Fourth of July Books

The red, white, and blue bunting means it's time for the Fourth of July celebration, and Blacklin County, Texas, is just about ready for it. Or at least it was, until Grat Bilson was found dead in his burnt-out home. As the new president of the Sons and Daughters of Texas, Bilson was supposed to have been the announcer at the holiday festivities. Now that job may fall to local romance writer Vernell Lindsey, head of the Clearview Historical Association, a competing organization. Was that reason enough for Bilson's murder? Or does this particular incident have something to do with the supposed scandal that local reporter Jennifer Loam is fixing to unveil, with repercussions for at least one county commissioner? What part, if any, did Yvonne Bilson play in her husband's demise? After all, everyone knows that their marriage has been far from perfect. And though fireworks are forbidden to be sold in Clearview, several stands are doing a good business outside the city limits. Can Sheriff Dan Rhodes figure everything out and make sure the rest of the holiday proceeds without further disruption?

Well, that's not likely. The rib-eating contest alone turns fatal, and Rhodes' investigation takes another turn entirely. He's sure lucky to have his wife Ivy around as a sounding board. It's truly enjoyable to eavesdrop on their conversations. But Dan Rhodes finds himself turning all shades of red, white, and blue by the end of the book. He's been beaten up, blown up, shot at, and klunked on the head a few times. The big question remains: Will Ivy ever be able to convince him to give up sheriffing?

This book is another entertaining read in the series. It's best read after its immediate predecessor, "A Romantic Way to Die."

When young reporter Jennifer Loam approaches Sheriff Dan Rhodes with a scoop, he knows he'll have to investigate. Someone has been dishing dirt on a county commissioner--and on the sheriff himself. Rhodes knows that he didn't have county prisoners paint his house--and he's got the receipts to prove it, but does this mean that Loam's informant was wrong? Or is something else going on. Before he can track down the source, Rhodes is called to a fire--one with a body in the middle of it. And before you can ask whether it's hot enough, Rhodes has a murder on his hands.

Author Bill Crider does a great job depicting rural Texas--a place where a rib-eating contest is prime news, where petty corruption is par for the course, where a romance author is the top celebrity, and where a sheriff is part deity and part goat for the community. That sense of community, without excessive nostalgia, comes through clearly and represents a part of Texas that still exists.. Rhodes is a great and well developed character. I couldn't help but find myself wincing as he repeatedly got himself on the wrong side of fists, crockery, weapons, and even a fireworks display.

Crider writes with a deft and light touch. I got a good chuckle over both the situations he depicts and the dialogue his characters use to describe their feelings and intentions. The interplay between Rhodes and the department employees could have gotten old in less skilled hands, but Rhodes pulled it off.

Fans of a slightly slower paced mystery that puts the focus on character rather than action will want to savor this slow-cooked short novel.

It is the Fourth of July and Biscuit is ready to learn about another holiday. The Girl-With-The-Purple-Sneakers starts out the day telling Biscuit it is America's birthday.

The rest of the book shows all of the events and activities of the whole day, starting early with setting up decorations all the way to the final fireworks display. Biscuit gets to see lots of fun including picnic and parades.

In the end we are left with a simple lesson in the meaning of the Fourth of July and traditional ways it is celebrated. The story is illustrated with the usual high-standard pictures that are always so adorable. A fun and informative read.

This book was incredible!!! It's been so long since any war book has captured the essence of battle so vividly and with such detail and accountability. This isa book everyone needs to read if there is ever a hope of any long lasting peaceworldwide.

My wife and I discovered R. E. Derouin's David Dean mysteries while planning a trip to Ouray, Colorado several years ago. We bought the first two books, "Time Trials" and "San Juan Solution" in Mr Derouin's toy store while exploring the streets of Ouray.

Since the first, we've loved every book, and can hardly wait for the next one to be published. "Dead on the Fourth of July" is no exception.

We've been captivated by the mysteries, by David and Cynthia Dean and David's stepfather, Fred O'Connor, and by the wonderful location in Ouray and the surrounding San Juan Mountains. We've walked the same streets as the Dean's, we've traveled by jeep along the same mountain roads, and eaten in the same local restaurants. The storytelling is so good that we're not just reading, we're joining our friends in their adventure.

There is magic in the place and it's captured in these books. If you're new to the David Dean mysteries, you can have several to read before you have to wait for the next one to be available.

Becca leaves her best friend and the ways of the city to live in a less populated area of Maine. Also has a wide of variety of options for unit studies for homeschooling. Ursa Major, 4th of July, Maine and its berries, etc. My children really enjoy reading it over and over.

Those charming holiday mice are back- and this time they are celebrating Independence Day. Their day is packed with activities- a noisy, flag-waving parade, a picnic to munch, a baseball game with the local bugs, and a sack race. There is even a swim in the pond where the littlest mouse overcomes his fear of swimming. The day ends in a happy burst of fireworks, and a cheer for America. The bouncy, rhymed text is great to read aloud, and the lively illustrations are full of clever details. A fun, joyous celebration of our country's birthday- a perfect book for young patriots!

We gave these books away in baskets as party favors at our fourth of july kids' swimming party. I put the books in shiny blue lunch bags (from Target) with red, white, and blue snacks and toys (blowers, etc.) The kids loved them. We had red punch and strawberries, blueberries in plain yogurt for the blue and white part. Face painting red stripes and blue stars. Very fun.

This book is a collection of papers that were presented at the 1998 International Colloquium on Grammatical Inference. Grammatical inference is a subfield of machine learning, inductive inference, and pattern classification. Applications of grammatical inference include speech recognition and speech production, computational molecular biology, information extraction, and music composition, among others. The articles included in the book are representative of some of the best current work in grammatical inference. I enthusiastically recommend the book to anyone interested in learning about the current advances in this subfield of machine learning.

These books teach morals, how to get along with others not like yourself & that you can have more than one best friend. The special pre-teen in your life will adore this book! Hilda Stahl is a terrific author. This book is one of the Best Friend Series Books. Highly Recommended! Don't let the special pre-teen girl in your life be without this book on her book shelf!

It was about a party for the Independence Day. They watch the parades. It was called Fourth of July. They love the parades so much.