A Discount for Death

October 6, 2003
After nine mysteries featuring undersheriff Bill Gastner, Havill finally let the aging lawmaker retire and pass the torch to Estelle Reyes-Guzman in 2002's Scavengers
. The new undersheriff proves to be as engaging and as effective as her predecessor, despite their considerable differences in age and cultural heritage. Law enforcement is hard in the small town and sprawling county of Posadas, where village police and county sheriff share jurisdictions. Sometimes everything seems to happen at once, as is the case here: popular insurance salesman George Enriquez faces a grand jury indictment for fraud, a village patrolman is embroiled in a messy domestic situation and Estelle finds criminal activity striking too close to her own family. The author renders his characters as artfully as ever, and fans of his earlier books will appreciate that Bill Gastner continues to play a meaningful role. The personal lives of Estelle and her comrades are as vivid as their professional ones. In carving out a little corner of New Mexico near the Mexican border, Havill has created an absorbing and entertaining universe. (Nov. 10)

FYI:
Many of Havill's previous novels are available from Poisoned Pen Press.