Twice Buried (Missing Mystery, 28)

By Steven F. Havill

Book Overview

Third book in the Posadas County Mystery Series

"Gastner is an incisive investigator whose two most valuable qualities are compassion and insomnia. Unlike other fictional detectives who approach murder as a personal affront, Gastner sees himself as the victims' advocate, striving to even the scales of justice for those no longer able to do it themselves."--Booklist

When two baffling crimes strike Posadas County, New Mexico, Undersheriff Bill Gastner knows they're connected somehow. But as the case heats up he may have to call in reinforcements...

Bill Gastner, Undersheriff of Posadas County, may be getting on in years, but he's still as sharp as any other small town sheriff. When he gets a call that an elderly schoolteacher was found dead at the bottom of her basement stairs, he suspects it wasn't an accident. Something strange is going on...

He's also sure that elderly Reuben Fuentes knows nothing about the bodies scattered on his dusty, southern New Mexico ranch. Although the other county sheriffs want to arrest Fuentes and be done with the case, Bill isn't convinced. No spring chicken himself, Bill summons his former deputy, Estelle Reyes-Guzman, from Mexico to help clear the old man of suspicion. She's used to handling people who call her a 'lady cop' and can take anything thrown her way. Eventually this generation-spanning law enforcement team finds a thread tying all the crimes together--a killer with no conscience.

In this thrilling addition to Steven F. Havill's posadas County Mystery Series, Undersheriff Bill Gastner will have to rely on former deputy Estelle Reyes-Guzman to help him unravel a harrowing case that spans all of Posadas County.

Check out the iconic series:

Perfect for fans of C.J. Box and Michael McGarrityFor readers who enjoy police procedurals and Southwest desert mysteries

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1890208469
• ISBN13: 9781890208462
• Release Date: September 2011
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Southern New Mexico mystery

I enjoyed the character development and understanding of the setting by the author. The mystery was well told and believable. I have "met" some of these characters types here in New Mexico. Enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading another one I ordered at the same time.

Not up to the standards of later Gastner mysteries

Having read several of the later Undersherrif Bill Gastner mysteries I found myself a little torn with this one. I love the character of Bill Gastner. The characters in this series are particularly well-developed and realistic. The procedures in this book are thorough and seemingly well-depicted (I'm not a police officer but it seemed pretty kosher to me) except for one very large hole in the way the investigation developed - a whole line of investigation was ignored that seemed obvious to me. This hurt the integrity of the book in my eyes but I still give it 4 stars. If you are a fan of Tony Hillerman's Navajo Tribal Police books you should check out this series.