Before She Dies [Hardcover]

Steven F. Havill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1996

Investigating a shooting that takes the life of a Posadas County deputy and wounds a young reporter, New Mexico Undersheriff Bill Gastner and his chief of detectives Estelle Reyes-Guzman have trouble finding clues.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The danger of being a small-town cop, according to Posadas County, New Mexico, Undersheriff Bill Gastner, is that the daily humdrum will lull you to sleep, and then when all hell breaks loose, you're not ready. Young deputy Paul Encinos wasn't ready. He is found dead beside his squad car on a country road, the victim of three shotgun blasts. Seriously wounded in the attack but still clinging to life is Linda Real, a local reporter who was accompanying Encinos as background for a story. Gastner and his top officer, Estelle Reyes-Guzman, don't have much to go on: a shell casing, part of a wrench, and a partial tire print. Meanwhile, the town's bad girl, Tammy Woodruff, has disappeared, suggesting that she may have been a witness to the murders. The fourth Gastner case is easily the best, no small feat in a series as strong as this one. Gastner is compassionate, intelligent, bulldog tough, and painfully aware of all his limitations, both physical and emotional. The same inward eye that provides insight into his own soul can quickly swivel outward to discern others' hidden traits. And if what you're hiding is motive, Gastner will ferret it out and do what needs to be done. An outstanding mystery. Wes Lukowsky

From Kirkus Reviews

Posadas County, New Mexico, can't be home to more than a few thousand souls, but Undersheriff Bill Gastner evidently knows them all and grieves like a father whenever trouble comes to any of them. This time murder strikes close to home when Posadas Register reporter Linda Real barely survives her nighttime patrol with Deputy Paul Enci¤os, who's killed by a more accurate shotgun blast. With the help of his observant, intuitive on-call detective Estelle Reyes-Guzman's usual sharp eye for physical evidence, Bill implicates recent DWI alumna Tammy Woodruff, thrill-seeking daughter of the local Republican County Chairman, in the brutal assault. Before he can interrogate Tammy, though, she's vanished; then she's crushed to death after her truck goes off the road while she's full of more alcohol than any driver could have held. Bill's compassion is so generous that you'll end up grieving just as much for the killer, when Bill finally runs him to ground, as for his victim. The down side of Havill's affection for this pack of desert rats is that you meet an awful lot more of them than you can well keep straight. Maybe Bill's fifth case (Twice Buried, 1994, etc.) should include an appended map and phone directory. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312139276
• ISBN-13: 978-0312139278
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,243,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comfort food, August 26, 2009

By 

G. Tempel (Loveland, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Before She Dies (Paperback)

Undersheriff Bill Gastner is comfortable. I'm not sure if he reminds me of my father, my favorite teacher, or myself, but I trust him and can't put him down. I love these quick reads.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Steven F Havill winner, January 4, 2007

By 

M. J. Macneish (Raton, NM United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Before She Dies (Paperback)

Every word I've ever read by Steven F Havill has been both enjoyable and informative. A fabulous writer, regardless of fiction or non-fiction. A must have collection.

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional, May 30, 2011

By 

George R. Beinhorn "gb" (Mountain View, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Before She Dies (Paperback)

Havill is a master. Five stars in all categories: sense of place, plot, interesting people, forward motion, intelligence, and heart. I just finished reading all of his books and feel a sense of loss. Both series are excellent, but Havill really comes into his own with the Posadas County Mysteries featuring Estelle Reyes-Guzman. Like another true master, Joseph Heywood (of Woods Cop fame), Havill knows the dangers of writing about a small local area and successfully avoids them - he never gets cutesy, and he doesn't fall in love with his characters to the extent that he begins to drool over them and forget the reader. Bravo, Mr. Havill, and thank you.