Posadas County Mystery

Former Posadas County Sheriff Bill Gastner, now a New Mexico Livestock Inspector, is enjoying a day on Herb Torrance's ranch - soaking in the sun, counting a small herd of cattle, and thinking about meeting an old friend back in town for lunch. But suddenly a light breeze stirs the dust, a horse spooks, and Bill finds himself ferrying a broken cowpuncher in the back of his SUV, headed out to meet an ambulance. Moments later, Bill's day goes from bad to worse. He is summoned by undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman to investigate an unattended death. Too impatient to wait for Bill, his friend George Payton decided to eat lunch on his own. A couple of bites later, he collapsed - dead of an apparent heart attack. But something isn't right. Then the small herd of cattle Bill had just counted is found wandering down a county highway. But there's no sign of cowpuncher Pat Gabaldon or his boss' $40,000 truck and livestock trailer. Forced into two tangled investigations, Bill faces one of the most complex cases in his 35-year career.

The acclaimed New Mexico mystery series continues as a former deputy leads an investigation into a series of perplexing murders. A man’s body is found in the unforgiving New Mexico desert, his face so smashed that identification is impossible. It’s the beginning of a brutal murder spree that will soon take Posadas County’s new undersheriff, Estelle Reyes-Guzman, into a case that has roots on both sides of the border. With the help of retired Sheriff Bill Gastner—now a state livestock inspector—Reyes-Guzman attempts to identify the “Juan” Doe. Another body turns up in a shallow grave, revealing little about the killer, but more about the victims. And when a suspicious fire takes a third life, the terrible twist finally offers the break Estelle has been looking for, one that will lead her back into a harsh, merciless desert where death welcomes all.

Another Posadas County mystery with Estelle Reyes-Guzman as the undersheriff, but with the ever more popular Bill Gastner peering out of the wings to which he dispatched himself upon retirement. Estelle's new job continues to be far from easy, and now she is faced the death of a young woman on a motorcycle—a death that could have been caused by improper driving from one of the county's traffic officers when he tried to stop her for speeding. But there is more than meets the eye. Gastner is there to help, but Estelle can go far to cope.

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.

"In close-knit Posadas County, where everyone knows everyone's business, it turns out that some people can bury secrets, and some secrets are murderous."—Kirkus Reviews It's Christmas in Posadas County. Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman is settling down to a quiet evening with her family, until her doctor husband gets a call from the retired chief-of-police: he's at a nearby motel, having pains. Then Estelle gets a call herself. She and ex-Sheriff Bill Gastner, who was visiting the Guzman home at the time, arrive at the motel parking lot. It appears that Eduardo had an exchange with two men and then collapsed, the men taking off in his car. An out-of-town couple, the woman on the verge of giving birth, were the only ones to witness the encounter, but something seems off in their story. This is the fourteenth in Havill's Posadas County mysteries.

The rugged Cat Mesa country north of the village of Posadas is hosting the first annual Posadas 100, a cycle-cross bicycle race that promises to attract more than 140 competitors. Despite enough injuries during the pre-race practice to promise a spectacular and dangerous race, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman has even more pressing concerns on her mind. Someone has been using Jerry Turner's big Cessna 206 and then returning it to its hangar at the Posadas airport. Did the airplane end up in Mexico? Estelle has worries at home as well. Facing his first public piano recital, her prodigiously talented seven-year-old son is stubbornly refusing to tell anyone what he plans to play, and it's making everyone, including his music teacher, very nervous. The day of the big race brings a tragedy that doesn't look like an accident, and as the investigation continues, puzzling connections surface deep in Mexico.

Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman is always busy, but now more so than ever. The sheriff is still not completely recovered from his stay in the hospital, and she is recovering from a hospital stay herself. After a long day at work, Estelle is happy to clear off her desk and drive home where her beloved family waits. She hears her cell phone ringing as she pulls into the driveway. A truck has gone off the road and the driver's body found near the wreck. Back on the job, Estelle drives to the scene, where she finds more questions than answers. Was the truck's going over the hill really an accident? And why was there a single footprint on the man's body? An autopsy spurs further puzzles. The sixth in the Posadas County Mystery series.

