When the CIA comes knocking at ex-Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur's door, asking for a favor, he's not that interested in helping. At least, not until the agent mentions that the man-Benjamin Farkas-who needs help requested Jeremiah specifically because he knew Jeremiah's father. Since Jeremiah hasn't seen his father since he was a little boy, this piques his interest, and he reluctantly agrees to travel from his ranch in tiny Brenham, Texas, to the big city-Austin-in order to investigate the disappearance of an accountant, who has vanished along with $10 million of his boss's money. The fact that Farkas was once a CIA-trained button man makes him uncomfortable, but the question of his father's connection means he can't say no.

At the same time, Deputy Sheriff Clyde Thomas-a black man in a rural Texas jurisdiction who worked with Jeremiah on the last murder case to hit Brenham-is looking into the shooting deaths of a local drug dealer and his girlfriend, a violent and nasty crime for the usually quiet town. Clyde's working theory is that it's a message in a battle over drug territory, but there are a lot of questions. It seems unlikely that Captain Spur's case and Deputy Thomas's case are related. But in all things criminal, even in sleepy Brenham, Texas, things are rarely what they seem.

Scared Money-explosive, sharp, taut, and atmospheric-is the second book to feature Jeremiah and Clyde, after James Himes' acclaimed first novel, The Night of the Dance, which was a finalist for the Edgar Award for best first novel of the year.

Genre: Mystery