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Posadas County Mystery #13
Convenient Disposal
Sheriff Estelle is called to teenager Carmen Acosta's home. When she arrives, Carmen's father, Freddie, is in police custody and an unconscious Carmen is on the way to the hospital "beat to a pulp." There has been a fight over a boy, but it is hard to believe that the also young Deena is responsible. Estelle has many other suspects to choose from, since the Acosta family holds the record for the number of domestic violence calls the police have received. The question is, which of the other four children or two parents is responsible? Or is it someone else entirely?
Havill draws his readers into the life of this small border county in New Mexico. Estelle is not only an undersheriff, she is the mother of two delightful little boys, the wife of a warm and likeable surgeon, Mexican-American like herself, and the daughter of a wise old woman whose life has been spent south of the border. But the threats from Havill's fans would have been dire if he had dispensed with Billl Gastner, the dearly loved former sheriff. Bill may officially be retired, but he's quick to give Estelle the value of his experience when she needs it, and proud to have been chosen by the Guzman boys to be their surrogate abuelo--grandfather.
Havill draws his readers into the life of this small border county in New Mexico. Estelle is not only an undersheriff, she is the mother of two delightful little boys, the wife of a warm and likeable surgeon, Mexican-American like herself, and the daughter of a wise old woman whose life has been spent south of the border. But the threats from Havill's fans would have been dire if he had dispensed with Billl Gastner, the dearly loved former sheriff. Bill may officially be retired, but he's quick to give Estelle the value of his experience when she needs it, and proud to have been chosen by the Guzman boys to be their surrogate abuelo--grandfather.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
138 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Steven F. Havill
38 books260 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 37 reviews
December 26, 2017
Another fine addition to a terrific series. Set in southern New Mexico, Havill features small town life with its strengths and problems in this police procedural, with a fine cast of continuing characters, growing and developing in each episode
May 26, 2012
Steven F. Havill continues the Posadas County series with this title, featuring Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman. As always, he weaves the everyday lives of his characters, with everyday crimes. The end result is a compelling read. Highly recommended.
Published in hardcover by St. Martin’s Press.
Published in hardcover by St. Martin’s Press.
October 13, 2015
I enjoyed the interesting plot twist. the set up was a little long, but the details in the writing made it easy.
May 17, 2016
This is the first novel by Steven Havill I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are unique and the plot is exciting.
August 7, 2020
Love this series!!
January 21, 2026
Interesting Premise
Not a bad mystery, but could have been better. Feels like there was a direction change midway through the book, and a different bad guy was chosen, leaving strings and sloppiness.
“Penny Barnes said that one of the errands Zeigler mentioned was stopping by the county barns. She didn’t know what for.” (Sloppy. Twice already she was told that it had to do with workers comp case.) 1. (C.4)" Penny reached forward and pulled the calendar closer. “He wanted to talk to one of the men over at the highway barn about some workman’s comp thing. That’s the only one I know about.” (C.16) “He did that. But what else? Earlier, you mentioned an errand or two, including something at the county barns.” “He had to see someone over at the maintenance yard about something. Some workman’s comp thing.”
“Well, somebody returned it,” Gastner said. “Yes. Someone did. There are no prints, no fibers, no nothing. Just a hint of tobacco smoke and body odor.” (sloppy again! Several places they discussed this, and NEVER mentioned body odor. Kevin's cologne, smoke and alcohol. (1 of 3) (C.8) On top of the cologne, she smelled the unmistakable odor of tobacco smoke. ... The cloying odor of cigarette smoke was faint but obvious, layered with something else. Bobby said alcohol. (C.19 also)
“I’m serious. I was four years old when she adopted me. If she hadn’t done that, if I’d stayed a scruffy little huérfana, watched over by the good sisters of the Iglesia de Tres Santos…what would I be now?” (sloppy. In Blood Sweep, and possibly other books, she was adopted at 1 year old)
"He didn’t say how he knew, but Estelle was well aware that Bobby Torrez was determined when it came to busting drunk drivers; years before, shortly after joining the Posadas County Sheriff’s Department, he’d lost a younger brother to a weaving drunk." (Sloppy. He list two siblings, and not to a weaving drunk.)
