Red, Green, or Murder

August 17, 2009
Havill's Posadas County, N.Mex., mysteries feature a strong ensemble cast that for nine volumes was headed by under-sheriff Bill Gastner, then by his successor, Estelle Reyes-Guzman, for the next six. The fine 16th entry, a chronological throwback that fits between Bag Limit
(2001) and Scavengers
(2002), finds Gastner retired from the law and working as a livestock inspector. But Posadas is small in people, large in area, and old habits die hard. When a ranch hand goes missing, Gastner helps with the search. When Reyes-Guzman thinks something is a bit suspicious about the death of George Payton, an “irascible old retired gun dealer,” Gastner is quick to lend a hand and an opinion. Havill's characters have a depth and a clarity that's refined with every new book in the series. It's a pleasure to see them operate not merely as lawmen or suspects or witnesses but as members of a community where flaws and quirks are understood and accepted.

September 15, 2009
In Posadas County, N.M., everybody knows chile burritos can be killers.

True, the green-chile burrito from Posadas's leading Mexican restaurant is somewhat less decisive than the red. But obviously it suffices, a certain retired law-enforcement officer thinks mordantly while staring down at the lifeless body of a longtime friend. It's especially unfair that"he didn't get to finish," as former sheriff Bill Gastner says to undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman, who's already ordered George Payton's kitchen enveloped in yellow crime-scene tape. No longer does she believe what the police were meant to believe: that old George, known to be suffering from numberless serious ailments, had succumbed to a massive heart attack triggered by a hot blast of famously lethal chile. Her sharp eyes have noticed enough out of kilter to suggest malice aforethought, and soon Bill too is persuaded. Who could have wanted irascible but likable George dead? Before Bill can give much thought to that question, he has another mystery to crack. Someone has punched the lights out of a young cowpuncher, stolen his truck and left him for dead. The two attacks make Bill and Estelle a clue-sifting team once again, leaving his retirement far behind.

Another highly entertaining entry (The Fourth Time is Murder, 2008, etc.) that shows those unruly New Mexicans doing what they do best. Long may they stay homicidal.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)