The Last Death of Jack Harbin
Terry Shames
Seventh Street Books
Trade paper, 255 pp., $15.95
ebook $11.99
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I missed Terry Shames’ debut novel, A Killing at Cotton Hill. It was on my radar, but before I got around to buying and reading it, a review copy of her second novel, The Last Death of Jack Harbin, showed up. I’d like to thank Lisa Michalski of Seventh Street Books for the review copy.

This is the second novel about Samuel Craddock, the retired police chief of Jarret Creek, a small town in southeast Texas. In this one, he has to solve the murder of Jack Harbin. Harbin was once one of the stars of the high school football team. He enlisted in the Army shortly before the Gulf War broke out, and when he returned he was missing his eyesight and one leg.

Shortly after his father has a fatal heart attack, Jack is found brutally stabbed in his bed. There are a number of suspects. His former best friend and teammate from high school, his estranged brother, some unknown person with a grudge. Since the current police chief has been taken away to dry out and his replacement is only slightly more competent than Barney Fife, Craddock is asked by the city council to look into the matter.

Although she now makes her home in California, Ms. Shames grew up in Texas, and it shows in her writing. She nails small town Texas. For example, the book takes place during football season, and Jack Harbin’s enthusiasm for the local team is part of the plot.

For those of you who aren’t from Texas, football, especially high school football in small towns, isn’t just important. It isn’t even a religion. In Texas, football is Ghawd. (You have to pronounce “God” that way to get it right.)

Ms. Shames also perfectly captures the lasting impact small town high school has on both those who leave home and those who stay. (Trust me on this, I know something about it first hand.)

A well drawn setting is good, but this is a mystery. So the main question is, how does the mystery stack up?  Quite well, in fact.

I managed to figure out the solution pretty much the way it unfolded. Since I was convinced I was right (nothing unusual in that), I was able to pay attention to how Ms. Shames set things up. I was impressed with how seamlessly the clues were placed in the narrative. Some authors tend to be pretty heavy handed. Not so in this case. Nothing was forced.

I found Samuel Craddock an interesting character. He’s not your typical young detective who fights or shoots his way through a case. He has a bum knee he knows he needs to get fixed. His wife died of cancer a few years before the book opens. He’s got life experience, and he uses it. As I contemplate my own impending geezerdom, these types of characters appeal to me more than the wet behind the ears kind.

The Last Death of Jack Harbin is a solid installment in what promises to be an excellent series. If you’re a fan of Bill Crider’s Sheriff Dan Rhodes, you’ll want to give this one a try. While I’m waiting for the next installment, I’m going to track down a copy of A Killing at Cotton Hill.