A rant. . .

My parents suck. I finally found a boyfriend who really loves me, and what do they do? Go ape shit.

My dad followed me one night for no reason, and he saw me going into a bar with Lyle. Big deal. Everybody my age does it. I’m sixteen. I’m old enough to know what’s what. And besides, Lyle was there to protect me. Daddy says he’s too old for me, but when I’m with Lyle, I know I’m safe.

So they shipped me off to stay with my daddy’s Uncle Samuel. I used to think Samuel was an okay guy, but he’s suddenly gotten to be a geezer. Not that I’d say that to him. He’s Chief of Police of this hick town of Jarrett Creek in the middle of f**king nowhere, and if I told him what I really think of him he’d probably arrest me, ha ha. Okay, he wouldn’t arrest me, but he’d talk to me, the way he does. All, “Now Hailey, we can respect each other.” Really?

Anyway, it looks like I’m stuck here in Jarrett Creek for however long it takes for my parents to WAKE UP and realize I’m practically an adult. I’m pretty stressed because I know it’s going to be boring here. I can’t even imagine what kind of rube kids live here. They probably think they’re hot shit. But I’m from Austin. That’s where it’s really happening.

My first day here after my mom dumped me off, Samuels tells me he’s going to take me to the motorcycle rally with his girlfriend, Wendy. Surprise, surprise! Maybe that could be cool. So I get dressed for it, with my cute shorts and my halter top. I put on makeup and my high heels to make me look older so they’ll understand I’m no child. And as soon as I walk into the living room, Uncle Samuel goes ape shit, just like my parents and tells me I’m dressed wrong. Wendy looks cool, but she is just as much a hick as he is. She agrees with him, telling me he’s a big deal in town and I can’t embarrass him, or shit like that. They make me change my clothes and shoes if I want to go to the rally.

The Jubilee rally is SO dope, with every kind of bike you ever saw, and everybody walking around like they have it all figured out. Some of the women are dressed a little hinky, but I can handle that. It pisses me off that Samuel and Wendy keep me with them like a pet dog and don’t let me hang out with some of the bikers.

Sure enough, just about the time the rally starts really hopping, with music, and weed in the air, they want to go home because it turns out that Uncle Samuel is working on some kind of murder case and he has work to do. They take me out to a Mexican restaurant, where at least the host treats me like I’m worth something, even if refuses to serve me a real drink.

At first they don’t want to talk about the murder, but I get in Uncle Samuel’s face and ask him questions and he actually tells me some rad stuff about how he investigates. I tell him I’m pretty sure I’m going to be a CSI investigator someday, and surprise surprise he doesn’t act like I’m stupid to say that.

He’s not as bad as I thought, but with him busy on the case, Wendy wants to take me shopping tomorrow. Shopping with a lady I don’t even know. She’ll probably want me to get a frilly dress. Gah! When we get home I call Lyle and tell him I want him to come and get me, that I’ll text him when I know where I’ll be so he can sneak in and take me out of here.

I can’t imagine what Samuel is going to say to my parents when he finds out I’ve disappeared. What a laugh!

Murder at the Jubilee Rally, A Samuel Craddock Mystery #9
Genre: Police Procedural
Release: October 2022
Purchase Link

Chief of Police Samuel Craddock faces a race against time to solve a perplexing murder at a motorcycle rally before the event comes to an end.

With the annual Jubilee Motorcycle Rally approaching, Jarrett Creek residents are divided. Some despise the rowdy, unsavory behaviour of the bikers, but they bring welcome money to local merchants. What’s to be done?

At a town meeting to find a solution, temperatures flare as Amber Johnson and Lily Deverell – family women on opposing sides of the debate – throw accusations at each other. Attempting to appease both camps, Chief of Police Samuel Craddock enacts a curfew to dissuade late-night revellers.

Nevertheless, trouble strikes. With the rally in full swing, Amber is found murdered at the event. Why did Amber leave her home that night? What secrets was she hiding from her family?

Craddock quickly faces more challenges as he offers to take in his rebellious teenaged niece, Hailey, whose parents are at their wits’ end. He soon understands their pain. Can Craddock keep Hailey under control, or will dealing with her allow a murderer to escape justice?

About the author
Award-winning author Terry Shames is the author of eight previous Samuel Craddock mysteries. As well as winning the Macavity Award for Best First Novel, A Killing at Cotton Hill was also nominated for The Strand Critics Award. The Necessary Murder of Nonie Blake won the RT Critics Award for Best Mystery. Her books have also been nominated for Left Coast Crime Awards for Best Mystery.

Terry grew up in Texas, and her Samuel Craddock series is set in the fictitious town of Jarrett Creek, which is based on the fascinating people, landscape, and culture of the small town where her grandparents lived. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and on the board of Mystery Writers of America.

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