“No. I’m not. We think that on Tuesday, shortly after noon, the two of them met here, and that some sort of argument ensued.” She shrugged helplessly. “And that’s all we know.” (Sloppy. 'Think', 'know' - both characters are dead with no witnesses - should say 'we can only guess.)
“Wow. I talked to the DA a bit ago. He said that he was really proud of the job you did.” Estelle didn’t respond, and Dayan added, “Is Bob going to be all right, do you think? I hear he’s a mess.” Estelle reached out and touched Dayan on the arm in lieu of smiling. “You can quote me on that,” she said." (Very muddy, feels like a paragraph or so is missing, and what there is not clear. Why would someone else understand that a touch on the arm would be in lieu of a smile? Only the toucher could know...)
Not a bad mystery, but could have been better. Feels like there was a direction change midway through the book, and a different bad guy was chosen, leaving strings and sloppiness.
“Penny Barnes said that one of the errands Zeigler mentioned was stopping by the county barns. She didn’t know what for.” (Sloppy. Twice already she was told that it had to do with workers comp case.) 1. (C.4)" Penny reached forward and pulled the calendar closer. “He wanted to talk to one of the men over at the highway barn about some workman’s comp thing. That’s the only one I know about.” (C.16) “He did that. But what else? Earlier, you mentioned an errand or two, including something at the county barns.” “He had to see someone over at the maintenance yard about something. Some workman’s comp thing.”
“Well, somebody returned it,” Gastner said. “Yes. Someone did. There are no prints, no fibers, no nothing. Just a hint of tobacco smoke and body odor.” (sloppy again! Several places they discussed this, and NEVER mentioned body odor. Kevin's cologne, smoke and alcohol. (1 of 3) (C.8) On top of the cologne, she smelled the unmistakable odor of tobacco smoke. ... The cloying odor of cigarette smoke was faint but obvious, layered with something else. Bobby said alcohol. (C.19 also)
“I’m serious. I was four years old when she adopted me. If she hadn’t done that, if I’d stayed a scruffy little huérfana, watched over by the good sisters of the Iglesia de Tres Santos…what would I be now?” (sloppy. In Blood Sweep, and possibly other books, she was adopted at 1 year old)
"He didn’t say how he knew, but Estelle was well aware that Bobby Torrez was determined when it came to busting drunk drivers; years before, shortly after joining the Posadas County Sheriff’s Department, he’d lost a younger brother to a weaving drunk." (Sloppy. He list two siblings, and not to a weaving drunk.)
“No. I’m not. We think that on Tuesday, shortly after noon, the two of them met here, and that some sort of argument ensued.” She shrugged helplessly. “And that’s all we know.” (Sloppy. 'Think', 'know' - both characters are dead with no witnesses - should say 'we can only guess.)
“Wow. I talked to the DA a bit ago. He said that he was really proud of the job you did.” Estelle didn’t respond, and Dayan added, “Is Bob going to be all right, do you think? I hear he’s a mess.” Estelle reached out and touched Dayan on the arm in lieu of smiling. “You can quote me on that,” she said." (Very muddy, feels like a paragraph or so is missing, and what there is not clear. Why would someone else understand that a touch on the arm would be in lieu of a smile? Only the toucher could know...)
April 25, 2020
This was a good read. It is almost purely police procedural and doesn't have the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood crime show. That's not to say it doesn't have a veneer of literary merit. It has some great descriptions of life in a small southern New Mexico town. Mr. Havill (since he was a teacher of mine a looooong time ago, he'll always be known to me as "Mr. Havill") has a great ear for dialect and New Mexican colloquialisms. And I love the amount of dialogue in this book. There is some exposition, especially when it's essential, but I was actually surprised by how much of this story is told through dialogue. And it was believable dialogue, too.
