Scared Money

It doesnt take long. Within the first few chapters of this, the second pairing of retired Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur and Washington County Sherrif Clyde Thomas, the reader will know that they are in for a special ride. The first indicator is the multiple narrative viewpoints, and the distinct voices that accompany them. None of them first person, but written in such a precise manner that youd think three different people were responsible. Hime fires up this terrific book with the murder of a drug dealer on a dark night in an empty lot. Unremarkable on its face, but well-staged by the author and heavy with tragedy. Then, we find Clyde Thomas in the midst of a pleasant evening of basketball and bathing with his girl, who also happens to be a DA in the same county. We soon shift to Jeremiah Spur, retired Texas Ranger, Cattle Rancher, Reformed Smoker, sitting in a grandstand enjoying that most Texan of pursuits, high school football on a Friday night in Brenham. This folds into a historical narrative, that of a young boy witnessing history and revolution in his post-war Hungarian homeland. And off we go! As Clyde gets rolling on the drug dealer murder, Spur is approached by a Shadowy Government Type, to perform a special mission for a man known only as The Wolf. He is whisked away to Dallas where he is presented with the parameters of his task, almost none of which are satisfactory, but he takes the job anyway, mostly out of boredom while he waits for his beloved wife to return from alcohol rehab in Maine. Hime takes these two threads, along with the story of the young Hungarian boy, Jonathan Farkas, and weaves all three into a fascinating web of violence, betrayal, and family dysfunction. I wondered if he wrote each narrative separately, then edited them together, or if he knew from the get-go how he would sequence them. But Im obsessive about that stuff, mostly so you as a reader dont have to be! Along the way, youll meet Leslie Whitten, who runs the company that hires Spur. She is a most intriguing character, both appealing and appalling, for many reasons. Hime mixes in assorted situations and characters to roll things along, but keeps the focus on the three main characters. Its to his credit that youll feel mixed emotions about at least two of the three, because of course, there is no black and white in the real world, only shades of grey. The only minor quibble I have is that as he brings events to a boil, Hime is forced to spin his narratives down to a single thread. Its necessary, of course, because he has a slam-bang ending to tell us, but I was a bit wistful as the amazing trio of story lines became one. But the bottom line is that SCARED MONEY is that most refreshing of novels, full of action, humor, character and theme. It makes your heart race and your brain cogitate. After all, as our new hero, Jeremiah Spur would say, a thing can only be what it is. And this book, friends, is the real deal.

In this engaging sequel to The Night Of The Dance the reader is returned to Washington County, Texas and the county seat, Brenham, Texas. Jeremiah Spur spots the federal agent at the High School football game by his attire. The man wore a suit to a football game. Jeremiahs amusement turns to annoyed disgust when he realizes the suited man came looking for him. The man is Frederick Wilson Kirby, of the Office of the Deputy Director of Operations, Central Intelligence Agency. No wonder he stuck out and didnt know how to dress to blend in at the game, the man is a Fed. Mr. Kirby knows of the retired Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur thanks to an earlier case and the CIA needs his help now with another delicate situation. A former asset, Benjamin Farkas, who the CIA would like to assist for their reasons, has requested Jeremiah Spurs help by name. Mr. Farkas has a missing employee as well as about ten million dollars missing and he wants both back. Mr. Farkas is sending his private plane to pick Jeremiah Spur up and the CIA would like Jeremiah to cooperate and has made arrangements to help him get free so that he can. As much as Jeremiah Spur loves his current way of life, he misses the action, the thrill of working a case and getting the suspect. Retirement is a little boring. He agrees, knowing something is not right at all with the setup, and soon is working a complex changing case with little help from Mr. Farkas. At the same time, Deputy Sheriff Clyde Thomas of Washington County has his own problems. Like Jeremiah, he is dealing with the events of the last book as well as his romance, if one could call it that, with District Attorney Sonya Nichols. Things are not going well due to different life expectations, emotional baggage they both bring to the relationship, and race as the Deputy is black and Sonya is white. Race never was an issue before between them but it begins to become a heated one as he investigates the murder of a known drug dealer and his girlfriend. As this detailed novel moves slowly forward, the two cases gradually come together and Jeremiah Spur and Clyde Thomas discover they are hunting the same people. People with an agenda all their own, an elaborate set up, and the ability to pull it off in brains and financing, forcing the two Texas lawmen to unite in their dogged pursuit of justice. The result is an incredible final 100 pages that simply has to be read in one sitting. Stretching from Mexico, to Texas, and across much of Europe, this novel is rich in settings, character development, and the dark secrets of the soul. Revenge drives the work forward while at the same time the idea of hopeful determination drives the Texas Lawmen. Neither man is willing to back down, personally or professionally, and when pushed, pushes back twice as hard which makes for a very good read. Book Facts: Scared Money By James Hime [...] St. Martins Minotaur [...] Scheduled--- October 2004 ISBN # 0-312-33136-3 Hardback $22.95 US $32.95 Canada ARC-UNCORRECTED PROOF

Page turner. Read it in one weekend. Author made a made up place and series of events come alive. Great plot. Great well written characters. I can’t recommend this novel enough.

