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Posadas County Mystery #20
Blood Sweep: A Posadas County Mystery #20
Gifted fifteen-year-old Francisco Guzman has become an internationally renowned concert pianist, touring the world under the auspices of his music conservatory. That gives his mother, Posadas County Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman, plenty of reason to worry–and that’s magnified when she learns that he’s in Mexico’s crime-ridden Mazatlan for a concert series where he may be the target for scam artists and kidnappers.
Estelle’s worries go from bad to worse when her uncle—a man she didn’t know existed—surfaces in an attempt to mend family ties and leaves a trail of corpses in his wake. Estelle’s attempts to glean family history—the story of her childhood in Tres Santos over the border—from her adopted mother, a woman now in her nineties, go nowhere. Meanwhile, escalating events put Sheriff Bobby Torrez in jeopardy, as they do newly wealthy rancher Miles Waddell and his pet project, the multi-million dollar theme park, NightZone, set high on a county mesa.
Just when his sage advice might be most useful, former sheriff and family friend Bill Gastner takes a dive—in the shadows of his own garage. Now his far-flung family is added to the mix of people and events astir in the boot heel of New Mexico.
Estelle’s worries go from bad to worse when her uncle—a man she didn’t know existed—surfaces in an attempt to mend family ties and leaves a trail of corpses in his wake. Estelle’s attempts to glean family history—the story of her childhood in Tres Santos over the border—from her adopted mother, a woman now in her nineties, go nowhere. Meanwhile, escalating events put Sheriff Bobby Torrez in jeopardy, as they do newly wealthy rancher Miles Waddell and his pet project, the multi-million dollar theme park, NightZone, set high on a county mesa.
Just when his sage advice might be most useful, former sheriff and family friend Bill Gastner takes a dive—in the shadows of his own garage. Now his far-flung family is added to the mix of people and events astir in the boot heel of New Mexico.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2015
79 people are currently reading
326 people want to read
About the author
Steven F. Havill
38 books256 followersSteven F. Havill is an American author of mysteries and westerns.
Havill lives in Raton, New Mexico, with his wife Kathleen. He has written two series of police procedurals set in the fictional Posadas County, New Mexico; along with other works.
Havill lives in Raton, New Mexico, with his wife Kathleen. He has written two series of police procedurals set in the fictional Posadas County, New Mexico; along with other works.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
August 30, 2015
Havill is a master of plot pacing, small-town cop shop stuff, and Southwestern natural settings--in this genre, a writer's writer. Both central plots feel a little contrived in this book: no coincidences, just a little too much synchronicity. Even so, Havill's execution is nearly flawless, everything I've come to expect in the work of this craftsman.
October 7, 2023
Took me forever to finish reading this, which is unusual for me with this great series… but I am just not interested in the “15-year-old internationally renowned concert pianist”, the Undersheriff’s son. I think I started loving these books bc they were about ordinary people, good, bad, or indifferent…now we have to have a kid who doesn’t even live in Posados County any more take up half the plot. I don’t understand the author’s fascination with the Mexican colonel Naranjo, either. I did like seeing the sheriff getting uncomfortable…and the villain of this piece is actually interesting, although we do not see him much.
April 30, 2015
After roughing up Bill Gastner to the extreme in his last Posadas mystery, Havill shifts the focus to Undersheriff Estelle Reyes Guzman in this excellent installment. Here Havill weaves a complex and fascinating plot with some great character development and backstory in regards to Estelle. We also get a formidable villain with some unusual and interesting motivation. I also enjoyed Havill's evocative spot-on descriptions of New Mexico's southern border country. Havill's books are always superbly done, but I think this is one of his best.
November 28, 2015
Finally! I have made it to the end of several decades worth of murder and mayhem in this imaginary county in New Mexico. Dude loses a star because of his insistence on describing women as chunky or large or bosomy or solid or lovely beyond description (the one and only doe eyed undersheriff Reyes-Guzman is the only comely female in the bunch it seems) this began to irritate me truly, deeply.
April 2, 2019
Love, love this series!
