Too Late to Die — Bill Crider

Peaceful rural life is shattered in Blacklin County, Texas, when Jeanne Clinton is found murdered in her home. Turns out the talkative woman was the late-night confidant of several men in the community, who happened by the house while her husband worked the night shift. Sheriff Dan Rhodes' investigation grows ever more intense when an informant is killed right before his eyes. Rhodes has enough to worry about, what with this being an election year and all. One of his deputies might even be guilty of assaulting citizens at random; and the other candidate for sheriff might have stopped by Jeanne Clinton's house once or twice himself. Widower Rhodes also begins a friendship with widow Ivy Daniels, whom he meets on the election trail. How will it all turn out?