And we are back to (fictional) Jarrett Creek, Texas for the 9th installment (8 in the current timeline, one in the past...) of the very enjoyable mystery series.

The annual Jubilee Motorcycle Rally had been a tradition in town but a lot of the locals dislike the noise and all the bikes which overrun the town while the Rally is going on. The local business owners on the other hand love the event. Which causes another spat in the small town - with our favorite police chief Samuel Craddock in the middle of it. One side wants to cancel the Rally, the other one insists that it is needed for them to survive. So a compromise is finally found - close all local businesses early on the days of the Rally unless they have a special permission by the police to stay open later. And then a woman is found dead on the rally and it becomes clear that she is actually a local business owner.

In the meantime, Hailey, Craddock's great-niece gets sent to him for a while as her parents cannot deal with her teenage antics. Between the girl (who really does not want to be there), the dead woman and the divided town, it is a very busy weekend. And with the Rally and all the people who traveled for it leaving shortly, the death may remain unexplained unless everyone moves fast. Hailey does not help matters much by getting involved in ways she really should have not - but then she is not visiting because she is a beacon of clear thoughts and good decisions.

As much as I enjoy the mysteries in the series, I also enjoy the story of life in the small town. These are similar to the English countryside novels which take a lot of room in the genre - just transposed a bit west. This one worried me a bit - the rally changes the focus but in reality, it actually accentuated it - the bike riders are a community as well and the mix between them and the town itself added something to the whole novel.

The novels in the series work on their own but they work a lot better as a whole - the later ones (including this one) reference earlier events and often mentions people expecting that you know who they are (or with very little introduction). I like visiting the small town every year... and now it is time to wait for the next novel to be published. ( )

Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames opens with many of the locals less than thrilled with the coming event featuring motorcycle folks from all over. Some want the entire town closed for business during the Jubilee Motorcycle Rally. They want to force those attending to go over to Bobtail, another small town about ten miles away, to do their shopping. The theory being shutting down everything will keep the bikes and their noise out of the town.

Of course, the small business folks who need the money from the out of towners hate the idea as do the locals who do not want to be inconvenienced. Folks are very heated on both sides of the issue. The town meeting causes some folks to say things that would have been better left unsaid. Thanks to Police Chief Samuel Craddock and a couple of others, a compromise is worked out, where some businesses have an early curfew while others do not.

Soon the rally is underway, the compromise is working well, and things at the rally which draws hundreds of folks from all over the state of Texas and beyond are going okay. That is until a murder happens.

A murder that makes things way more complicated as Craddock and his team have been trying to keep things calm at the rally and in town. Not that ever having a murder is a good thing, but the timing right now is really bad, and not just because of the local event.

Craddock is also dealing with a serious family problem as his niece Hailey is giving her parents fits. The little girl he remembers is not the child she was if her parents are right about everything that is going on with her. The teen years can be ugly and things are ugly. Sixteen and acting out with alcohol, possibly using drugs, and sneaking out to see an older guy are just part of it. She is acting up at school too and her grades are falling. Things are so bad her parents are thinking of sending her to a boarding school for troubled kids.

Hailey and Samuel used to get along pretty well and she liked to watch the cows Samuel has and spend time with him. He offers for her to come stay a few days to give everyone a break. Samuel believes that if things get difficult, he can get advice and help from his lady friend, Wendy, as she has raised two girls and survived the teen wars. Before long, Hailey is in the house. The bad thing is, trouble in more than one form, followed her from Austin.

Between the murder of a local business owner, Hailey’s antics, and other things, there is no rest for a good lawman. Samuel Craddock and his patience is put to the test constantly through this read. Drama and trouble, on and off the job, power Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames as does the summer time Texas heat and humidity.

If you have not acquainted yourself with the series, you should, and you could safely start here as references to prior events/books are limited. If you are a reader of the series that began long ago with A Killing at Cotton Hill: A Samuel Craddock Mystery then you know you are in for another fun read as author Terry Shames does not disappoint with Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery.

While the book is not scheduled to be released by Severn House until October 4, 2022, I was able to read it now thanks to a digital ARC from them through NetGalley.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2022 ( )