April 13, 2021
The first time I felt that a book in this series was based on the number of words written and not the plot. Disappointed..
January 16, 2026
Multiple Mysteries, a Little Convoluted
An attempt at telling some of the personal history of one of the protagonists, but so many questions not asked or answered. What happened to the bad guy, how did he become the bad guy? Very sketchy history. Are there others who will come out of the wood work? Not as sloppily written/edited as some in the series, but here are just some examples where the issues have you going back and forth to find information, completely disrupting the flow of the story:
"From across the room, two-month old Gabe explored the mysteries of his baba, slupping and twisting and shaking his tiny hands, content in the dark." (According to the Kindle dictionary, baba is rum soaked cake??? Slupping was not found in the same dictionary???)
“Yes, and we can add to that his spending more than a day lying on the concrete floor of his garage, unable to move. But he sounds stronger this morning." (Spending 18 hours, which is less than a day by 6 hours - sloppy)
"He smiled gently. “Actually, that’s not true. We did meet, once—a lifetime ago. You a newborn, myself an impressionable twelve-year-old.” (chapter 22)
“I was but ten years old that night. My brother was but twenty-two.” He bowed his head slightly in deference. “You, mi sobrina, were but days away from entering this world had circumstances not interfered.” (Chapter 24 - sloppy. His age changed from 12-10 during the same continuing conversation.)
"“Okay.” Of course Torrez hadn’t mentioned the owner to anyone else, but the information wouldn’t be long in coming." Everyone in these books appears to be playing cowboy, not as a team, not sharing information and keeping people safe. They are just books, but with reading books, just lije movies, sometimes others pick up traits/info and carry it with them.)
"Sun crinkles touched the corners of his direct, surfer-blue eyes." (surfer-blue eyes? Surfers have blue eyes? And a specific blue at that?? This author has some strange...ideas, or something.)
"His killing of Steward, Olveda, even Quezada has nothing to do with me.” (sloppy! Quesada is how the name is spelled throughout the book.) (and again)
"Estelle slipped from her clipboard a photo of Benedicte Mazón that Colonel Naranjo had provided and handed both it and the morgue photo of Miguel Quezada, the murdered hit man, to Beuler."
“It’s their law, Bobby.” The sheriff knew that as well as anyone, and he would obey that policy at times when it suited him." (This author clearly wants to make others believe 'it's one law for us, and another for them.' He's more than a bit irresponsible.)
An attempt at telling some of the personal history of one of the protagonists, but so many questions not asked or answered. What happened to the bad guy, how did he become the bad guy? Very sketchy history. Are there others who will come out of the wood work? Not as sloppily written/edited as some in the series, but here are just some examples where the issues have you going back and forth to find information, completely disrupting the flow of the story:
"From across the room, two-month old Gabe explored the mysteries of his baba, slupping and twisting and shaking his tiny hands, content in the dark." (According to the Kindle dictionary, baba is rum soaked cake??? Slupping was not found in the same dictionary???)
“Yes, and we can add to that his spending more than a day lying on the concrete floor of his garage, unable to move. But he sounds stronger this morning." (Spending 18 hours, which is less than a day by 6 hours - sloppy)
"He smiled gently. “Actually, that’s not true. We did meet, once—a lifetime ago. You a newborn, myself an impressionable twelve-year-old.” (chapter 22)
“I was but ten years old that night. My brother was but twenty-two.” He bowed his head slightly in deference. “You, mi sobrina, were but days away from entering this world had circumstances not interfered.” (Chapter 24 - sloppy. His age changed from 12-10 during the same continuing conversation.)
"“Okay.” Of course Torrez hadn’t mentioned the owner to anyone else, but the information wouldn’t be long in coming." Everyone in these books appears to be playing cowboy, not as a team, not sharing information and keeping people safe. They are just books, but with reading books, just lije movies, sometimes others pick up traits/info and carry it with them.)
"Sun crinkles touched the corners of his direct, surfer-blue eyes." (surfer-blue eyes? Surfers have blue eyes? And a specific blue at that?? This author has some strange...ideas, or something.)
