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Bill Gastner Mystery #9
Bag Limit
With his retirement just around the corner, Sheriff Bill Gastner finds his much anticipated peace and quiet threatened when his police vehicle is struck by a car full of intoxicated teenagers, the fleeing driver is killed by a passing car, and the boy's father turns up dead at home. Reprint.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
126 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Steven F. Havill
38 books255 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 44 reviews
August 12, 2016
PROTAGONIST: Bill Gastner, sheriff
SETTING: Posadas County, New Mexico
SERIES: #10 of 21
RATING: 4.0
Bill Gastner, sheriff of Posadas County, New Mexico, is about to retire. He's parked in a spot where he can overlook the area, when a teen named Matt Baca drives into his cruiser. Matt flees and later drives into traffic and dies. Shortly thereafter, his father is killed. Gastner is retiring in a few days and works with his undersheriff, Bob Torrez. Gastner is an authentic character who is supportive of his workmates.
SETTING: Posadas County, New Mexico
SERIES: #10 of 21
RATING: 4.0
Bill Gastner, sheriff of Posadas County, New Mexico, is about to retire. He's parked in a spot where he can overlook the area, when a teen named Matt Baca drives into his cruiser. Matt flees and later drives into traffic and dies. Shortly thereafter, his father is killed. Gastner is retiring in a few days and works with his undersheriff, Bob Torrez. Gastner is an authentic character who is supportive of his workmates.
December 17, 2025
Another good story in this series. There are more wonderful descriptions of the beautiful area of southern New Mexico. I also enjoyed the expanded role that Bill Gastner's family played in this addition.
October 29, 2024
I love the series, but this was my least favorite to date. I kept getting lost in the details and the many characters.
November 5, 2019
These are great books! I love them! I've now read this one at least two times and I'm sure will read it again and again.
October 21, 2020
Havill appears to have lost a little passion for Bill Gastner in this book. It didn't seem to have s much energy as previous books. Perhaps because this was Gastner's swan song.
October 15, 2023
A Review of the Audiobook
Published in 2001 by Books In Motion.
Read by Rusty Nelson.
Duration: 11 hours, 59 minutes.
Unabridged.
Synopsis:
Sheriff Bill Gastner is coming to the end of his appointed term as Sheriff of Posadas County - a border county in southern New Mexico. Bill has been in the department in one form of another for 31 years and he is looking forward to a well-deserved retirement with no real plans for how to fill his days.
When a series of incidents with the death of a drunken teen driver with a fake driver's license issued by the department of motor vehicles, two damaged police cars and two other teens in the hospital, Gastner knows that his last few days as Sheriff are going to be wild ones...
My Review:
I am a big fan of this series. I love old Bill Gastner - he has insomnia, happily eats the same pepper-filled burrito at the same restaurant 2 or even 3 meals per day, and relies on experience more than the speed an agility of younger officers.
But, this book was padded with a whole lot of nothing. We meet Gastner's son and grandson who are completely incidental to the mystery in the story. We learn about how Gastner's high school-aged grandson is a completely amazing young man who can cook, befriend little kids, enjoy watching old Westerns and even speak Spanish! However, if you took this remarkable young man out of the story it would be 2 hours shorter and nothing would change in the main plot.
I estimate that the book was about 50% padding and that made a story that started out so strong at the beginning and ended with a lot of twists and turns just a tedious muddle in the middle.
I rate this book a generous 3 stars out of 5.
See all of my reviews of books from this series here: https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/sear...
Published in 2001 by Books In Motion.
Read by Rusty Nelson.
Duration: 11 hours, 59 minutes.
Unabridged.
Synopsis:
Sheriff Bill Gastner is coming to the end of his appointed term as Sheriff of Posadas County - a border county in southern New Mexico. Bill has been in the department in one form of another for 31 years and he is looking forward to a well-deserved retirement with no real plans for how to fill his days.
