Bitter Tea and Mystery: Heartshot: Steven F. Havill

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Heartshot: Steven F. Havill: Heartshot is the first book in a  24-book series by Steven F. Havill. The series is set in a fictional county in New Mexico. Although this ...

Review: "Nightzone: The Posadas County Mysteries" by Steven F. Havill

Known for his legendary insomnia it would surprise no one to learn that retired Posadas County sheriff William K. Gastner is out and about somewhere in the county in the long hours of the night. This February night at one in the morning finds him on a rim rock of Cat Mesa wrapped up in a blanket looking at the stars and thinking about Bennett's Trail and his recent discovery of a Colt single action revolver lodged in a nearby crevice. Along with the possible history of a legendary weapon, also on his mind is the upcoming concert by one of the children of Undersheriff  Estelle Reyes Guzman and the fact that his small adobe home is going to serve as the host for the traveling faculty and stage crew in just a few days.

His thoughts are interrupted by two flashes of light far to the south more than at least 20 miles away. Over the next few minutes, Gastner sees what appears to be the start of a prairie wildfire as well as a pair of headlights going north on County Road 14. Whomever is on that stretch of gravel road seems to be fleeing where the building prairie wildfire started. Bill Gastner calls it in and then, like the police officer he was and to a certain extent still is, is drawn to where the action is as things rapidly escalate. Before long, Gastner is being second guessed by those who should know better, is a target of a psycho, and a wealthy rancher wants him for a job. Everybody wants a piece of him while all Gastner wants to do is stay out of it and listen to the music.

Steven F. Havill's latest in the series now branded as The Posadas County Mysteries is another good one. Gastner takes primary stage, as he used to when this series first started with Heartshot, and reminds loyal readers just how good he can be. Much like Sheriff Dan Rhodes as envisioned by Bill Crider or Sheriff Walt Longmire by Craig Johnson, Bill Gastner is an old friend and very much welcome companion.

Nightzone: The Posadas County Mysteries reflects an author at the top of his game in a story that is full throttle from start to finish. Featuring a number of characters long familiar to series readers, the tale is of family just as much as crime. As always, the author's love for the New Mexico landscape depicted in the fictional Posadas County is clear and detailed in yet another simply great read.

Nightzone: The Posadas County Mysteries

Steven F. Havill

Poisoned Pen Press

http://www.poisonedpenpress.com

October 2013

ISBN# 978-1-4642-0069-4

Hardback

305 Pages

$24.95

Material courtesy of the good folks of the Haggard Branch of the Plano Texas Public Library System.

EDITORIAL NOTE: Barry Ergang is reading the first book, Heartshot, and alerted me to the fact that it is William C. Gastner in that book as opposed to the William K. Gastner here. A quick check on Amazon of both books verified the middle name discrepancy. I am not changing it here as I can only go by what the author wrote. No matter the middle name, these are great books and I strongly recommend this series.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014

Review: "One Perfect Shot: The Posadas County Mysteries" by Steven F. Havill

Prequels seem to be coming from numerous successful authors these days.  It is a tricky thing to do and, as Lee Child and Nevada Barr have recently showed, can have decidedly mixed results. That is not true in this case as One Perfect Shot:  The Posadas County Mysteries works on all levels. The book is not only true to the series as a whole; the book is a very good one.

It is 1989 and Undersheriff Bill Gastner’s latest case is a strange one.  There is one road grader in all of Posadas county and Larry Zipoli had been using is on an unpaved road on the north side of the small village of Posadas. That was until somebody fired off the shot that punched through the windshield and slammed into Larry Zipoli’s forehead plowing deep into his brain. Mr. Zipoli never saw it coming and investigators have no idea when it happened or why.

It is going to be a hard one to solve and a strain on the department’s already limited resources and staff.  But, unbeknownst to Undersheriff Gastner as he stands in the hot sun surveying the crime scene, Sheriff Eduardo Salcido has hired a new officer contingent on her passing all the usual tests, classes, etc.  He seems to have a lot of faith in the person that would be the first female patrol deputy in the history of Posadas county. Her name is Estelle Reyes and from the start it is clear that Gastner and Reyes are destined for many things.

After writing 17 books in this incredibly good series that started years ago with Heart Shot New Mexico author Steven F. Havill takes readers back to before the beginning with his latest book. Once again the small New Mexico county of Posadas and its citizens, more like family you don’t see often enough, than fictional characters pull readers into a complex tale of deceit, recklessness and murder. The traits that many of the characters have in greater detail in later books are offered here in small ways in a case that crosses the US border into Mexico as well as over into Arizona and back again. One Perfect Shot:  The Posadas County Mysteries is another solidly good read and serves as an excellent introduction to a great series.

One Perfect Shot: The Posadas County Mysteries

Steven F. Havill

Poisoned Pen Press

http://www.poisonedpenpress.com

2011

ISBN# 978-1-59058-954-0

Hardback (also available as an e-book)

332 Pages

$24.95

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2012