Hog Heaven

Blanco County Mysteries, Book 7

By: Ben Rehder

Narrated by: Robert King Ross

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

Edgar Award-nominated author Ben Rehder's Blanco County mysteries have made best-of-the-year lists in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Field & Stream, and are currently in development with Warner Brothers and USA Network as a TV series.

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.

©2013 Ben Rehder (P)2013 Ben Rehder

Great book; poor narration

What did you love best about Hog Heaven?

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.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

It kept me very interested, especially in the way the author so successfully wove together several fascinating themes into a single coherent, logical, fun story.

Would you be willing to try another one of Robert King Ross’s performances?

No. 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.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Great story, bad acting.

Any additional comments?

This book was a "real find." I'm glad I discovered it and look forward to reading (but not listening to) other books by the author.

Another quirky mystery

Our love able hero is back with another mystery solved through determination and a bit of luck. The bad guys are bad. The goofy semi-villains of earlier books look good by comparison.

As usual, important societal themes are examined - this time homosexuality in small towns and football recruiting practices. They fold into the plot, and interact well with the humor and glimpses of small town life in Texas.

Biggest news: John gets a cellphone!

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for a review.

Delighted to find another Blanco County novel

Where does Hog Heaven rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Hog Heaven is just as great as the other Blanco County novels, that is to say right at the top of our list of all books for story. We love the characters, both new and old and both bad and good. However we were not as fond of this reader.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plots, and there are several, kept us on the edge of our seats and guessing all the way about the outcome. Our guesses were frequently wrong which added to the fun. It was especially pleasing to see Red and Billy Don win one.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He is not very good with voices. Occasionally we couldn't be sure which character was speaking and he over dramatized somewhat. However he wasn't really too bad.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made us laugh many times and it made us feel sad for Grady.

Any additional comments?

Please write some more Blanco County books!! Soon!

Great story, not the right narrator

As always, I truly enjoy the Blanco County mysteries. Such good stories, with plenty of twists and turns that all come together in the end. My only complaint is the narration. His voice is too deep!!! While he sounds great at some points, at others his deep voice fails to get the richness out of a lot of the characters. And these are rich characters!!!

Bring back Jonathan Davis

The reader is flat awful compared to Jonathan Davis who read the first 6 volumes I listened to. Gone is the perfectly rendered, ever so light Hispanic accent of Bobby Garza, so true to what you hear in life. Gone is the slow, ponderous speech of Billy Don, so adroitly crafted to fit his huge size and mannerisms as Rehder portrays them. The voice John Marlin by this reader bears no relation to the character portrayed by the author. If I were Ben Rehder, I'd be seriously offended by this brutalization of an otherwise fine and entertaining story.

Another great story

A high School football player dies, and Marlin has a run in with a dog runner.

This was another great story in the Blanco County series.

Read it but don't listen to this production

If you could sum up Hog Heaven in three words, what would they be?

Rehder's books are always a fun ride with his large cast of crazies who never fail to entertain. Hog Heaven is no different. I almost didn't download this book though because the narrator is new to the series, and I like my John Marlins to sound like John Marlin from Blanco Co., Texas. I'm not sure where this Marlin is from but it's not anywhere near Texas. There is very little distinction between Marlin, Phil, Red, Billy Don, Bobby Garza, Bill Tatum, or even Nicole...except for the chick from Russia. She didn't sound Russian, but she didn't sound Texan, either...nor did any of the others. Robert King Ross killed this book for me. I won't buy another that he voices.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Robert King Ross?

Bring back Johnathan Davis!

I love Blanco County, Texas

What made the experience of listening to Hog Heaven the most enjoyable?

Ben does a great job again writing a great story. .

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hog Heaven?

Red O'Brien and Billy Don Craddock. I just love these two knuckle heads.

What aspect of Robert King Ross’s performance would you have changed?

Robert King Ross just isn't a Jonathan Davis. I got use to his Texas drawl. I really missed it. Robert a fine narrator,but just not Texas enough.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Get the Jonathan Davis version if it exist?

Great Story - Horrible Narrator

Where does Hog Heaven rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Upper Quadrant for story, Way lower for reader

What other book might you compare Hog Heaven to and why?

The usual comic state based novelists - Carl Hiasson, Tim Dorsey

How could the performance have been better?

It's funny because I've listened to all the Blanco County books some with the same reader but this was the first one I can remember where RK Ross was so bod. His voices for Marlin was wrong as well as most of the characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really. It is a good story

Hog Heaven

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!