When a series of incidents with the death of a drunken teen driver with a fake driver's license issued by the department of motor vehicles, two damaged police cars and two other teens in the hospital, Gastner knows that his last few days as Sheriff are going to be wild ones...
My Review:
I am a big fan of this series. I love old Bill Gastner - he has insomnia, happily eats the same pepper-filled burrito at the same restaurant 2 or even 3 meals per day, and relies on experience more than the speed an agility of younger officers.
But, this book was padded with a whole lot of nothing. We meet Gastner's son and grandson who are completely incidental to the mystery in the story. We learn about how Gastner's high school-aged grandson is a completely amazing young man who can cook, befriend little kids, enjoy watching old Westerns and even speak Spanish! However, if you took this remarkable young man out of the story it would be 2 hours shorter and nothing would change in the main plot.
I estimate that the book was about 50% padding and that made a story that started out so strong at the beginning and ended with a lot of twists and turns just a tedious muddle in the middle.
I rate this book a generous 3 stars out of 5.
See all of my reviews of books from this series here: https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/sear...
September 24, 2024
Have I really waited more than 15 years to read this? That’s the incontrovertible evidence of a download date. I could have easily read this sooner, but reading the series in order is, in the case of this series, the right thing to do. Finally, I’ve caught up to book nine.
I’ve mentioned in previous reviews of this series how much I appreciate all the ways the fictional Bill Gastner and I have in common. Lots of arthritis, way too many pounds, and a nasty propensity to sleep poorly.
He’s 70 as this book opens, and he’s three days away from retirement. It’s a sinch that the townspeople will elect a new sheriff in mere days, and Bill can retire to an unplanned life. His desk is unusually clean, and he’s diligently trying to wrap up all the last details of a job long worked and a worthy performance concluded.
He does one last late-night patrol and watches in horror as a drunk teen driver slams into his police cruiser. The teenage passengers inside aren’t badly injured, and after the obligatory arrest of the driver, the passengers go home in ignominy.
Gastner pays a late-night visit to the kid whose driver’s license someone faked. It was on the strength of that license that he bought the booze that led to the crash with Gastner’s car. Gastner arrested him, but he eventually kicked out Gastner’s back window. As he tried to escape the cop car, he inadvertently flung himself into the path of a large truck that couldn’t stop, and the resultant collision killed him.
When someone murders the kid’s father, Gastner is sure there’s a connection.
You meet Gastner’s son and grandson in this book, and while that feels like unnecessary filler, it may be a foundation ingredient that will be useful in future books.
I’ve mentioned in previous reviews of this series how much I appreciate all the ways the fictional Bill Gastner and I have in common. Lots of arthritis, way too many pounds, and a nasty propensity to sleep poorly.
He’s 70 as this book opens, and he’s three days away from retirement. It’s a sinch that the townspeople will elect a new sheriff in mere days, and Bill can retire to an unplanned life. His desk is unusually clean, and he’s diligently trying to wrap up all the last details of a job long worked and a worthy performance concluded.
He does one last late-night patrol and watches in horror as a drunk teen driver slams into his police cruiser. The teenage passengers inside aren’t badly injured, and after the obligatory arrest of the driver, the passengers go home in ignominy.
Gastner pays a late-night visit to the kid whose driver’s license someone faked. It was on the strength of that license that he bought the booze that led to the crash with Gastner’s car. Gastner arrested him, but he eventually kicked out Gastner’s back window. As he tried to escape the cop car, he inadvertently flung himself into the path of a large truck that couldn’t stop, and the resultant collision killed him.
When someone murders the kid’s father, Gastner is sure there’s a connection.
You meet Gastner’s son and grandson in this book, and while that feels like unnecessary filler, it may be a foundation ingredient that will be useful in future books.
April 17, 2022
As much as I enjoy this series, you'd think I'd plow right through it, but I'm not. Instead, I'm ambling through it, taking my own sweet time, knowing that Havill's Posadas County series is one I can rely on to deliver the goods each and every time.