"His killing of Steward, Olveda, even Quezada has nothing to do with me.” (sloppy! Quesada is how the name is spelled throughout the book.) (and again)
"Estelle slipped from her clipboard a photo of Benedicte Mazón that Colonel Naranjo had provided and handed both it and the morgue photo of Miguel Quezada, the murdered hit man, to Beuler."
“It’s their law, Bobby.” The sheriff knew that as well as anyone, and he would obey that policy at times when it suited him." (This author clearly wants to make others believe 'it's one law for us, and another for them.' He's more than a bit irresponsible.)
May 21, 2025
Fifteen-year-old Francisco Guzman is in Mexico as the book begins. He’s in Mazatlán, where he expects to perform at sold-out concerts. But that city is a crime hub and Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman, Francisco’s mother, is well aware of that. When someone calls Francisco’s grandma and demands an eight-thousand-dollar cashier’s check, tensions ramp up for Estelle.
It turns out she has good reason to worry. Her child-prodigy pianist son’s fame translates to money in the minds of some would-be kidnappers, and Estelle is keenly aware that Mazatlán would be an easy place from which to conduct a kidnapping.
It turns out this is a genealogy story—well, kind of. It re-enforces my reluctance to do genealogy cause I’m a bit scared of what I might find. Because her adoption occurred early in life, Estelle has no memory of her birth parents. A man claiming to be her uncle shows up in town to let Estelle know that he killed several men who would have otherwise kidnapped her son, oh, and he’s her uncle by birth.
In another case, Sheriff Bob Torres deal with the homicide of a Costa Rican who wanted to develop property in a somewhat similar way to the Night Zone property development featured in the previous book in the series. That mystery is a nothingburger. It made the plot drag unnecessarily.
Bill Gastner, meanwhile, is recuperating in a hospital in Las Cruces. He tripped in his garage and trapped himself between his vehicle and the wall. He was there for 18 hours before Estelle, acting on the concern of Gastner’s daughter, rescued him. Yeah, I felt bad for the old boy. Admittedly, he’d rather be out there helping solve cases in an unofficial capacity, but I never figured out the point of that plotline. Ok, he fell; he lied there; they rescued him. He bitches and kvetches like a well-loved but sometimes crotchety old man. Not much of a plot here except to remind you of how much his influence matters to local law enforcement and to the Guzman family.
It turns out she has good reason to worry. Her child-prodigy pianist son’s fame translates to money in the minds of some would-be kidnappers, and Estelle is keenly aware that Mazatlán would be an easy place from which to conduct a kidnapping.
It turns out this is a genealogy story—well, kind of. It re-enforces my reluctance to do genealogy cause I’m a bit scared of what I might find. Because her adoption occurred early in life, Estelle has no memory of her birth parents. A man claiming to be her uncle shows up in town to let Estelle know that he killed several men who would have otherwise kidnapped her son, oh, and he’s her uncle by birth.
In another case, Sheriff Bob Torres deal with the homicide of a Costa Rican who wanted to develop property in a somewhat similar way to the Night Zone property development featured in the previous book in the series. That mystery is a nothingburger. It made the plot drag unnecessarily.
Bill Gastner, meanwhile, is recuperating in a hospital in Las Cruces. He tripped in his garage and trapped himself between his vehicle and the wall. He was there for 18 hours before Estelle, acting on the concern of Gastner’s daughter, rescued him. Yeah, I felt bad for the old boy. Admittedly, he’d rather be out there helping solve cases in an unofficial capacity, but I never figured out the point of that plotline. Ok, he fell; he lied there; they rescued him. He bitches and kvetches like a well-loved but sometimes crotchety old man. Not much of a plot here except to remind you of how much his influence matters to local law enforcement and to the Guzman family.