Just found this author, and this series is great! I just wish there were more books in the series

Just as with James Himes first book The Night of the Dance I found Scared Money to be a book I wanted to finish. So I didnt put it down until I did. The character development coming out of the first book and the story line (which leaves me waiting anxiously for the next installment) are brilliantly woven. The Texasisms have taught me a whole new language and frequently during the book I smiled when I read one of the authors down home references (which a boy from New York City just never knew existed). My hat is off to Mr. Hime. I am glad to have Simplicated my Christmas shopping and will be giving this book to many of my friends.

The second book featuring Jeremiah Spur, and other great characters. Dialogue is excellent, and, as with the first Spur novel, Night of the Dance, the plot twist was impossible to see coming.

Enjoyable read with very interesting Texas characters and setting with fascinating plot.

This book is second in the series that began with The Night of the Dance in May 2003, and features two of the earlier characters: Jeremiah Spur, a retired white Texas Ranger; and Clyde Thomas, the first black deputy sheriff in their Texas county. Jeremiah is enjoying his retirement: taking care of his cattle, attending local high school football games, mourning his daughters death, and missing his wife, Martha, who is back east seeking treatment for alcohol abuse. At first, he doesnt think there is anything that would make him go back to work on an investigation with the FBI. However, when the agent mentions that the man the FBI seeks to help once knew his own father, Jeremiah cant say no. Hes off in search of a man who allegedly embezzled a large sum of money from Benjamin Farkas, a refugee who years ago was mentored by Jeremiahs father as a button-man for the CIA. Meanwhile, Clyde is investigating a shooting in the parking lot of a local convenience store that left a known drug dealer and his girlfriend dead. As to Clydes own relationship with white Assistant DA Sonya Nichols, pride seems to getting in the way. She and Sheriff Dewey Sharpe play only minor roles in this book. Slowly as the cases evolve, you begin to see a connection between them. When Jeremiah puts Clydes life on the line to solve the case, you sure hope the Texas lawman is as good as his reputation tells. This book does not have the shockers of Himes first book, but tells a solid story of two good detectives pursuing the truth from the US to Mexico to Europe, and of Jeremiahs quest to learn more about the father who left when he was a young boy. I really enjoyed this book, I thought, as I finished up. But in the very end, Clyde and Jeremiah each do something for the other that made my heart soar and kicked the books rating over the top. I would recommend that you read Night of the Dance first, if you havent, so not to miss the impact of the ending of Scared Money.

Life is supposed to be quiet and tranquil in the small Texas town of Brenham but the criminals are moving out of the cities and into the rural areas. Local drug dealer Lamont Stubbs is gunned down when he gets out of his car to meet someone and the killer then shoots Deidre Brown, Lamonts girlfriend who is waiting in the car. Since the killings involved black people, the sheriff gives the case to Black Deputy Sheriff Clyde Thompson. Clyde thinks that Gutterball Jones did the deed since he did time for drug trafficking and has tries to the Canto drug cartel. On the other side of town former Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spin is ordered by the CIA to help Dallas businessman Mr. Farkas find an accountant who made off with ten million dollars from his company. Farkas was an independent contractor for the CIA and in return for his services they allowed him to enter the United States and become a legitimate businessman. On the surface a dead drug dealer and a missing accountant have nothing in common but when drugs are involved anything is possible. SACRED MONEY is a story about revenge and the lengths people will go to achieve it. This is an action packed crime thriller that doesnt neglect characterizations. The antagonist Mr. Farkas comes across as somewhat sympathetic because he wants vengeance on the men who killed his son and even though he breaks many laws to achieve his goal, he is still a grieving father. The protagonists have to wade through a cesspool of dark motivations to try and achieve justice. James Hime proves with SCARED MONEY he is not a one book wonder. Harriet Klausner

Fans of Jeremiah Spur and Clyde Thomas will be hard-pressed to put this book down once theyve started it. Hime has managed to top his first novel with this excellent mystery that I enjoyed all the way to the last page. I highly recommend Scared Money to anyone who likes a smart novel, not even just a mystery. Theres nothing rote about Himes plots, and theres no easy wrap-up that you can see coming a mile away. Do yourself a favor and read this book!