The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse is the 8th Hank the Cowdog book.
Preparations for Thanksgiving on the ranch aren't going well; first Hank gets sick after eating bacon grease, and then he trips Sally May, breaking her ankle and nearly getting himself throttled. To make matters worse, the ranch has brought over the neighbor's stud horse, Tuerto, a stallion who more than makes up for the lack in his vision with sheer nastiness. However, then he goes after Little Alfred's cousins, and nothing, no matter how big or mean, threatens children on Hank's watch!
This book contains the songs "A Fundamental Disagreement" and "Thank You, Lord, for Making Gals".
This book includes examples of the following tropes:
- Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: Played With. Tuerto isn't supernatural or undefeatable, but he's quite a bit bigger and stronger than Hank. Hank gets knocked unconscious, ends up with a broken leg, and Tuerto still doesn't run away until Sally May scares him with her shotgun.
- The Case of...: This book began the series' habit of titling books in this manner.
- Covers Always Lie: Minor case. The covers that show the scene where Hank faces off against Tuerto omit the dress he's wearing at the moment, thanks to a previous round of playing with Little Alfred's female cousins.
- Draw Aggro: Hank gets Tuerto's attention so Little Alfred's cousins Amy and Ashley can get to safety. He originally plans to do this in such a way that he can stay out of Tuerto's range, but when the horse refuses to take the bait, saying he wants the girls, Hank goes for the jugular.
- For the Evulz: Hank and Drover somewhat bother Tuerto, but Amy and Ashley don't mess with him at all. Tuerto seemingly just decides to trample them because he can.
- Funetik Aksent: Tuerto's Mexican accent is translated via misspelled words.
- Hellish Horse: Tuerto seems to get an unhealthy amount of enjoyment from trampling dogs and small children.
- Heroic Dog: Hank saves Amy and Ashley from being trampled by Tuerto, almost getting killed himself in the process. It's one of the few times Sally May has to admit that he did well.
- Lame Comeback: Hank responds to one of Tuerto's death threats with "Oh yeah?" He admits it wasn't a very good retort but says he couldn't think of anything better in the moment.
- Meaningful Name: "Tuerto" means "one-eyed", and Tuerto does indeed have only one eye. It's even more appropriate because a Spanish idiom for having bad luck is being seen by a one-eyed person, and anyone who runs into Tuerto without a weapon is pretty unlucky.
- Pet Dress-Up: Little Alfred's cousins Amy and Ashley put a dress on Hank while playing with him. He admits he wouldn't have chosen it, but he puts up with it to make the girls happy. This eventually winds up with him fighting Tuerto to protect the girls, still wearing the dress.
- Rage Breaking Point: After Hank (who Sally May doesn't like anyway) has caused multiple irritations while she struggles to prepare for relatives, he accidentally trips her and breaks her leg. Sally May loses her temper and nearly chokes him before Grandma and Little Alfred's cousins arrive.
- Status Quo Is God: After eating burned toast dipped in bacon grease and getting incredibly sick, Hank swears off bacon forever. He keeps it up through the book, but drops it in future episodes.
- This Isn't Heaven: Hank faces Tuerto, gets knocked out, and the next chapter shows him in Heaven, surrounded by two angels. He then sees Sally May and believes he’s in the other place. He didn’t die. The angels were Little Alfred’s cousins and Sally May scared off Tuerto with her gun.
