A Discount for Death (A Posadas County Mystery)

"A Discount For Death" is the second mystery bearing the tagline "A Posadas County Mystery." As long time fans know, with the retirement of Sheriff Bill Gastner, the series has shifted focus and now primarily revolves around Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman and her family. As such, this new series of which this is the second book, reflects not only a change in focus but also a subtle difference in writing style to a more distant view of the characters. While temperament of the new series is also different, this new series not only showcases familiar characters, it also retains the literary flavor of the southern New Mexico region that the author clearly loves.Opening a little after "Scavengers" left off, Posadas County Undersheriff Guzman is picking up her dry cleaning while in the village of Posadas, New Mexico. As she stands next to her patrol unit preparing to get back inside, she hears the distinctive whine of tires on pavement and engines at high speed. She can hear two vehicles in some sort of chase and knows that somewhere along their route as they draw closer, residents have already called and complained to the village Police Department. She has time to realize that the lead vehicle is a motorcycle with a car in close pursuit and then the unthinkable happens. Undersheriff Guzman is witness to a horrible crash at the end of the street as the motorcycle goes out of control, throwing the rider into the base of a utility pole. Seconds later, she witness the near crash of a Posadas Village patrol car as it slides through the accident scene.Despite what the misleading jacket copy states, which must have been written by someone who never read this book or the series, Posadas Village isn't really part of Undersheriff Guzman's Department. That fact does not stop her from being able to respond or request help. She does both and realizes that the Patrol car, now stopped, never had its lights or siren running and since they share frequencies, is sure she never heard the officer radio dispatch. The village patrolman, Perry Kenderman, whom she has known for some time, seems uncharacteristically dazed and confused as he stands surveying the wreckage and does nothing to assist the rider who lies crumpled at the base of the utility pole.The rider died at impact and Undersheriff Guzman wonders why Kenderman is acting so strange. She also wonders when he is initially questioned, why he lies, as she knows that the events he describes leading up to the crash, simply did not happen. He is lying through his teeth and not very good at it. As the investigation begins into what really happened, the District Attorney, Dan Schroeder, drops another bombshell.In an unrelated matter, he informs her that George Enriquez, about to be indicted in all likelihood by the grand jury for insurance fraud has asked to make a deal. Enriquez told the DA, "I can give you Guzman." Like the Undersheriff, the DA has no idea what he meant and he never showed up for the meeting to ex

It's a quiet night in Posadas County, New Mexico as Undersheriff Estella Reyes-Guzman heads to her car when she notices a motorcycle being chased by a patrol car without the lights flashing or the sirens sounding. By the time she reaches the accident scene the young woman is dead and Patrolman Perry Kenderman tries to lie his way out of some potentially serious charges. Perry was angry at Colette Parker because she intended to run off with his younger brother and take her kids (one of whom might be his) with her.While this scenario occurs, local insurance dealer George Enriquez, who is under a grand jury indictment for fraud, is found in his office with a bullet in his head. The murder was clumsily made to look like a suicide. After giving temporary custody of Collette's two children to their grandparents, Estelle is free to work on the homicide investigation until it gets a little too close to home.Every visit to Posada County is an adventure and A DISCOUNT FOR DEATH is no exception. As one investigation winds down, another revs up so that readers find themselves unable to tear themselves away from this exciting police procedural thriller. Steven F. Havill is a talented writer who is an expert at creating believable characters and plausible plots.Harriet Klausner