From Publishers Weekly
Things go from bad to worse in Posadas, N.Mex., at the start of Havill's appealing fourth Posadas County mystery (after 2004's
Convenient Disposal). First, Chief of Police Eduardo Martinez suffers a heart attack while confronting car thieves on Christmas eve; Sheriff Robert Torrez has a pulmonary embolism Christmas morning; a deputy's fiancée is murdered that afternoon; and former sheriff Bill Gastner is brutally attacked that night. It's enough for under-sheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman to keep up with the medical reports, never mind track down the perps. As Estelle races from crime scene to hospital to home and back again, she's keenly aware of time slipping away and with it the criminals. The initial flood of characters and Estelle having to deal with her musically gifted son, Fernando, may make newcomers feel as if they've walked into the middle of a movie. But once Havill gets into the police work, the story becomes more focused. Descriptions are as spare as the Southwest desert, and the action gallops along to a satisfyingly thrilling ending.
(Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
Stephanie Brush narrates this fourth entry in Havill's Posadas County series. Under-sheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman balances domestic life at Christmas with the demands of solving the murder of a deputy's fiancée, as well as identifying the perpetrator of a brutal attack on the former sheriff. Brush's clear voice demonstrates intense emotion and highlights the suspense involved in this intriguing mystery. While female voices are her strength, she noticeably struggles to find unique, believable male voices. But her Spanish pronunciations are easy to understand, managing to project warmth and caring when Estelle speaks to her family. Havill and Brush team up effectively to evoke daily life in small town New Mexico. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
