Mystery / Women Sleuths / Amateur Sleuths
“It’s lucky you two gals ain’t packin’ heat.”
Two hot-blooded West Texas ranchers—Tilda Quigg and Beatrice Shoot—make a spectacle of themselves at a local bookstore, turning a serious gathering there into a brawl. Days later, one of the women is comatose at the foot of a staircase in her mansion, the other hovering over her adversary’s body. An accident, homicide, or something else? The Mule Ears tells the tale and much more, as Hollywood invades Big Bend Country to make a movie about—what else?—murder.
Favorite characters from the series return, including Sheriff Clayton Shoot, his sister Beatrice, Professor Claire Harp, Ella Nixon, and more. But expect movie stars, cowboys, and a few mobsters too in this humorous free-for-all.
“An engaging mystery in a vivid setting with offbeat characters and a sense of fun.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Mark A. Nobles (don’t forget the middle initial, he’s sensitive about that) writes Southern Gothic Horror (Chalk Mountain), Folk Horror (Stories of a Different Dark), Magical Realism, Historical Fiction (We’re for Smoke), and local histories (Fort Worth’s Rock & Roll Roots and River Oaks). Mark does not have ADD, he has varied interests which are reflected in his diverse writing genres. He has a Pushcart nomination, and his short stories have appeared in numerous literary magazines and anthologies. Mark is a sixth-generation Texan born on Fort Worth’s infamous Jacksboro Highway and proudly claims blood and kinship with Thunder Road’s gamblers, outlaws, and wastrels. After a lifetime in Fort Worth, he lives in Dallas now but hopes to die in the desert.