"Havill is a master at using procedural details to expose the complexities of small-town relationships, but he also excels at drawing meaning from landscape." —Booklist A rattlesnake fang pegged in a teenager's eye is just the beginning of a spring day for Posadas County Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman. The injured lad's older brother goes missing, and is found dead in an arroyo, apparently killed by his cartwheeling ATV. But most puzzling is what the dead boy found moments before he was killed...an astonishing discovery that takes deputies back to a five-year-old killing. Soon Estelle and the now-retired Bill Gastner find themselves looking for a murderer altogether too close to home.

When a county employee is found shot to death in broad daylight while sitting in his county road grader, Undersheriff Bill Gastner is faced with puzzling questions. The simplest explanation - that an errant bullet from a careless target shooter's rifle blew out Larry Zipoli's brains - is soon discarded. The fatal bullet shows no rifling marks, and investigation reveals that the shooter walked directly toward the road grader, in full view of the victim - who did nothing to defend himself. In addition to the demands of the investigation, Gastner learns that Sheriff Eduardo Salcido has hired a new deputy without discussing the matter with his undersheriff. And Gastner learns that the new hire is destined to be the fi rst female road patrol deputy in the history of Posadas County. Thus begins Gastner's relationship with Estelle Reyes, whose shrewd observations shed important light on a crime that rattles all kinds of skeletons lurking in Posadas County closets.

"Gastner's capabilities are plausible for a septuagenarian, and Havill peoples the book with believable characters." —Publishers Weekly STARRED review What do you do when you inherit $330 million after taxes? If you're New Mexico rancher Miles Waddell, you build a dream. Waddell's dream is NightZone, an astronomy-based theme park complete with giant radio telescope, a bank of smaller scopes linked to a theater, five-star dining in a restaurant with retracting dome ceiling, a hotel/resort, tram car access, and a narrow gauge steam locomotive to carry tourists to the mesa top. But the dream becomes a nightmare when two eco-terrorists chain-saw down power lines that feed the development. One of them is killed by a bucking power pole; the other escapes by car. From 20 miles away, retired Posadas Sheriff William K. Gastner spots a pair of headlights as the dead man's companion speeds from the scene. Soon charges include murder when the fleeing conspirator is stopped by a cop and guns the lawman down. Hours later Gastner stops to assist Sgt. Jackie Taber during an unrelated traffic stop, and 74-year-old Gastner becomes the focus of a second investigation by the District Attorney and Sheriff's Department.

Next book in the Posadas County Mystery Series Posadas County Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman has a lot on her plate-but when her family is threatened by a criminal underworld, she'll stop at nothing to protect her own 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 surfaces in the small town to mend family ties and leaves a trail of corpses in his wake. Meanwhile, escalating events put Sheriff Bobby Torrez in jeopardy-and with a criminal willing to openly attack local law enforcement, the citizens of Posadas County are in incredible danger. And just when his sage advice might be most useful, former county sheriff and family friend Bill Gastner is injured and out of commission. As the situation on both sides of the border heats up, the inevitable outcome grows more and more deadly. In Blood Sweep, the next title in Steven F. Havill's Posadas County Mysteries, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman's past will come back to haunt her. Can she keep Posadas County safe from it? This acclaimed series is: • Perfect for fans of C.J. Box and Michael McGarrity • For readers who enjoy police procedurals and Southwest desert mysteries

Next book in the Posadas County Mystery Series When a series of minor crimes culminate in murder, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman will have to partner with a retired sheriff to get to the bottom of the case Posadas County, New Mexico, is in the news. NightZone, a mammoth astronomy theme park, is bringing in jobs, media, and much-needed new infrastructure. The property's recently been vandalized, but that's hardly a concern for the county. Plus, the Posadas High School girls' volleyball team is on a hot winning streak, exciting everyone. But more news, not good, breaks. Volleyball Coach Clint Scott has been found gunned-down by the high school, a bullet fired nearly point blank into his heart. A partially finished piece of graffiti outside the school implies that there is a witness, but law enforcement has no idea who it could be. And the next morning, a former volleyball star disappears without a trace-the two instances must be connected, but why? The lead on the murder is Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman, a "lady cop" who's earned the trust of Posadas County. Still, she calls on the retired small town sheriff, Bill Gastner to assist with the baffling investigation. They'll need to track a slippery witness and nab the killer before the town's panic spirals out of control or another person is hurt. When the murder of one of their own shakes up Posadas County, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman takes on a series of baffling mysteries to make her town safe again. This acclaimed mystery series is: • Perfect for fans of C.J. Box and Michael McGarrity • For readers who enjoy police procedurals and Southwest desert mysteries

