Santa Fe - Arrival Day

Oh, you didn't think I'd come to Santa Fe for Left Coast Crime and not include a few pictures ahead of time, did you? This is the city I've been waiting to see for ten years. Honest? I've been all over the U.S., but this is the only place I've never been that I've been wanting to visit. I left the cats and apartment in good hands, and came here a couple days early so I'd have time to see the city.

Before I even arrived, though, I had a fun time. It takes an hour on the shuttle from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. The driver called out names before we got on, and when I sat down, the woman sitting next to me said I knew you looked familiar. I read your blog all the time. Grace Koshida is from Toronto, and she uses vacation to attend mystery conferences. So, we spent the entire hour happily talking mysteries, authors and conferences. Thanks, Grace! See you later this week.

I'm staying at La Fonda, the conference hotel. So, two pictures, one of the hotel, and one looking over the La Plazuela Restaurant. And, the hotel room is gorgeous, with artwork and woodwork even there.

I didn't have much time after checking in, but I did walk around a little to get my bearings. St. Francis Cathedral Basilica is across the street from La Fonda. Tomorrow, I'll get the chance to go in, and see the park there.

This is the Plaza. And, I'm my parents' daughter, sharing their love of history. The plaque marks the end of the Santa Fe Trail.

One final picture. My Mom and sisters know I have a fascination wjith doors and windows. Possibilities! So, here's a Santa Fe window.

Heading back to the room afterward, I ran into author Vicki Delany in the hallway. Vicki will be appearing for Authors @ The Teague next week. This week, we're both here to enjoy Santa Fe and Left Coast Crime.

Snare by Deborah J. Ledford

I don't read mysteries or thrillers for the frantic pace. I read for character and plot, which is why I don't read many thrillers.  But Deborah J. Ledfords' Snare offers a depth of character, and an eerie feeling of atmosphere that isn't always present in thrillers.  It's tense, but, at the same time she allows the story to develop at a natural pace, without forcing the suspense. The book deserves its nomination for this year's Hillerman Sky Award.

From page one, we're drawn into the tragedy of young Katina Salvo's life as she listens to her mother's last fight with her abusive father.  And, even at twenty-three, fifteen years later, she's fleeing from her past.  It's no wonder the successful Native American singer/songwriter has never appeared in public.  But, that's about to change, and her first concert will be in North Carolina, where Deputy Steven Hawk is charged with keeping her safe.  It's too bad neither Hawk nor Katina know all the reasons someone might want her dead.

Despite all precautions, Katrina and Hawk are caught in a trap the night of the concert. When Hawk is seriously injured, something prevents a greater tragedy, a presence they both sense. While Hawk has to recover physically, Katrina has to recover emotionally from the events of that night.  She turns to her past, her aunt's home on the Taos Pueblo Reservation in New Mexico for answers, and Hawk accompanies her, not knowing if he's looking for her father or a man from the reservation who comes and goes like a ghost.  But, both of them sense that answers will only be found there.

Ledford's novel is so much more impressive than so many thrillers, with its depth of character.  Hawk is fully developed as a black deputy, very much aware of some feelings against him in North Carolina.  At the same time, his strong family ties gives him a grounding, a safety net in life that Katina lacks.  It's Katina's story that slowly unfolds in the course of the story as the true tragedy of her life is told.  Ledford even tells the parallel story of Katrina's father, an ex-con who only learns of his daughter's success after he's out of prison.

The story has an atmosphere of impending doom that hangs over the entire book. Some of that comes from the use of nature and symbols.  Ledford shows a great respect for spiritual beliefs of Katina's people and Hawk's. Those beliefs are essential to the story, beliefs in spirits and their roles after death, beliefs in the messages sent by the birds and nature. The beauty of the two settings, North Carolina and the Taos Pueblo Reservation, are in stark contrast to the dark atmosphere hanging over Katina's life.

With its atmosphere and strong characters, Snare is a gripping story of a woman trapped by her past, and the past of her dead mother. It's also the story of a lawman who chose his profession to make a difference in his community. For once, he has to leave his life, to help a young woman survive, and find her own community.

Deborah J. Ledford's website is www.DeborahJLedford.com

Snare by Deborah J. Ledford. Second Wind Publishing,  ©2010. ISBN 9781935171577 (paperback), 325p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The author gave me a copy of the book, in hopes I would review it.

Double Prey by Steven F. Havill

I won't say Steven Havill is an unknown treasure.  He will be one of the guests of honor at Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe in March.  But, his Posadas County mysteries certainly aren't as well known as they should be.  Havill's books have vivid settings, rich in description of the New Mexico desert. The latest one, Double Prey, is another of his gems, an excellent police procedural.

The desert is the kind of stark place in which a young boy can have an accident involving a weed wacker and a rattlesnake.  Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman takes a call about "two hoodlums," her nine-year-old son, and a fourteen-year-old friend, who seemed to have had an accident.  When she gets there, she finds that Butch Romero tried to kill a rattlesnake, ending up with a fang in his eye.  If she and his parents hadn't been so concerned about Butch, someone might have noticed that his older brother, Freddy, never came home that night.  But, the Romeros were at a hospital out of town as their younger son was operated on.  It was only when Estelle went to find Freddy, the hero of a recent story about the discovery of a jaguar's skull, that she discovered he was missing.  When she follows his hunch, and stories of his desert exploration, she finds Freddy's body, where his ATV flipped into an arroyo.  Now, her neighbors, the Romeros, have one dead son, and one with an uncertain prognosis.  

But, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Gusman trained with the best, Sheriff Bill Gastner, now retired, and working as a State Livestock Inspector.  And, she isn't comfortable with the story of Freddy, his discovery of a jaguar skull, and the location of his accident.  With Gastner's assistance, she painstakingly recreates Freddy Romero's last hours, learning that Freddy's death might have been necessary to cover up another crime.

It's always a pleasure to return to Posadas County, where the sheriff's department is professional, and works as a team.  The details of the investigations are always carefully laid out in these well-written police procedurals.  But Steven Havill also creates complex characters, and their lives, and family situations change in the course of the series.  Reyes-Guzman's family life is complicated, and in a state of flux.  You could easily pick up Double Prey and read it as a standalone.  But, why would you want to miss the rich storytelling and development of these characters and Posadas County?  The seventeen books in this series should entice anyone who appreciates outstanding police procedurals, with a setting that brings these mysteries to life.

Double Prey by Steven F. Havill.  Poisoned Pen Press, ©2011. ISBN 9781590587843 (paperback), 250p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - I read an advanced copy on my Kindle, requested from the publisher.