The Fourth Time Is Murder: A Posadas County Mystery (Posadas County Mysteries)
A man swerves to avoid a deer on a rain-slicked highway, flips over the guardrail, and plunges to his death. Posadas County, New Mexico, under-sheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman notices a suspicious footprint at the scene. The subsequent autopsy is troubling, too. The victim’s actual cause of death was drowning. Someone—probably Footprint—poured beer down the man’s throat until he drowned. A second tragedy follows close behind when a young illegal accidentally severs a femoral artery with a chainsaw and bleeds out in a remote area. In her investigation, Reyes-Guzman learns the crash victim was delivering “sweepstakes awards” to the locals in exchange for cash deposits to cover “handling charges and differences in the exchange rates.” The sixth Posadas County mystery featuring Reyes-Guzman—her predecessor, Bill Gastner, was featured in nine previous books—builds on the series’ strengths. The plot is revealed slowly and imaginatively. Reyes-Guzman is both an ambitious professional and family woman, forever fretting that she’s neglecting either the job or the family. And, as always, Havill insinuates small-town rhythms, prejudices, and concerns into the mix for a satisfying, intelligent mystery. --Wes Lukowsky