February 20, 2018
A Review of the Audiobook
Published by Books in Motion in 2015
Read by Beth Richmond
Duration: 11 hours, 40 minutes
Unabridged
This is my eleventh Posadas County mystery. I have been with Bill Gastner when he was on patrol, when he was being lowered into a mine to find a kidnapper, when he was fighting a man in a little plane and through a whole lot of extra-spicy burritos.
Sadly, Bill is a minor character in this book. I understand why - when the series started out he was already old for a sheriff. Now, he's retired and really can't go out and fight bad guys so much.
Estelle Reyes-Guzman and Bob Torres carry the load in this book. I enjoyed the Torres story line, but found the Reyes-Guzman story line to be poorly paced and exceptionally wordy (never a problem with Torres since he famously says as little as possible). The Reyes-Guzman story line features...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2018/...
Published by Books in Motion in 2015
Read by Beth Richmond
Duration: 11 hours, 40 minutes
Unabridged
This is my eleventh Posadas County mystery. I have been with Bill Gastner when he was on patrol, when he was being lowered into a mine to find a kidnapper, when he was fighting a man in a little plane and through a whole lot of extra-spicy burritos.
Sadly, Bill is a minor character in this book. I understand why - when the series started out he was already old for a sheriff. Now, he's retired and really can't go out and fight bad guys so much.
Estelle Reyes-Guzman and Bob Torres carry the load in this book. I enjoyed the Torres story line, but found the Reyes-Guzman story line to be poorly paced and exceptionally wordy (never a problem with Torres since he famously says as little as possible). The Reyes-Guzman story line features...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2018/...
April 5, 2023
Apparently green chili burritos are not a preventative for osteoporosis since Bill Gastner spends the book out of action with a broken hip. A charming investor from Costa Rica is in Posadas trying to convince the locals to support his plan for major development. I like this series very much but this entry moves at an armadillo’s pace and involves little in the way of investigation. It requires a rather fantastical suspension of disbelief when his school takes Estelle’s teenage son Francisco to Mexico without asking his parents’ permission. An even bigger suspension when Estelle doesn’t seem to recognize that the school’s actions are responsible for at least two murders. Most of the entries in the series are strong enough to work well as standalones. This one, however, is not the place to start.
January 6, 2025
The book is about Estelle’s tragic beginning in Mexico and the last of her birth family. There is murder, mayhem, kidnapping plots, hitmen and near-misses.
I did a lot of skipping in this book. The plot was simply not believable. And SuperEstelle and the SuperGuzmanChildren and to a lesser extent, SuperDrGuzman, are starting to wear on me. I lost count of the references to overweight people in this one. It was a lot and that’s prejudicial. It seems the only slim adults are the Sherriff and Estelle and tiny, tiny Teresa.
I did a lot of skipping in this book. The plot was simply not believable. And SuperEstelle and the SuperGuzmanChildren and to a lesser extent, SuperDrGuzman, are starting to wear on me. I lost count of the references to overweight people in this one. It was a lot and that’s prejudicial. It seems the only slim adults are the Sherriff and Estelle and tiny, tiny Teresa.
July 30, 2019
If you haven’t read this series, you should! One of the best mystery series out there, hands down! This book wasn’t a disappointment-it was very good. Characters are great with a well thought out plot.
May 31, 2020
Continuing to enjoy Havill's Posadas County characters: former sheriff Bill Gastner, Sheriff Bobby Torrez and Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman and their families. Especially enjoy his detailed descriptions of this area of New Mexico.
February 18, 2023
I like this one a little better than the other ones so I gave it the rating of a 4 instead of a 3 but there is too many times that they just elaborate a little too much throughout the book. Did not like the ending. I would’ve let the Uncle go.
January 3, 2025
Another fine read
Gonna need to go back and start series from the start. I think. I love this family like no other character sci have read. Steven has made me want to visit New Mexico,sooner rather then later...GREAT READ YET AGAIN!!!
Gonna need to go back and start series from the start. I think. I love this family like no other character sci have read. Steven has made me want to visit New Mexico,sooner rather then later...GREAT READ YET AGAIN!!!