The mystery behind the teenager's crazy behavior that leads to his death is a strong one with some excellent misdirection, and I always enjoy visiting fictional Posadas County down in southern New Mexico. Havill has a way of describing the landscape that puts me right there.
Havill's series has one of the absolute best ensemble casts to be found in fiction. In uncertain health and a chronic insomniac, seventy-year-old Bill Gastner leads the way with his investigative skills, diplomacy, and plain old common sense. In Bag Limit, readers get to see him not only as the sheriff but as a father, grandfather, boss, friend, and godfather. One of the things that makes him such a good sheriff is that he knows every nook and cranny of Posadas County and all of the people who live there--which does remind me of another police officer named Bruno who lives in the Southwest, too. Well, the southwest of France.
Each cast member in this series has his or her part to play, and as time passes, their roles change, children grow, some move away... life happens. This verisimilitude makes Havill's series a joy, as does his catchy turns of phrase such as "... boss may have had the personality of a sunstruck rattlesnake..."
This series is one to be savored by reading the books in order. The first book is Heartshot. Get a copy and read it. You can thank me later.
The mystery behind the teenager's crazy behavior that leads to his death is a strong one with some excellent misdirection, and I always enjoy visiting fictional Posadas County down in southern New Mexico. Havill has a way of describing the landscape that puts me right there.
Havill's series has one of the absolute best ensemble casts to be found in fiction. In uncertain health and a chronic insomniac, seventy-year-old Bill Gastner leads the way with his investigative skills, diplomacy, and plain old common sense. In Bag Limit, readers get to see him not only as the sheriff but as a father, grandfather, boss, friend, and godfather. One of the things that makes him such a good sheriff is that he knows every nook and cranny of Posadas County and all of the people who live there--which does remind me of another police officer named Bruno who lives in the Southwest, too. Well, the southwest of France.
Each cast member in this series has his or her part to play, and as time passes, their roles change, children grow, some move away... life happens. This verisimilitude makes Havill's series a joy, as does his catchy turns of phrase such as "... boss may have had the personality of a sunstruck rattlesnake..."
This series is one to be savored by reading the books in order. The first book is Heartshot. Get a copy and read it. You can thank me later.
March 5, 2024
Bag Limit – A Sheriff Bill Gastner Mystery - Published 2002 - **** - Bill Gastner has been named the sheriff for Posadas County after the death of the previous sheriff in an accident. Elections are coming but Gastner is not running. Bobby Torrez is the current under-sheriff, and he is running for sheriff. Gastner wants to ease out and clean his desk but there is a terrible accident followed by a murder and cattle rustling. On top of all of that, Gastner’s son and grandson show up a day ahead of the Guzman group coming to stay. More scenic southwest with great characters and plot twists. Havill is turning out some great fun reading.
April 12, 2024
Steven Havill writes as if he's sitting in your living room with coffee and telling you stories about the latest case of Posada sheriff's department. In this mystery, Sheriff Gastner is about to retire after the election. The irresponsible actions of a teenager costs the kid his life. Sheriff Gastner and Undersheriff Torrez try to make sense of it all. Havill's vivid descriptions take you to the dry rocky areas of southern New Mexico, and you can almost feel the hot rocks and the hot wind on your skin.
March 23, 2025
*** Possible Spoilers ***
This was very well written with excellent pacing and an interesting plot. There wasn't much character development which was fine with me but might put off some readers. I'd classify this book as a 'page turner' and on numerous occasions it kept me up past my bedtime. I took away one star for the ending which failed to wrap things up. Presumably the author wants to keep certain things open for future books in the series and that's fair; however, there were a few too many things left outstanding. Despite the ending, I think this book is well worth reading.
This was very well written with excellent pacing and an interesting plot. There wasn't much character development which was fine with me but might put off some readers. I'd classify this book as a 'page turner' and on numerous occasions it kept me up past my bedtime. I took away one star for the ending which failed to wrap things up. Presumably the author wants to keep certain things open for future books in the series and that's fair; however, there were a few too many things left outstanding. Despite the ending, I think this book is well worth reading.
