For all you slackers who have never signed up for my electronic newsletter, here's the text from the latest issue....

The official Ben Rehder Newsletter

Contents of this issue:
• CORDIAL GREETING
• ANNOUNCEMENT OF UPCOMING BOOK, WITH ON-SALE DATE
• HEARTBREAKING NEWS
• BOOK DESCRIPTION FROM A QUESTIONABLE SOURCE
• REVIEWS THAT CAN ACTUALLY BE BELIEVED
• BOOKSIGNING SCHEDULE
• EQUALLY CORDIAL SIGN-OFF

Dear Faithful Readers,

For the sixth time, I have strung together a bunch of random
words and those words have been assembled into the latest
Blanco County novel. It’s called "Holy Moly," and the
official publication date is May 13. Chances are, it will
be in stores several days before then. So feel free to go
to your favorite bookstore, pull up a chair, and wait.
Better yet, pre-order it now right here:
http://mcsv.net/cgi-bin/redir?MCid=i1hzyOoLCKaf10b512ee

"Holy Moly," I’m sad to say, is the finale in the Blanco
County series. No, don’t cry. You knew this would happen
eventually. It’s time for me to explore new horizons, to
branch out and grow as a writer. Perhaps I’ll try my hand
at haiku or cinquain. (Limericks, on the other hand, have
been done to death.)

Any questions? Yes, you in the sixth row. You want to know
what the new book is about? Here’s the official description:

“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 publicity——the cover-up begins.
Soon, Farley is dead, shot in the back with an arrow, and
Game Warden John Marlin is asked to help with the case.
What he and the local deputies find is a suspect list of
biblical proportions: Could it have been the bitter geology
professor? The private fossil collector with a somewhat
unusual fetish? The minister’s wife who takes the
Commandments rather lightly? Or the geriatric
environmentalist with a mean right hook? Nothing is sacred
in Rehder’s most laughable satire yet, a twisted tale of
greed, corruption, infidelity, and, yes, paleontology.”

The question is, should you trust a press release written by
some underpaid, overworked junior publicist toiling away in
a windowless Manhattan office? The short answer? No, you
shouldn’t. The long answer? No, you shouldn’t, sir or madam.

So get a load of these reviews, from perfectly objective and
respected sources:

"Edgar-finalist Rehder’s sixth Blanco County mystery may be
the best to date in this rollicking crime series. Rehder’s
satirical take on greed, faith and foolishness moves at a
swift clip, punctuated with dizzy twists and even bittersweet
turns, like a good toe-tapping, country and western tune."
—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Ben Rehder in his hilarious 'Holy Moly' places televangelists
and the creationism vs. evolution debate under the
microscope. [He] takes readers on an adventure into the
multimillion-dollar realm of the televangelist on whose land
the fossil was found, life in small-town Texas, and the inner
workings of police investigation in the latest entry in this
Edgar Award-nominated series. Combining sophisticated prose
with down-home Texas crime, he leaves no part of Texas life
untouched."
—Library Journal

"Could Blanco County, Texas be peaceful for a change? Not on
your life. As usual, John Marlin shows us that he's more than
just a game warden, and is up for anything the crooks can
throw at him. I loved the time I spent in Texas Hill Country
in real life, but it doesn't compare to my enjoyment at
reading a new Rehder novel."
—Deadly Pleasures

By now, you’re in a veritable state of frenzy for the new
book, aren’t you? Okay, good. Then why not come see me at
one of the following events:

Friday, May 9, 7:30 pm
Booksigning and discussion
Barnes & Noble Westlake
701 S. Capital of Texas Hwy.
Austin, TX
(512) 328-3155

Saturday, May 10, 11:00 am–2:00 pm
Booksigning
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4801 La Crosse Avenue
Austin, TX
(512) 292-4100

Thursday, May 15, 6:30 pm
Booksigning and discussion
Murder By The Book
2342 Bissonnet St.
Houston, TX
(713) 524-8597
(888) 4-AGATHA

Saturday, May 17, 1:00 pm
Booksigning and discussion
Cody Public Library
11441 Vance Jackson
San Antonio, TX
(210) 696-6396

Saturday, May 17, 3:30–5:00 pm
Booksigning
Barnes & Noble Fiesta Trail
12635 West IH-10
San Antonio, TX
(210) 561-0718

Saturday, May 17, 6:00–8:00 pm
Booksigning, discussion, and dinner (Call for tickets)
Boerne Public Library
210 N. Main Street
Boerne, TX
(830) 249-3053

Saturday, May 24, 1:00–3:00 pm
Booksigning
The Bookshop
212 Main Street
Marble Falls, TX
(830) 693-7276

That’s all the news from here, friends. I’ve had a
wonderful time writing the Blanco County mysteries, and I
appreciate everyone who gave up valuable video-game time to
read them.

All my best,

Ben