Next book in the Posadas County Mystery Series "This is one of the very best entries in a consistently excellent series."—Booklist STARRED review When County Sheriff Bill Gastner retired from Posadas County, Deputy Robert Torrez rose through ranks of small town law enforcement. But what were Torrez's first days as a rookie officer like? It's 1986. Undersheriff Bill Gastner is enjoying his usual insomnia alone inside his old adobe when jolted by a horrendous noise. Dreading what he will find, he hastens to the nearby interstate exit where a violent crash has occurred. Not only is the vehicle that struck the support pillars totaled and the driver and a passenger crushed inside, a dead boy has been ejected. As the appalled Gastner recognizes the youth and swings into action, the first deputy to join him at the scene is rookie Robert Torrez, the department's newest hire. Before Gastner can head him off, Torrez sees that the boy is his spirited younger brother. And the girl crushed inside the SUV is a younger sister. The driver of the Suburban, also dead, is the assistant District Attorney's teenaged son. Two local family tragedies. A shaken couple reports that when the Suburban, careening at nearly 100 miles an hour, passed them on the interstate, activity inside hinted at its occupants' panic. Were the three dead kids running from someone? Further investigation reveals that a fourth teen should have been in the vehicle, but is now missing. Where had the four kids been? And why? In this riveting addition to the Posadas County Mysteries, readers will get a glimpse into Deputy Robert Torrez's first big case. Thrilling and emotionally propulsive, Easy Errors proves that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Steven F. Havill's acclaimed series is: • Perfect for fans of C.J. Box and Michael McGarrity • For readers who enjoy police procedurals and Southwest desert mysteries Praise for the Posadas County Mysteries: "Gastner is a unique and endearing protagonist who certainly deserves plenty of encores."—Booklist STARRED review for Heartshot "Full of bright local color and suffused with a compassionate understanding of human motivation, this intelligent, understated mystery deserves a wide and appreciative readership."—Publishers Weekly STARRED review for Out of Season "The Posadas County Mystery series notches its sixteenth with all its signature virtues intact: good writing, an unerring sense of place and a protagonist it's a pleasure to root for."—Kirkus Reviews STARRED review for The Fourth Time is Murder "If you haven't yet discovered these wonderful mysteries, you are in for a treat!"—ANNE HILLERMAN, New York Times bestselling author for Lies Come Easy

Next book in the Posadas County Mystery Series "If you haven't yet discovered these wonderful mysteries, you are in for a treat!"—Anne Hillerman, New York Times bestselling author One blizzardy New Mexico night, Posadas County Deputy Pasquale picks up a toddler abandoned along the shoulder of State 56… And as more disturbing cases pile up, the Sheriff's Department find themselves caught in a dangerous web of deceit Deputy Pasquale is horrified, but it seems like a cut and dry case: the father is arrested, and that should be that. But when the man is later found murdered, it's clear something is afoot. Meanwhile, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman's search for a missing US Forest service range tech results in the discovery of a corpse on the county line. With one person still missing and two dead, it's clear there are dark powers at play. And the irony of so much wickedness at the holidays is not lost on anyone. The Sheriff's Department is stretched to its limits as its dedicated personnel juggle working cases and wrangling their own relationships and families. In this addition to the Posadas County Mysteries, family dynamics heighten the tension of a dangerous criminal case as Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman and the whole department work to pull the right threads out of a tangle of seemingly small lies. And as harrowing details come to light, it becomes apparent that justice for all will prove elusive. Steven F. Havill's acclaimed series is: • Perfect for fans of C.J. Box and Michael McGarrity • For readers who enjoy police procedurals and Southwest desert mysteries