March 26, 2020
This series has a n exceptional sense of place-New Mexico near the Mexico border-and the characters are like old friends. With the stress of being "safer at home", I find it comforting to disappear into an easy going series like this where I know what to expect. I'm going between this type of thing and church books/scriptures.
March 26, 2023
Fast bei der Hälfte habe ich keine Lust mehr. Waren die anderen Bücher der Reihe auch so schlecht geschrieben? Mich stören die ständigen Wiederholungen von Informationen und Ausdrücken sehr. Auch die Geschichte selbst kann mich nicht wirklich fesseln. Vielleicht ist dem Autoren inzwischen einfach die Luft ausgegangen.
March 24, 2025
Bag Limit is a Winner
Havill hit a home run with Bag Limit. He brought back one of the best characters in the series to act as a foil for Sheriff Bill Gastner. The descriptions of the environs around Posadas were great as always. The strongest part of this novel was the interactions between characters. The dialogue was great. Highly recommended.
Havill hit a home run with Bag Limit. He brought back one of the best characters in the series to act as a foil for Sheriff Bill Gastner. The descriptions of the environs around Posadas were great as always. The strongest part of this novel was the interactions between characters. The dialogue was great. Highly recommended.
October 3, 2022
So sad to see this series come to an end. I have enjoyed it so much. But luckily the author has another one that sounds just as good as this. It also has some of the same characters that he brought to life in this one. So, I will soon begin the next story.
Happy reading.
Happy reading.
November 24, 2022
A police procedural with fake ids, cattle rustling, murder, a sheriff's election, and Bill Gastner's retirement party.
An expanding cast of characters with fast-flowing dialogue and action that kept me reading.
An expanding cast of characters with fast-flowing dialogue and action that kept me reading.
January 25, 2023
The last book of this series, I was between a three and a four but gave it the latter because at the end I did enjoy the characters. It drag on a little bit especially at the beginning and I did not care for the entire plot but overall a pretty good read.
February 15, 2025
A New Chapter
A eighteen year old drunk. A old man's end. And a surprise visit from family. Bad guys are everywhere and the old Sheriff is retiring. A story where all the prices come together. If you've read any of this series, you'll love this chapter. Don't miss it!
A eighteen year old drunk. A old man's end. And a surprise visit from family. Bad guys are everywhere and the old Sheriff is retiring. A story where all the prices come together. If you've read any of this series, you'll love this chapter. Don't miss it!
August 18, 2017
Wonderful!
May 12, 2019
Another solid story!
June 7, 2019
June 2019 Another engrossing story!!!
September 15, 2020
End of one chapter and the beginning of another. About here is where I started reading the series and have worked myself back to the beginning.
February 2, 2021
Wonderful! End of the first series and happily there is a second series with the same characters waiting.
Havill is a terrific writer!
Havill is a terrific writer!
September 9, 2022
The ending was unsatisfactory. I wanted everything tied up with bow but was left hanging. I will have to see what comes in the next book!!
December 15, 2022
Great story
April 21, 2023
Outstanding
July 10, 2023
enjoyed this last of the Gastner-as-sheriff novels. next is Red, Green, or Murder. Amazon has the order messed up.
September 17, 2024
I like this series.
They all became available at once (my library Libby), so I have been working my way through.
I hate the audiobooks.
They all became available at once (my library Libby), so I have been working my way through.
I hate the audiobooks.
July 4, 2025
Steven Havilland is a fantastic writer!
I'm enchanted with this series. Wonderful characters, descriptions of New Mexico and lovely relationships. I'm on to the next book.
I'm enchanted with this series. Wonderful characters, descriptions of New Mexico and lovely relationships. I'm on to the next book.
September 22, 2025
Uneventful ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews