Privileged to Kill

Bill Gastner Mystery #5

by Steven F. Havill

"Havill...quietly continues a project virtually unique in detective anchoring his tales of crime and punishment as closely as possible in the rhythms of small-town friends, routines, and calamities." -- Kirkus Reviews Rolling stone Wesley Crocker seems a harmless enough free spirit when Posadas County Undersheriff Bill Gastner offers him a lift on the road and spots him a free dinner. Crocker beds down for the night with his gear on the high-school athletic field. By morning, 13-year-old Maria Ibarra is found under the high-school football bleachers a few feet away and Crocker goes straight to jail. His account of how he passed the night is full of enough holes to keep him locked down, but meanwhile a background check on Maria raises troubling questions about her life....

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Procedural, Westerns, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Audiobook

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Steven 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.

Reviews

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author is really good at creating scenery, characters with depth, and interesting scenarios. This is the second of his books that I have read, and I enjoy the world the author has created. However, the ending seemed more confusing and unbelievable than anything. It wasn’t just that I didn’t guess who the culprit was. It’s more that I don’t understand the culprits motive or how he accomplished the crime. I was left shaking my head and feeling vaguely unsettled. If it weren’t for that, I would rate this book much higher.

[Lewis Dually · Rating 5 out of 5]

As alway, Steven Havill has produced about her fantastic murder mystery.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know whether my standards are slipping, or Steven Havill is getting better. I suspect the latter. Redeploying the main characters from previous books in the Bill Gastner series, but funneling them into a new plot, Privileged to Kill conjures up an entertaining story set in the fictional Posadas County, New Mexico. The focus can be summarized by the following passage:

A little girl whom few of us knew had died a lonely and dirty death; the man she'd been living with had poisoned himself with a lethal alcohol mix; a harmless itinerant had been the victim of a hit-and-run; and one of the community's top students had tried to fly through solid rock.

Undersheriff Gaster and Detective Estelle Reyes-Guzman tackle these cases, which increasingly appear to be connected. Reyes-Guzman's eye for detail, and her logical acumen, are essential in sifting evidence for overlooked clues. As seems to be the author's ongoing modus operandi, the mysteries are not all definitively untangled, although their resolutions are strongly intimated with the apprehension of an obviously-guilty suspect at the end of the book. The plot is well paced, and the principal characters acquire a little more depth along the way . There's a bit more police radio lingo than necessary, but I suppose it is designed to lend authenticity to the story.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series. The continuing development of the relationships between Bill, Estelle, and Francis seems very realistic and touching to me. Havill is very good at creating walk-through characters like Crocker, whose transient bicycle touring character and mode of speaking are pegged solid. Once again, Rusty Nelson's narration is pitch perfect.

[Elly Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* Enjoyed this a lot and will be looking for more in the series or by this author. In this case, the narrator made a big difference. I'm familiar with him and he always adds to the story.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m pretty sure I read this 3 years ago and forgot to log it, but I couldn’t remember the story and by the time I was starting to remember I was hooked in and had to finish!

[Robert Mckay · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Regional" mysteries are frequently competent at best - and often not even competent. But Steven F. Havill has built a very realistic world in fictional Posadas County, in the southwestern corner of New Mexico. If I didn't know better, I'd think that was a real county. And Undersheriff Bill Gastner is one of the most genuinely human characters in detective fiction, as realistic - in a different way - as DI John Rebus in the series by Ian Rankin.

And unlike some local or regional series, you never get the impression that there are an inordinate number of murders in Posadas County, because they don't all take place in the county seat, Posadas. It's a big county, and so the murders take place in scattered locations over a long period. It's no doubt true that if you did the statistics you'd find that a whole lot more people die in Posadas County than actually do die in counties with a similar size and population, but you don't get that impression reading the books.

That's Havill's gift. He doesn't write deathless prose (though Gastner does deliver some wonderful country boy lines now and then). What he does is write realistically . When he describes the landscape, it fits with real New Mexico landscapes, and with a big county there's plenty of variation. When he describes people you can see them, and the dialogue is believable.

Here a transient riding his bicycle across the United States - who's been at it for 30 years or so - winds up in Posadas, and a suspect in the murder of a young Mexican girl who's new in town. It turns out it wasn't murder, but other murders do happen around the matter, as someone seems to be trying to stymie the investigation. Gastner and other people with the Posadas County Sheriff's Office doggedly dig up evidence, and without it seeming at all like a deus ex machina arrive at the answer right near the end of the book.

This is right fine reading. :)

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Review of the Audiobook

Published by Books in Motion in 2008.
Read by Rusty Nelson.
Duration: 8 hours, 57 minutes.
Unabridged.

Undersheriff Bill Gastner returns in another mystery in a sleepy New Mexico county on the Mexican border set in the mid-1990's. However, in this story, Posadas County is anything but sleepy.