I love that the protagonist is a woman, but I can't say whether or not she's particularly strong; we don't really get very far into her head, and the confrontations we do witness aren't especially revealing. She keeps her cool for sure. It's also interesting to see a protagonist who isn't from a broken home or addicted to something: she's got a successful husband, two smart kids, and a sharp-tongued mother. It all adds up to a kind of Norman Rockwell rendition of life in Nuevo Mexico. But it also happens to contain a heaping helping of things that cops have to deal with on a regular basis: assault, and possibly murder.
Good stuff.
I love that the protagonist is a woman, but I can't say whether or not she's particularly strong; we don't really get very far into her head, and the confrontations we do witness aren't especially revealing. She keeps her cool for sure. It's also interesting to see a protagonist who isn't from a broken home or addicted to something: she's got a successful husband, two smart kids, and a sharp-tongued mother. It all adds up to a kind of Norman Rockwell rendition of life in Nuevo Mexico. But it also happens to contain a heaping helping of things that cops have to deal with on a regular basis: assault, and possibly murder.
Good stuff.
January 27, 2025
Everyone knows bringing a gun to school is a bad idea. But surely a hatpin is harmless, right? A group of female middle schoolers in the fictional Posadas County, New Mexico are modifying the in-seam of their jeans so they can securely hide hatpins in there—hatpins that they have sharpened to do real damage. The school already suspended one young woman for hatpin use, and now Carmen Acosta, a super-scrappy 14-year-old, is the victim of vengeance. She lives right next door to the city manager, and he has conveniently disappeared leaving no way to track him. Whoever broke into the Acosta house that day beat Carmen nearly to death, shoving a hatpin into her ear. It’s trajectory barely missed her brain, but the perpetrator beat her with such ferocity she wound up in Albuquerque in a hospital clinging to life.
Meanwhile, the missing county executive poses additional problems for the county, and Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman begins to question whether he’s alive.
On the domestic front, Estelle discovers that her six-year-old son has a secret love for the piano, and she wrestles with the family budget to see how to acquire one for him.
This is an excellent series, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in February.
Meanwhile, the missing county executive poses additional problems for the county, and Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman begins to question whether he’s alive.
On the domestic front, Estelle discovers that her six-year-old son has a secret love for the piano, and she wrestles with the family budget to see how to acquire one for him.
This is an excellent series, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in February.
February 9, 2023
Though the quality of the writing remains excellent, when Bill Gastner retires from the Posadas County Sheriff's Department and Havill switches from first person to third person narration, these books lose something. What made this series so great in the beginning was Gastner's point of view, his way of expressing himself, his thoughts, his attitudes, his whole life. And that's missing when Havill switches to looking at things from Estelle Reyes-Guzman's point of view, and narrating things in the third person.
So this book, which is after Gastner's retirement, is good, but not as good as it could be. But that's sort of a weak criticism, because if it weren't for the first installments setting such a high standard, this book and those like it would be among the best I'd ever read.
So this book, which is after Gastner's retirement, is good, but not as good as it could be. But that's sort of a weak criticism, because if it weren't for the first installments setting such a high standard, this book and those like it would be among the best I'd ever read.
October 27, 2021
Throughout the series the sheriff’s department has patrolled Posadas County while the town has its own tiny police force. A proposal has been made to consolidate the two and Undersheriff Estelle Reyes Guzman has been asked to attend the county meeting to answer questions. She has recently discovered that her six-year-old-son Francisco has been sneaking off to the school music room to sound out chords on the piano. The author has finally figured out how to give Estelle a somewhat more exciting investigation. An excellent procedural but the reader of the audiobook does not enhance the story.
