Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kerney is back in the tenth and most entertaining novel in Michael McGarrity's acclaimed mystery series. After years away on the pro rodeo circuit, Johnny Jordan struts into Santa Fe to ask his boyhood friend, Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kerney, to serve as a technical advisor on a contemporary Western movie to be filmed along the Mexican border. Kerney agrees and plans a working vacation on location, in a remote area of the state known as the Bootheel, with his wife, Lt. Colonel Sara Brannon, and their three-year-old son, Patrick. But, a dead man on the road near an isolated border crossing, a federal undercover investigation into immigrant smuggling, the search for a fugitive from military justice hiding somewhere in Europe, and Johnny Jordan's troublesome behavior all ensure that nothing goes as planned. As separate investigations embroil them in circumstances that will forever change their lives, Kerney must care for Patrick while Sara plays a dangerous game of Pentagon politics. Packed with family secrets, international intrigue, and memorable characters, this is McGarrity's most ambitious and involving novel to date-- traveling an accelerating arc from Santa Fe to the desert grasslands and mountains of the Bootheel, to the most secret levels of the Pentagon, to a resort town on the coast of Ireland, and back to an adrenaline-charged climax on a desolate landing strip a few miles north of the Mexican border.
Just loved the book, McGarrity is a great writer, very captivating and he describes New Mexico in such an excellent way, you truly picture the places that are very familiar to me.
Read them in order
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
This was the first McGarrity book I read and had my head spinning afterwards. After reading other McGarrity books and looking through some of the reviews I finally know why. You've got to read the Keven Kearney books in chronological order, otherwise they won't make sense to you as the characters develop through the series. When I read this book, thought the Sara subplot was very strange. It got introduced fairly well but the subplot didn't end. Now I know that it will probably end with the next KK book. When I read the "prequel" to this book "Slow to kill" I was wondering at the way the book finished abruptly but now I know it was just to be continued. I still gave this book high marks because McGarrity's style is easy to read and I'm familiar with the characters, they're like old friends. You've got to get used to his rushed endings though. The best things for me are the way he details police procedure during the investigations. Some reviews find them boring, but I find it relaxing to read. To each their own. You either like these books or you don't, and the books are so formulaic that you'll find out within 1 book whether you like them or not. None of my reviews discuss the plot. That's because I prefer to read books "blind" so I don't even know what type of book I'm getting into. I don't even read the flyleafs, just a minimum scan to let me know it's not romance or something like that. And I figure, if you want to know the plot, you can read the descriptions. I just try to detail what I like or dislike about them.
Always great
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
Kevin Kearney is a terrific hero. Have always totally enjoyed this series.
He's kept the faith
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
Once again Micheal McGarrity has produced a page turner that makes you want to sit there and take it in in one read
Love the Kevin Kerney series.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
I just finished this book last night. I have read every book Michael McGarrity has written in the Kevin Kerney Series and really do like them. At first I didn't think I would like this book because of the "movie" part...I don't like Hollywood or film making or anything to do with it but most of that was in the background. As usual when I finish one of Michael McGarrity's books, I start looking forward to the next one. Hurry up Mr. McGarrity...I'm waiting.
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