The Rock Hole

By Reavis Z. Wortham

In 1964, farmer and part-time Constable Ned Parker combine forces with John Washington, the almost mythical black deputy sheriff from nearby Paris, to track down a disturbed individual who is rapidly becoming a threat to the entire small Texas community of Center Springs. When Ned is summoned to a hot cornfield one morning to examine the remains of a tortured bird dog, he finds a dark presence in their quiet community. A farmer by trade, Ned is usually confident when it comes to handling moonshiners, drunks and domestic disputes. But the animal atrocities turn to murder, and the investigation spins beyond his abilities. After a dizzying series of twists, eccentric characters and dead-ends, Ned’s friend, cranky Judge O.C. Rains, is forced to contact the FBI. Worse, sinister warnings that his family has been targeted by the killer lead Ned to the startling discovery that he knows the murderer very well. After the failed abduction of his precocious grandchildren Top and Pepper, the old lawman becomes judge and jury to end the murder spree in the Red River bottomlands. With a heart-pounding pace, country humor and a stunning climax speaks to the darkness in us all. In bald-headed pot-bellied Ned Parker, Wortham has created an authentic American hero who will put you in mind of the best heroes and antiheroes you’ve ever experienced. The year 1964 was the end of an era in Center Springs, and the climax may well shock your civilized sensibilities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Release date: Jun 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781615953127

Reavis Z. Wortham

Reavis Z. Wortham is the critically acclaimed author of the Red River Mysteries set in rural Northeast Texas in the 1960s. As a boy, he hunted and fished the river bottoms near Chicota, the inspiration for the fictional location. He is also the author of a thriller series featuring Texas Ranger Sonny Hawke. He teaches writing at a wide variety of venues including local libraries and writers' conferences. Wortham has been a newspaper columnist and magazine writer since 1988, and has been the Humor Editor for Texas Fish and Game Magazine for the past twenty-two years. He and his wife, Shana, live in Northeast Texas. Check out his website at www.reaviszwortham.com

Reviews for The Rock Hole

[cathyskye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had a feeling that I was going to enjoy this first book in Reavis Z. Wortham's Red River mystery series, but I had no idea that I would love it and immediately go back to the bookstore to buy the rest of the series. As I read The Rock Hole, I was reminded of another perfect evocation of a time, a place, and the loss of innocence: William Kent Krueger's Ordinary Grace. Wortham's carefully chosen details, eccentric characters, and country humor transported me to a small town in Texas in 1964, and his lightning pace and deft plot kept me spellbound until I'd finished the book. Roughly half the chapters are written in the first person point of view of ten-year-old Top. His adventures with his slightly older cousin Pepper ring with spirit, humor, and affection which makes the rapid erosion of these two children's innocence even more startling and painful. The rest of the chapters are in the third person from Ned Parker's point of view. This is where you get the bluntly accurate picture of life in this small Texas town with its racist sheriff and moonshiners who always seem to be a step ahead of the law. The portrait Wortham paints of this place and time isn't always funny or charming or pretty, but it's always true-- even if it sometimes puts his characters in a negative light.Once I'd finished The Rock Hole, I had to wait for my heart to slow down, but one thing was certain: I'd fallen in love with Top and his grandparents and Pepper-- even with Center Springs itself-- and I simply had to have the rest of the Red River mysteries in my possession. Once you read The Rock Hole-- and believe me, you should-- I think you're going to feel the same way.

[coltfan18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

White constable Ned Parker with the help of black sheriff John Washington are investigating the mutilations and deaths of animals. These men respect each other though others don't like the idea of a black sheriff even though he's the sheriff of the black town. Now someone is after Ned's grandchildren and these two men are trying to look for this person while keeping Ned's family safe. This is a dark novel and hard to read at times because of the way the prejudice is in 1960's Texas, but it is an interesting look at crime solving in another era.

[she_climber · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

From the beginning I didn't think I would like this book. I don't know if it was the narration, the slow pace, the time-period. Something just didn't appeal to me. I was pretty sure that listening to this would be a chore but then a funny thing happened: I started being more and more interested in it. "Shit Fire", what do you know? I liked the characters, I was trying to figure out who "The Skinner" was, I liked the historical rural aspect. In the end, I found this to be a very enjoyable book and I'm going to look further into the series. So glad I gave this one a chance.

[lewilliams-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a Texas mystery that takes place in 1964. Top, a 10 year old boy is sent to live with his grandparents. His grandfather Ned Parker is a Constable and small time cotton farmer. He and big John Washington find themselves trying to solve a series of animal mutilations that turn into murder. Top has his share of adventures in this wonderful story. I'm looking for the second book by Reavis Z. Worthham.