Haxan

June 1, 2014
It's the mid-1870s. The town of Haxan, in the New Mexico Territory, has a new marshal, John T. Marwood. But Haxan is no ordinary town; it's a focal point, a place where great historical events are poised to play out. And Marwood is no ordinary tough-guy lawman; he's a fighter of evil, a wanderer in time and place, who was summoned to Haxan by a dying man to protect the man's daughterbut protect her from what? Structurally, the book feels like a procedural; Marwood, while keeping the dead man's daughter close by, pursues leads that, he hopes, will take him to the people who want to take her life. But tonally it's a mixture of western and urban fantasy, with a cold, moody atmosphere that makes us want to put on a sweater. The author leaves the door open for a sequel, but, given the kind of life Marwood lives, it could be set anywhere, or anytime.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)