March 22, 2025
Lost Family
Bobby Torres gets.his game. And Pardon I breaks a hip. All just in a days work. Estelle learns of some of her history. This is one of the great chapters in this series. Don't miss it!
Bobby Torres gets.his game. And Pardon I breaks a hip. All just in a days work. Estelle learns of some of her history. This is one of the great chapters in this series. Don't miss it!
January 22, 2018
All of the Posadas County Mysteries are wonderful, Estelle Reyes Guzman is one of the top well-written characters in a book series.
October 25, 2019
October 2019 I do enjoy this series and the recurring and aging characters.
December 15, 2019
Everyone's past comes back to help, haunt, intrigue, . . . the reader in this excellent addition to this very entertaining series. More of a thriller than a mystery.
April 9, 2021
Another good read.
March 1, 2023
Another excellent story in the Posadas County Mysteries series.
June 5, 2023
Interesting escapades
March 17, 2024
The series just keep getting better.
November 19, 2024
I like this series. Not my favorite, but I guess we had to eventually learn about Estelle's origin.
July 24, 2025
It's all about the characters.
I'm going to miss the beautiful prose. And the people who interact with each other when this amazing series comes to a close. Thank you Steven Havill.
I'm going to miss the beautiful prose. And the people who interact with each other when this amazing series comes to a close. Thank you Steven Havill.
June 8, 2015
Sheriff Robert Torrez likes his privacy and is meticulous about what he does. That includes his off duty hours. Some are spent hunting. With permission of the landowner, Miles Waddell, (builder of Nightzone) the good sheriff has been using a portion of his off time to track a herd of antelope. In this case there is not the thrill of the hunt as it is more a scientific operation for him. A chance to cull the herd and manage wild game that also serves as a means to an end for stocking his freezer.
Unfortunately he was also being stocked on this August morning and he had no idea. That was until his rifle scope shattered seconds after he had fired bringing down the chosen antelope. Torrez was wounded in the attack, but not downed like the spasmodically twitching buck. He managed to pursue the possible shooter only to see a pick up drive away with no idea if the driver is the one who took a shot at him.
At about the same time, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman learns that somebody has been contacting her elderly adopted mother, Teresa Reyes, and requesting money while claiming to be family. Not an uncommon scam that is played upon the elderly and one the President of Posadas State Bank is well aware of. A cashier’s check in the amount of eight thousand dollars is an unusual request by almost any one in Posadas County, New Mexico, and certainly very unusual by Teresa Reyes. Estelle digs into the situation and soon discovers a very real threat coming from her home village of Tres Santos, Mexico. Her and her family is in danger, especially her son Francisco and his friend Mateo who are currently in Mazatlán, Mexico along with other members of the music conservatory.
With former Sherriff Gastner seriously injured and forced to be a very minor player as events and cases on both side of the border heat up, the repercussions for all involved as well as many others could be deadly. It isn’t the first time blood has been spilled into the desert sands of both sides of the border and it won’t be the last.
The latest in The Posada County Mystery Series” written by Steven F. Havill, Blood Sweep is another excellent read. A read that finally answers many of the questions regarding Undersheriff Estelle Reyes- Guzman’s past while blending in multiple mysteries in the here and now. A fast and highly entertaining read from Poison Pen Press one could begin here in the 20th book in the series though it would be far better to read them in order starting with Heartshot.
Along with the author’s love of the New Mexico landscape, these books feature characters that have become family. Family that can annoy as well as entertain as the pages fly by. An ongoing storyline has been Estelle’s love of family and coping with the demands of her job as well as her very talented sons. That is at play here as well as the fears of many of us have who have aging parents who insist on going it alone as they seek to maintain their independence. These books feature characters that have evolved and grown over time as, just like in the real world, they experience joys and sorrows that forever change them. Those characters that are in police work are not dumb and willing to work with outside agencies as the need arises unlike the way things are depicted in many other series.
Blood Sweep as well as the series as a whole is highly recommended.
