sechsjährige!