Publisher, Books in Motion (2002)

"Not only does Havill offer a melancholy reinterpretation of the grand western myth of the slow-talking, fast-thinking lawman, he also writes crisp, marvelously detailed police procedurals with a mix of technical know-how, and informed common sense to get things done." –Booklist

Under Sheriff Bill Gastner feels he's going crazy sitting idle while recuperating from heart surgery. Dreaming of green chili, he is released by a phone call from home. His house has been burglarized, and his cranky ancient neighbor Florencio Apodaca has borrowed a bit of land to bury his equally ancient wife. The dead woman's stepson questions if she died a natural death. Meanwhile a young boy camping out has vanished from atop Cat Mesa. A careful search convinces Bill and Estelle Reyes-Guzman that the boy has been spirited away.