SERPENT GATE (C)

Mountainair, New Mexico. The very name conjures up the clean air, the foothills, the gorgeous mountains of the Southwest. Some would say this is God's country. It's also Kevin Kerney's, especially when crimes like rape and cop murder intrude on the outwardly idyllic natural setting. It was opening night of the annual town rodeo six months ago when Patrolman Paul Gillespie left the calf-roping finals, headed toward the police station, and was killed by person or persons unknown. Nobody much is talking, at least not to Kerney, but Kerney suspects that one man, Robert Cordova, a schizophrenic, saw something that memorable night. Why, for instance, does Cordova seem obsessed with rape, and what about his ramblings on the subject of Serpent Gate? And what roles, if any, should the possibly imaginary Addie and veterinarian Nita Lassiter play in Kerney's investigation? Murder and its aftermath, which are reflected on a small scale in Mountainair, play themselves out against a much glitzier backdrop in upmarket Sante Fe, where priceless art disappears from the governor's offices and a beautiful young woman dies a quick and violent death in a millionaire's mansion. While monitoring Mountainair, Kerney, now deputy chief of the State Police, returns to Santa Fe to take on an old nemesis. Restless, thinking perhaps too often of a woman who is, for him, off-limits, Kerney accepts the challenge. With his love of the land, his knowledge of police tactics and the criminal mind, his raw courage and tenaciousness, Kerney heads toward a showdown with his enemy. Serpent Gate brilliantly confirms the literary power of one of the most talked-about new voices in the crime-writing arena. Both spellbinding entertainment and a deeply moving portrait of the American Southwest, the novel is sure to win author Michael McGarrity many new fans.

Michael McGarrity is the author of Tularosa, nominated for an Anthony Award, and Mexican Hat. A former deputy sheriff for Santa Fe County, he established the first Sex Crimes Unit there and led it to award-winning status. He has also worked as an instructor at the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy and as investigator for the New Mexico Public Defender's Office. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.