Mexican Hat

Starred review from April 28, 1997
McGarrity delivers on the promise of his accomplished debut in Tularosa (1996) with his second Kevin Kerney novel. A large cast of tough, believable characters brings life to a complex, action-filled plot that combines animal poaching, smuggling and the activities of present-day anti-environmentalists in the West with cattle theft and land-grabbing during the Depression. Kevin is working temporarily for the Forest Service in western New Mexico's Gila Wilderness. While tracing a missing tagged cougar with Fish and Game Department officer Jim Stiles, Kevin discovers a dying elderly Mexican tourist, Jose Padilla, and Jose's murdered grandson, Hector. The sheriff and Assistant DA Karen Cox ask Kevin to investigate. The physical attraction between Kevin and Karen is cooled by their discovery of an old relationship between the Padillas and Karen's father, Edgar, and his twin, her uncle Eugene, who have been feuding for 60 years. The plot intensifies: Jim is ambushed, Kevin's trailer is bombed, they jeopardize an FBI undercover operation while seeking an elusive wildlife smuggler. Luck and good police work, however, lead them to the links among the murders, missing animals and the Coxes. Although McGarrity sets up some eyebrow-raising coincidences (as a teenager, Kevin beat Karen's cousin in a rodeo competition), he ingeniously orchestrates character, place, action, history and relationships into another outstanding novel. Author tour.

May 1, 1997
Kevin Kerney, a disabled policeman working as a forest ranger, discovers a poaching incident in the Gilla Wilderness of New Mexico. He than discovers is stranded tourist, Dr. Jose Padilla, who has returned to Catron County after 60 years to solve the mystery surrounding his father's murder. Tragically, Kerney next finds Padilla's grandson, Hector, murdered--a case of history repeating itself. Karen Cox, a sexy assistant district attorney, appoints Kerney as special investigator. Kerney, who made his debut in Tularosa (Norton, 1996), successfully solves another series of crimes in this entertaining thriller. Like Tony Hillerman's Southwestern mysteries, this novel features authentic detail and realistic description. The dialog has an easy, natural flow. The characters may not have great depth, but this is an exciting, well-crafted story with a likable, sympathetic hero, appealing heroine and secondary characters, and appropriately vile villains. Recommended for all suspense collections.--Jacqueline Seewald, Red Bank Regional H.S., Little Silver, N.J.

May 15, 1997
Former Santa Fe police chief Kevin Kerney makes ends meet with a temporary job as a park ranger in the Gila Wilderness Park. After a black bear is found dead in the hills and a Mexican tourist is murdered nearby, Kerney detects a poaching ring at work. When assistant district attorney Karen Cox appoints Kerney to lead the investigation, personal and professional interests conflict. Kerney is attracted to Cox, but the case points toward her family. This second Kerney novel is at least the equal of its acclaimed predecessor, "Tularosa." The contemporary western setting is carefully drawn and functions as a character as well as a backdrop. Kerney himself has a number of reasons to be bitter over the turns his life has taken but never succumbs to them. He's tough but not a superman; he's sharp but not Holmes. He's a good man willing to do difficult, often painful work. He's very much worth getting to know. ((Reviewed May 15, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)