Bill Crider specializes in the laid-back, good ol' boy type mystery story that could reasonably only take place in Texas. Logical, because that's where he lives and teaches and writes. Having read-and enjoyed-several in the series about Sheriff Dan Rhodes, I had no hesitation whatever when I encountered this book, the second in this series.
Professor Sally Good is a good-ol boy-er, gal, er, lady in Texas who is the chair of the English Department at a community college just outside Houston. Art imitating life, perhaps? Well, Sally is a lady of a certain age (unspecified, but not exactly a spring chicken) a widow, with a house and a cat, and a libido that would like to be more engaged than it is. Two of the men in her department are of interest to her, which causes her some dismay.
Jack Neville is a nice, charming man who is an excellent teacher. Sally recognizes that latter factor even as she realizes that he doesn't have much effect on her pulse rate. Jorge Rodriguez, on the other hand, is a hunk, but hardly the sort of man she should be thinking of in quite that way. Jorge has done time in the `big house', has tattoos and a lot of raw sex appeal.
When a knife that Jack made in a continuing education class is found in the back of one of the college trustees, the local law enforcement officer is convinced that Jack is the one who put it there. Sally knows better, and the two of them set out to prove that she's right. In addition to another murder, there are a good many detours along the way, and some positively wonderful characterizations of academics and car dealers and other inhabitants of the town. Not to mention that Jack and Sally each have a mother and a cat, who are also given great personalities.
Crider's prose zips right along at maximum speed, and before you quite realize it, the case is solved, and the only remaining mystery is - who will be Sally's next date? I'll hope to find out soon.