Next book in the Posadas County Mystery Series
When a series of minor crimes culminate in murder, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman will have to partner with a retired sheriff to get to the bottom of the case
Posadas County, New Mexico, is in the news.
NightZone, a mammoth astronomy theme park, is bringing in jobs, media, and much-needed new infrastructure. The property's recently been vandalized, but that's hardly a concern for the county. Plus, the Posadas High School girls' volleyball team is on a hot winning streak, exciting everyone.
But more news, not good, breaks. Volleyball Coach Clint Scott has been found gunned-down by the high school, a bullet fired nearly point blank into his heart. A partially finished piece of graffiti outside the school implies that there is a witness, but law enforcement has no idea who it could be. And the next morning, a former volleyball star disappears without a trace-the two instances must be connected, but why?
The lead on the murder is Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman, a "lady cop" who's earned the trust of Posadas County. Still, she calls on the retired small town sheriff, Bill Gastner to assist with the baffling investigation. They'll need to track a slippery witness and nab the killer before the town's panic spirals out of control or another person is hurt.
When the murder of one of their own shakes up Posadas County, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman takes on a series of baffling mysteries to make her town safe again.
This acclaimed mystery series is:
- Perfect for fans of C.J. Box and Michael McGarrity
- For readers who enjoy police procedurals and Southwest desert mysteries
Autorentext
Steven F. Havill lives with his wife of more than forty years, Kathleen, in New Mexico. He is the author of more than twenty novels, taught secondary schools for 25 years, and recently earned an AAS degree in gunsmithing. NightZone is the 19th novel in his sweeping Posadas County Mystery Series.
Klappentext
Posadas County, New Mexico, is in the news.
NightZone, a mammoth astronomy theme park, is bringing in jobs, media, and such new infrastructure as a slick narrow-gauge railway to transport tourists from the village of Posadas to the tramway running up the mesa to the project's site. And the Posadas High School girls' volleyball team is on a hot winning streak, exciting everyone.
But more news, not good, breaks. Volleyball Coach Clint Scott has been found gunned-down in the girls' shower room, the victim of four bullets, one fired nearly point blank into his heart. Dead for hours, killed soon after the end of last night's game.
And, last night, a homegrown Banksy had tagged both one of the railway cars and a section of NightZone's giant radio telescope dish. Then, apparently, this young artist began work on a section of wall outside the girls' locker room at the high school - a project that was clearly - dramatically - interrupted.
With morning come two strange incidents. Stacie Willis Stewart, a former Posadas volleyball star, locks up her baby and Jack Russell terrier in her Volvo, walks away to local superstore The Spree - and disappears. A former teacher spots the child and dog before the heat can kill them. Deputy Tom Pasquale, in The Spree's parking lot where he's spotted a suspicious Illinois plate on a Ford Fusion, watched it all. He then leads a fruitless search for her inside the store. No luck - but he does score a man with an Elvis haircut and his wife when they return to the Ford with stories that don't add up.
The lead on the murder is Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman, who's still able to call on the retired former sheriff, Bill Gastner - a good thing, for she is surprised by the arrival of her piano-prodigy son, Francisco, age 15, in a sleek Corvette driven some one thousand unchaperoned miles by an eighteen-year-old beauty, a cellist. Their goal: to join the one hundredth birthday celebration for Estelle's mother.