No crime is forgiven, and no mistake overlooked in this new addition to the critically acclaimed Posadas County Mystery series… When a developer shows up in Posadas County, the locals get nervous. The small town along the southern border of New Mexico has enjoyed a surge in visitors, jobs, and prosperity since rancher Miles Waddell opened an eco-friendly complex. But then the developer buys land just next door, with plans for a project that will threaten the county's newfound success. Tension is at an all-time high when someone shoots up the newsroom—and then the developer is found dead at the base of a cliff. Sheriff Bob Torrez and Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman know these events are all too convenient and bloody not to be connected. With support from Bill Gastner—an old Western sheriff straight out of the movies—the partners dive into a heated investigation. But as the case gets personal, the two will have to untangle a web of convoluted evidence before the community turns on itself. Readers of C. J. Box and Anne Hillerman will be riveted by this female protagonist thriller set in the rural, rugged Southwest. The newest of Steven F. Havill's Western mysteries and thrillers will lead you down trails of danger and deceit… But will one of these paths lead to justice? "The Posadas County that Havill has created is so tangible, you feel that if you walked down its streets, you would be greeted by old friends."—Bookreporter "Less Than A Moment reveals Posadas' sense of small-town life through the conversations of multiple characters and by rolling them into the narrative, whether they're related or unrelated to the crimes."—Albuquerque Journal

Good cops have no use for coincidence When a driver slams his pickup truck—twice—into a tandem bike being ridden by Carlos Guzman and his fiancée, Tasha, in Briones, California, it's more than a simple hit-and-run; the driver clearly intended to harm them. Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman gets the call with the news of her son's accident and wastes no time racing to his side. She is greeted by Police Captain Eddie Mitchell, formerly of Posadas County, who allows Estelle to "consult" on the investigation—but only to a point. While Carlos struggles with critical injuries, an employee at the bike shop where Carlos bought the tandem is found shot dead in a dumpster—the same man who had borrowed the truck that mowed down Carlos and Tasha. The local cops aren't convinced there's any connection between the two crimes. Not a believer in coincidence, Estelle pursues every possible angle with a cop's determination to solve the case, and a mother's resolve to keep her son safe at any cost.

Octogenarian former sheriff Bill Gastner and Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman investigate a puzzling double murder in this twisty, page-turning instalment in the critically acclaimed Posadas County mystery series "If you haven't yet discovered these wonderful mysteries, you are in for a treat!" Anne Hillerman, New York Times bestselling author The morning after his eighty-seventh birthday bash, former Posadas County sheriff Bill Gastner drives past a couple of vehicles stopped on the highway shoulder. It's not an unusual sight: a sheriff's patrol unit, emergency lights ablaze, pulled in behind a pickup truck. The female deputy hasn't radioed for backup. But there's something about the scene that makes him feel uneasy. The next day, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman is called to a rather more dramatic and disturbing roadside scene, with the same truck the star of the show. But this time, its occupant is in no fit state to talk - his dead body stabbed through the chest with a Ka-Bar, a second corpse in the ditch beside the car. What happened to the two men? And what were the dead man and the deputy discussing in the quiet of pre-dawn the previous day? The truth is more twisty and complex than even Estelle and her long-standing friend and former colleague Bill are ready for, and it will take all their combined years of experience to untangle the sorry tale and ensure justice is served. Fans of CJ Box, Anne Hillerman and Terry Shames will love this thrilling, small-town Western mystery set in New Mexico, as will readers who love strong female protagonists and retired sleuthing heroes.

A fatal road crash – a domestic incident turned deadly – if it isn't one thing, it's another for Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman in this intricately plotted, warm-hearted Posadas County mystery, set in small-town New Mexico "If you haven't yet discovered these wonderful mysteries, you are in for a treat!" Anne Hillerman, New York Times bestselling author When a pickup truck pulling a horse trailer collides with a loaded semi, it seems like a straightforward accident. Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman presumes the most complicated part of the clean-up will be getting thirty tons of unsplit firewood off of Posadas County's state highway. But the plot thickens when the mangled vehicles are wrenched apart and the pickup's deceased driver is not who Estelle was expecting. Who is the dead man – and where was he heading with his cargo, a prized stallion whose owner is frantic to get him back? And if it isn't one thing, it's another. Just as Estelle gets her teeth in the case, she's called to a domestic incident between a local volatile couple, which has led not just to death – but to the injury of a fellow cop. Understaffed and overworked, Estelle finds herself plunged into two tricky investigations, which will take her across the border into Mexico to find the answers – and the justice – that she seeks. If you like C.J. Box, Anne Hillerman and Terry Shames, you'll love this small-town mystery which combines a vivid setting, multidimensional characters who spring from the page, and meticulous plotting, full of twists and turns.