To be fair, the story starts out sleepy enough with Bill Gastner feeling his age and talking with a a 51 year-old stranded bicyclist with a busted tire that he picks up on the side of the road just for the heck of it and totes him, his bike and all of his equipment into town. Bill and the bicyclist become friendly and the bicyclist heads off to make camp somewhere and then move on the next morning after he gets his tire fixed.

But, things pick up quickly when Gastner gets a phone call in the middle of the night. A freshman girl has been found dead under the bleachers at the high school football field and the bicycle rider was camped nearby and he has been arrested. But, that's not the end of it...

The charm of this series is ...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2018/...

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to greatly enjoy this series. In this one, a teenage girl is found dead. An older drifter found by Undersheriff Bill Gastner as he crosses through town pushing his worn out bicycle, becomes the police chief's focus for the murder of this girl. However, Gastner is not so sure. The character of Wesley Crocker is an interesting addition to this book, and the author does a great job of slowly developing him as a man who decided more than 30 years earlier to live his life on the road, working occasionally when a little cash is needed, and seeing a whole lot of the country.
The landscape of southern New Mexico is always an integral part of the books in this series, and descriptions of the natural surroundings as well as the cultural ones in a county bordering Mexico, make this a compelling read.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undersheriff Bill Gastner might not be a Jack Reacher, Philip Marlowe or Walt Longmire. Gastner is older, fatter and more human. Steven F. Havill gives a voice to not the greatest fictional character, but a solid, steady one that is easy to like and easier to trust. Sure Gastner is getting old but in a case like this, experience and intuition mean more than skillful shooting and martial arts. "Privileged to Kill" is a privilege to read. The reader gets the feel for the small town, and the types of assorted characters who live in most communities all across the country. The actual mystery itself is solved by good police procedure and teamwork.

[Nancy Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading the Bill Gastner adventures. Not mysteries, adventures. This is not your typical adventurer - he is in his mid-60s with health issues and not in his physical prime. He refers to himself as fat. The cool thing is that his brain is a mighty machine with experience and knowledge to combat other shortcomings. Estelle is still his right hand, filling in the gaps and beside him all the way. There is no conclusion to the sheriff's election yet so that means I have to keep reading. Onward I go!!

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading these early books in the series and am more impressed with each one I read. Havill does an outstanding job of developing characters, describing setting and establishing a really compelling story. This was quite the baffling puzzle and I thoroughly enjoyed riding with Gastner in 310, unraveling the clues one by one.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undersheriff Bill Gastner and Detective Estelle Reyes-Guzman investigate the death of a teenage girl whose body is found at the high school football field. The plot becomes fairly convoluted but the investigators make their way through it with their usual attention to procedural detail.

[Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good series and a good yarn. I would have rated this another star except I found the ending left a couple of important questions open, most importantly motivation. But then a little speculation and pondering after a good read isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent addition to the series. They think a homeless guy called a teenage girl in Undersheriff Gastner's town. The overweight, arthritic insomniac (sounds like he and I could be kindred brothers) is sure the guy didn't kill the girl. The writing is solid; the characters are memorable.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it - we listened on a road trip and I enjoyed it from the start, and I like the main character more than Joe Pickett and Longmire. His humor resonates a bit more for me. Love the investigator, Estelle Reyes-Guzman.

[Sue Picco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great plot

Havill really captures the sights and sounds of southern New Mexico. Bill Gastner is a character not easily forgotten, and Estelle Reyes-Guzman is the perfect counterpart.

[Kit Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder is Child's Play

The people you would lest expect can be the most guilty. Life can be cruel. A new kid in town needs friends. But finding them is hard. A traveling man can be suspect, but not guilty.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tiny town in New Mexico certainly haz more than its own share of tragedy! It is a story that I just can’t wall away from! I like the crusty old Under Sheriff, and there is a line of story that makes me want more!

[Patricia Mccammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every book in this series is a great read.

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continues an enjoyable series...

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book-terrific series!!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

May 2019 #5 book in series. This time the guest character is a guy roaming on a bicycle. Oy!. He brings a entirely different character type than the western folks of NM.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE this series - the area, the main characters, etc. Privileged kid run amuck in this story & Bill Gasner has a mini stroke.

[Rexbuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. Every corner has a new twist. Highly recommended.

[Dave Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another nicely paced novel by Havill. Lot's of different story lines, but all connected.

[Janel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story was shaped well as was the character development and several sections in the book were genuinely thrilling.

[Howard R Burkett Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great read about Bill!

Best of the series so far! Can’t wait to get the next one. I almost feel that I live in Posadas County, since I know so much about it!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series.

[Richard Guerrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book. The stories are usually pretty good and I really do like the characters. They are some parts that drag on a little too much but overall I am enjoying the series.