Socorro Blast

It is so much fun to witness a good writer getting better and better. That's exactly what you will find in Pari Noskin Taichert's Sasha Solomon mystery series. She started with The Clovis Incident (2004) and The Belen Hitch (2005), both of which were great books and fun reads. But I've become a confirmed fan with her latest in the series, The Socorro Blast (2008).



Not only do we get reacquainted with the always imperfect and whipped cream swigging Sasha, but we also get to meet some more members of her eccentric family. We get to ride along with her attempts to solve a mystery, this time in the areas around Socorro, Magdalena, San Antonio, and Albuquerque. And to top it off, Taichert offers some timely insight into the machinations and manipulations of the media. Don't miss it!

McGarrity on Kerney

Thanks to Towanda, over at La Casa de Towanda, I have been reading Michael McGarrity books one after another. McGarrity has a wonderful web site with all kinds of information about himself, his books, and their settings. I am now about halfway through the books in the series featuring Kevin Kerney, which are set in various areas of New Mexico. Here is what McGarrity has to say about Kerney:

“When I developed the character of Kevin Kerney, I wanted to put on the page a fully-drawn individual who would run counter to the trend of quirky or emotionally damaged protagonists in mystery fiction. Kerney carries his scars and emotional baggage well, and has a strong moral fiber which rarely takes him over the edge. He is a man who knows the difference between right and wrong and practices his profession with a sense of ethics, responsibility, and pride. While he's strong-willed and persistent, he is neither overly macho or flashy.Born on a ranch in the Tularosa Basin in south central New Mexico, Kerney has long dreamt of returning to his roots, which was taken away from his parents when the military expanded White Sands Missile Range, a high-security weapons testing facility.A college educated, decorated veteran of Vietnam, Kerney's life took a different turn when he entered law enforcement after military service, advancing through the ranks to chief of detectives in the Santa Fe Police Department until a gunfight with a drug dealer forced him into a painful, unhappy medical retirement.”

The books in the series, listed below, clearly show that to Kevin Kerney the idea of “being retired” means something very different from the usual definition.

This is a list for me as much as it is for you. I wanted to be able to scan through the titles in chronological order and to know where each was set in New Mexico. The links will take you to McGarrity’s page for each title, where you will find a synopsis, reviews, a location map and information/photographs about the locale, and book ordering information. As a recent retiree, I’m always interested in how people fill their time. Read what Kerney does with his!


Kevin Kerney books by Michael McGarrity, in chronological order, with the New Mexico setting noted

Tularosa (1996): Tularosa Basin and White Sands Missile Range
Mexican Hat (1997): Gila Wilderness
Serpents Gate (1998): Mountainair
Hermit's Peak (1999): Las Vegas (NM) region
The Judas Judge (2000): South central NM
Under The Color of Law (2001): Santa Fe
The Big Gamble (2002): Lincoln County
Everyone Dies (2003): Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Socorro, Mescalero Reservation
Slow Kill (2004): Northern New Mexico
Nothing But Trouble (2005): Boothill area of NM
Death Song (December 2007): Santa Fe and Lincoln County