August 12, 2023
When undersheriff is called to the middle school because a student is found with a hatpin in her jeans it leads her to try to understand why a teenager would be using a hatpin as a weapon. Later that day the sheriff department is called to the home of Carmen Acosta who has been badly beaten and left for dead. The County Manager, Kevin Ziegler, who lives next door is also missing. How the undersheriff along with the sheriff disover the answer to the mystery makes for a very engaging read. Really enjoyed this book.
January 31, 2023
I wasn’t too happy with this one. It felt like it dragged on a little too much and I thought the ending was horrible. I guess when you get this far into a series you got to start doing some more crazy things to try to keep the reader involved. I’m just hoping the author does not try to make the sheriff and the undersheriff Superman and wonder woman.
February 26, 2025
Hat Pins, the New Weapon.
When a girl fright comes down to a hat pin the town takes a turn. The City Manager disappears and the girl next door ends up in surgery with a hat pin in her ear. How are these incidents related. And what's going on at the Duty Dump. Another good episode in this great series!
When a girl fright comes down to a hat pin the town takes a turn. The City Manager disappears and the girl next door ends up in surgery with a hat pin in her ear. How are these incidents related. And what's going on at the Duty Dump. Another good episode in this great series!
December 3, 2020
One of the pleasures of this series is the setting in New Mexico, which is well portrayed by the author. Reading in 2020 it is difficult not to think about how many changes there have been in the border between Mexico and the U.S. in recent years.
October 15, 2021
I love Havill and his feel for NM and it’s people but this time I got an audible copy narrated by Stephanie Brush. Never knew that a T or D could be aspirated and the mispronunciations of Belen, hijo, and hija drove me nuts. I’ll stick to print hereafter.
November 19, 2018
I seem to enjoy this author's series about Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Gutzman better than the series about her previous boss, Sheriff Wm Gastner. It's like two different authors.
February 24, 2018
Still enjoying The Posadas County Mysteries. I am reading the series in order, as I like to follow the different characters.
June 4, 2019
Great plot & characters. Consistently high quality from this author. Love this series!
July 3, 2019
This was a good story, it was a little bit weird that a pin but a good story. 📖 🧷
November 25, 2020
This book had a nice flow and a solid ending.
November 10, 2022
A really good story. Very Fast-paced and will keep you on your toes.
May 5, 2023
Wonderfully intriguing
September 7, 2023
I feel as if I know this town and a lot of the people. And I’m always hungry for a burrito too!
June 15, 2024
Great police work and detail. Love the hard work and doggedness.
August 10, 2025
A good story, though I missed not having more of Bill Gastner.
August 1, 2023
love the series
January 17, 2013
#12 in the Posadas County series. An average entry in this superior series about law eforcement in a small community on the New Mexico - Mexican border.
Posadas County mystery - Carmen Mauro is bludgeoned into a coma, and neighbor, Kevin Ziegler, disappears. Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman knows the incidents are related. Ziegler was gay and was well respected in the community. The Mauro girl was in the midst of a feud with another student. Who saw whom do what to connect the two strands?
Posadas County mystery - Carmen Mauro is bludgeoned into a coma, and neighbor, Kevin Ziegler, disappears. Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman knows the incidents are related. Ziegler was gay and was well respected in the community. The Mauro girl was in the midst of a feud with another student. Who saw whom do what to connect the two strands?
December 22, 2011
This is Book 12 in the Bill Gastner Posadas County mysteries. I really like the creativity of this author in this series. I've been listening to all of them so far from Books in Motion audiobooks. The narrator has not improved her technics (see my review of "A Discount for Death") but I continue to subject myself to the audiobook versions because I enjoy the stories so much.
August 3, 2012
Found out I didn't return it to the library too early and got to finish it. Small-town sheriff's department in New Mexico. Good mystery. Good main characters. Good thing I found another author to read.
August 13, 2024
Havill has a wealth of story lines. Never disappoints.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews