Reviewing: 'Red, Green or Murder" by Steven Havill

This novel marks the return of what always made this series great- Bill Gastner. Several novels ago, Bill Gastner moved on to his job as a New Mexico Live Stock Inspector. The focus of the novels changed to Undersheriff Estelle Reyes Guzman and her family with Bill Gastner making the occasional brief appearance. This was also noted with the tiles as the series became “The Posadas County Mysteries.” Something was lost in that shift as the books were different in style, tone and read. It took some getting used to, at least for this reader, and the last couple have been pretty good.



Now Author Steven Havill reminds us of the past with this novel set several novels ago just after Gastner moved into his job as a New Mexico Live Stock Inspector. It is a perfect job for Gastner and allows him to roam the wide open spaces of Posadas County and get paid to do it. The novel begins out at the H-Bar-T ranch one beautiful September morning with Bill and the owner Herb Torrance eyeballing twenty-four head of cattle. Unlike the old days when cowboys simply drove a herd where they wanted when they wanted, these days the cattle had to be inspected first and cleared for travel before being loaded into a stock trailer, fees paid and paper work processed, and then they can be moved. While Bill is enjoying the scene straight out of the Old West, he is looking forward to lunch with good friend George Payton.

A lunch ultimately he won’t have because of a freak accident involving one of the ranch hands at the H-Bar-T that cause a postponement. Then news comes that George has died while eating the lunch the two of them would have shared. Elderly, George did have numerous health issues so his sudden death, apparently due to a massive heart attack, isn’t surprising. Still, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman investigates the unattended death fully and slowly it begins to appear that the heart attack had a much more sinister cause.

While Bill is still in shock that George has died, the cattle that should have been on the new section of range land are found miles away on a country road wandering aimlessly. The range hand is missing having left his beloved dog behind and equally troubling is the fact that the very expensive truck and stock trailer are missing. Word comes that they were spotted crossing the border being driven by people unknown which means foul play is at work here. For Bill Gastner in his new job, this case takes precedence though Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman keeps him well involved in the investigation surrounding George’s death.

This 16th novel in the series is yet another strong mystery tale set in New Mexico. Author Steven Havill continues to create mighty good and dependable reads that aren’t full of profanity or graphic violence. While this novel sheds no new light on the central characters, that isn’t unexpected as Havill has fleshed out these characters long ago. He isn’t about to create some cheap theatrics just to shake up the world.

Instead, his books are rock solid and feature central characters that are average folks doing the best they can in their little corner of the world and people you would be glad to know and be able to count on in times of crisis. Along the way, much as Bill Crider does in his books or Milton T, Burton does in his, Steven Havill creates a fictional world that has a mighty good tale that pulls you in quickly. If you aren’t reading these folks you are really missing out.


Red, Green, or Murder: The Posadas County Mysteries
Steven F. Havill
Poisoned Pen Press
http://www.poisonedpenpress.com/
2009
ISBN# 978-1-59058-665-5
Hardback
275 Pages
$24.95



Book provided by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Public Library System.


Kevin R. Tipple © 2010