Blood Sweep: The Posadas County Mysteries
Steven F. Havill
Poisoned Pen Press
http://www.poisonedpenpress
2015
ISBN# 978-1-4642-0387-9
Hardback (also available in e-book and paperback)
307 Pages
$24.95
Many, many thanks to reviewer and friend Lesa Holstine who provided me a review copy to read, review, and enjoy. Unlike many of the books I receive that wind up at Texas Oncology at Medical City Dallas Hospital (our second home these days) this one will now journey to my Mom’s home as she is also a fan of the series.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
Unfortunately he was also being stocked on this August morning and he had no idea. That was until his rifle scope shattered seconds after he had fired bringing down the chosen antelope. Torrez was wounded in the attack, but not downed like the spasmodically twitching buck. He managed to pursue the possible shooter only to see a pick up drive away with no idea if the driver is the one who took a shot at him.
At about the same time, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman learns that somebody has been contacting her elderly adopted mother, Teresa Reyes, and requesting money while claiming to be family. Not an uncommon scam that is played upon the elderly and one the President of Posadas State Bank is well aware of. A cashier’s check in the amount of eight thousand dollars is an unusual request by almost any one in Posadas County, New Mexico, and certainly very unusual by Teresa Reyes. Estelle digs into the situation and soon discovers a very real threat coming from her home village of Tres Santos, Mexico. Her and her family is in danger, especially her son Francisco and his friend Mateo who are currently in Mazatlán, Mexico along with other members of the music conservatory.
With former Sherriff Gastner seriously injured and forced to be a very minor player as events and cases on both side of the border heat up, the repercussions for all involved as well as many others could be deadly. It isn’t the first time blood has been spilled into the desert sands of both sides of the border and it won’t be the last.
The latest in The Posada County Mystery Series” written by Steven F. Havill, Blood Sweep is another excellent read. A read that finally answers many of the questions regarding Undersheriff Estelle Reyes- Guzman’s past while blending in multiple mysteries in the here and now. A fast and highly entertaining read from Poison Pen Press one could begin here in the 20th book in the series though it would be far better to read them in order starting with Heartshot.
Along with the author’s love of the New Mexico landscape, these books feature characters that have become family. Family that can annoy as well as entertain as the pages fly by. An ongoing storyline has been Estelle’s love of family and coping with the demands of her job as well as her very talented sons. That is at play here as well as the fears of many of us have who have aging parents who insist on going it alone as they seek to maintain their independence. These books feature characters that have evolved and grown over time as, just like in the real world, they experience joys and sorrows that forever change them. Those characters that are in police work are not dumb and willing to work with outside agencies as the need arises unlike the way things are depicted in many other series.
Blood Sweep as well as the series as a whole is highly recommended.
Blood Sweep: The Posadas County Mysteries
Steven F. Havill
Poisoned Pen Press
http://www.poisonedpenpress
2015
ISBN# 978-1-4642-0387-9
Hardback (also available in e-book and paperback)
307 Pages
$24.95
Many, many thanks to reviewer and friend Lesa Holstine who provided me a review copy to read, review, and enjoy. Unlike many of the books I receive that wind up at Texas Oncology at Medical City Dallas Hospital (our second home these days) this one will now journey to my Mom’s home as she is also a fan of the series.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
May 19, 2015
#20 in the Posadas County Mystery series. The good news is that there is plenty of action between the families of Posadas County lawmen - past and present. Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman, Sheriff Bobby Torrez and former Sheriff Bill Gastner. The bad news is that the plot involving a threat to Posadas County (vague and confusing), eliminated or delayed by Estelle's uncle, requires delving into her birth family (confusing) and her relationship with Mexican lawman Colonel Naranjo (confusing).
#20 - Posadas County mystery - Gifted fourteen-year-old Francisco Guzman has become an internationally renowned concert pianist, touring the world under the auspices of his music conservatory. That gives his mother, Posadas County Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman, plenty of reason to worry–and that’s magnified when she learns that he’s in Mexico’s crime-ridden Mazatlán for a concert series where he may be the target for scam artists and kidnappers. Estelle’s worries go from bad to worse when her uncle—a man she didn’t know existed—surfaces in an attempt to mend family ties and leaves a trail of corpses in his wake. Estelle’s attempts to glean family history—the story of her childhood in Tres Santos over the border—from her adopted mother, a woman now in her nineties, go nowhere. Meanwhile, escalating events put Sheriff Bobby Torrez in jeopardy, as they do newly wealthy rancher Miles Waddell and his pet project, the multi-million dollar theme park, NightZone, set high on a county mesa.
Just when his sage advice might be most useful, former sheriff and family friend Bill Gastner takes a dive—in the shadows of his own garage. Now his far-flung family is added to the mix of people and events astir in the boot heel of New Mexico.
#20 - Posadas County mystery - Gifted fourteen-year-old Francisco Guzman has become an internationally renowned concert pianist, touring the world under the auspices of his music conservatory. That gives his mother, Posadas County Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman, plenty of reason to worry–and that’s magnified when she learns that he’s in Mexico’s crime-ridden Mazatlán for a concert series where he may be the target for scam artists and kidnappers. Estelle’s worries go from bad to worse when her uncle—a man she didn’t know existed—surfaces in an attempt to mend family ties and leaves a trail of corpses in his wake. Estelle’s attempts to glean family history—the story of her childhood in Tres Santos over the border—from her adopted mother, a woman now in her nineties, go nowhere. Meanwhile, escalating events put Sheriff Bobby Torrez in jeopardy, as they do newly wealthy rancher Miles Waddell and his pet project, the multi-million dollar theme park, NightZone, set high on a county mesa.
Just when his sage advice might be most useful, former sheriff and family friend Bill Gastner takes a dive—in the shadows of his own garage. Now his far-flung family is added to the mix of people and events astir in the boot heel of New Mexico.
April 29, 2015
Well, the master has done it again! And maybe done it better than ever before. Once again, that relaxed, almost conversational style welcoming the reader to Posadas County for a little visit. Once again, that finely honed sense of place and comfortable acquaintance with the bootheel of New Mexico. I have read all of the Posadas County books and absolutely loved every one. I read the first two before I realized, for me at least, the plots don't matter as much as the people. And what marvelous people inhabiting this vast and mostly unpeopled part of the country. People I now feel like I know on a first name basis. Pull up a chair and be prepared to be charmed and entertained by a wonderfully accomplished writer at the top of his game. Gary J. George / author of "Mojave Desert Sanctuary."
August 14, 2016
Steve Havill is one of my favorite authors. This is book 21 of The Posadas County Mysteries. I have fallen in love with his characters, as each book follows the next, and the cast of characters's lives are part of the story. I live very close to Socorro, New Mexico. I have asked Steve where Posadas County is, but it is his secret. However most of my friends who have read his books agree that it could be anywhere in Southeastern New Mexico. I am not sure why they call this Posadas County Mystery #10, when on the back cover, it says that this is #20 in this series. I also have his book #21, which I will start soon. It is called Night Zone, also a Posadas County Mystery.
For a great cast of characters, and well thought out plots, I highly recommend Steve Havill's books.
For a great cast of characters, and well thought out plots, I highly recommend Steve Havill's books.
April 10, 2022
This will be my last book in the series. I literally hate Estelle after what she did in the end of the book. He saved her son & her sheriff & her mean , hard self let him die by suicide by cop. She is a terrible mother, an awful wife & a neglectful daughter. Her life is all about her. Even though Bill broke his hip, she had a child whose life was in danger of being kidnapped, she chose to be with the old guy Bill.
She's so selfish, she had no idea her musical prodigy son was giving a concert in another country. She didn't even bother to look at the schedule. What a bitch she is. To let her own uncle die. So what if he saved her son's life. She a sub sheriff and her job has to be done. I literally hate a fictional character
She's so selfish, she had no idea her musical prodigy son was giving a concert in another country. She didn't even bother to look at the schedule. What a bitch she is. To let her own uncle die. So what if he saved her son's life. She a sub sheriff and her job has to be done. I literally hate a fictional character
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews