Everyone Dies (Kevin Kerney Series) [Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged] [MP3 CD]

Michael McGarrity (Author), Patrick Lawlor (Reader)

Book Description

Series: Kevin Kerney Series | Publication Date: June 10, 2004

Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kerney and his wife, Lieutenant Colonel Sara Brannon, are on leave and eagerly awaiting the birth of their son when a prominent gay attorney is gunned down outside his office by an unknown assailant. Called to the crime scene and faced with scanty evidence and no apparent motive, Kerney directs his chief of detectives to delve into the victim's personal and professional life, a decision that ultimately leads to a SWAT team screw-up and the death of two innocent people. But the killer has just begun. Kerney's horse, a mustang he'd gentled and trained, is vicously and senselessly destroyed; a dead rabbit is left on his doorstep; and a second victim with ties to the criminal justice system is found in her bed with her throat cut along with the warning: EVERYONE DIES. As a time of joy turns into a nightmare, Kerney and Sara search desperately for a seemingly unstoppable chameleonlike killer who promises to murder them and their unborn son.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The questions and concerns of relationships, both everyday and extraordinary, personal and professional, lie at the heart of McGarrity's ninth entry in his Kevin Kerney series of police procedurals (The Big Gamble; Tularosa; The Judas Judge). Kerney, chief of the Santa Fe police force, and his wife, Sara Brannon, pregnant and due to give birth at any moment, have just begun a much needed vacation. Sara is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Military Police and will be assigned to the Pentagon just six weeks after the baby is born-a career move that Kerney opposes. A vicious killer slashes his way into the midst of this family crisis, beginning by shooting a Santa Fe lawyer, and in quick succession murdering Kerney's beloved horse, a forensic psychologist and a probation officer. It doesn't take long for Kerney to realize that his entire family has been targeted, especially after the killer begins leaving messages that say, "Everyone Dies." Area law enforcement personnel rally around the chief and begin a massive investigation. The large and varied supporting cast is sometimes difficult to keep straight, but McGarrity's fondness for his characters is evident, as is his love for the harsh but beautiful mountain and desert landscape they inhabit. Readers familiar with the series will be happy to settle back with the chief, his complicated family and the men and women of the department for another enjoyable installment.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

McGarrity's Kevin Kerney series, set in New Mexico, has undergone a dramatic transformation over the years. At first, it played heavily on the mythic West and the difficulty of adapting rugged individualism to the modern world. Lately, the focus has shifted to the everyday life of a contemporary police chief--a good man trying to balance the contradictory roles of tough cop and sensitive husband. The new focus is far more difficult--Who wants quotidian reality when you've had a taste of mythic resonance?--but McGarrity rises to the occasion, drawing on his real-life experience as a cop and therapist. This time an unidentified psycho has his sights set on Kerney, his family, and his soon-to-be-born child. This is one serial-killer novel that unfolds without the usual high-concept trappings. McGarrity contrasts the painstaking investigatory work that leads to identifying a suspect with the personal crisis Kerney and his wife, Sara, face. Uncertain about how a child will affect their relationship, the couple must now contend with a much more immediate threat to their lives. The quiet, subtle attention to detail that has long been a hallmark of the Kerney series is once again on display here. The brooding, burned-out yet larger-than-life heroes of Ian Rankin or George Pelecanos have their appeal, yet there's plenty of room in the genre for a cop like Kevin Kearney, who broods not about the lack of meaning in his life but about finding time to help his wife decorate their new house. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• MP3 CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD Lib Ed; Library edition (June 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593354967
• ISBN-13: 978-1593354961
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,209,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars (4+) An Excellent Police Procedural By A Former Lawman, August 19, 2003

By 

Tucker Andersen (Wall Street) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everyone Dies: A Kevin Kerney Novel (Kevin Kerney Novels) (Hardcover)

This could have been subtitled MURDER CLOSE UP AND PERSONAL. It is the first novel that I have read by Michael McGarrity, and is a tense and succinct story in the police procedural genre whose realism stems from the fact that it is written by a former sheriff who has been there and done that. The detailed descriptions and insightful observations throughout the book clearly ring true because of the author's background and training. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that the story occurs within a very compressed time period, both the level of detail and complications introduced by the subplots made it seem to progress in an orderly fashion rather than the nonstop pace of much of contemporary crime oriented fiction. This and the New Mexico locale clearly are partially responsible for the similarities to Tony Hillerman's books upon which others have commented.

The basic storyline is simplicity itself. A well known local attorney (and friend of Police Chief Kevin Kerney) is gunned down outside his Santa Fe office. There are no witnesses and relatively little evidence, so in the search for a motive the police begin an investigation into both his professional cases and his personal life (he was gay). The investigation turns disastrous when two innocent people die, perhaps as the result of the overzealous pursuit of an apparent suspect who is totally innocent of any involvement in the crime. Then Kerney's horse is viciously destroyed, his pregnant wife threatened, and the discovery of another victim is accompanied by a note that the end result will be that EVERYONE DIES.

This a story in which the tension builds as the book proceeds, both for Kerney and his wife Sara and for the reader. It is like you are watching someone assemble the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, but where you know what the picture looks like and he doesn't. This is because the story is written from multiple perspectives, sometimes in the third person but also from the viewpoint of several of the participants including that of the murderer. Thus, the reader gradually understands the motivations behind the acts of violence and eventually learns the identity of the killer, but in a way that heightens the tension. (Remember. this is not a detective story, the mystery for the reader is what will happen, not who did it.)

The book provides an interesting profile of a genuine psychopath and the cleverness involved in his acts. And there are some wonderful philosophical insights as well, my favorite probably was how the investigation led Cruz Tofoya to observe how the ripple effect of murder always seemed to destroy so many lives beyond that of the victims.

While I really enjoyed the book, there are a few reasons why it did not rise to the level of a five star rating. First, the violence was quite graphic in spots, especially with regard to the animals involved. (Although arguably essential to the story, it is not to my taste.) Second, the ending was quite abrupt and one of a few instances near that conclusion that seemed somewhat unrealistic. While, I can't discuss them without revealing more of the plot than what is on the book jacket, it seemed at times the author chose to reach his desired results by having some of the individuals act somewhat out of character. Third, the book would have been improved considerably for me by the simple expedient of including a map of the area. I was reading most of it where a map was not readily available; I am not familiar with New Mexico and while such geographic knowledge was not essential there are numerous references to the various locales and I would have really enjoyed referring to a map on the front overleaf.

One final suggestion is that if you are not familiar with Kevin Kerney, the recurring protagonist of McGarrity's books, you might want to read the previous volume before this book. I wish that I had. In THE BIG GAMBLE, Kerney investigates a case with another lawman, Clayton Istee, a son whose existence his Indian mother had kept secret from Kerney. Since Istee plays a pivotal role in this story (both in terms of the investigation and emotionally for Kerney), the background of that book would have been helpful.

Disclaimer: In the interest of full disclosure, I was furnished a review copy of this book by the publisher based my interest in this genre as evidenced by my previous reviews of similar books. I have no relationship and have never met either the author or anyone employed by the publisher, and furnished no guarantee that I would even submit a review. If anything, in order to prove my objectivity I perhaps presented my criticisms in more detail than they deserve. Nevertheless, people in my business have belatedly learned too much disclosure is preferable to not enough, so this addendum is offered in that spirit.

Tucker Andersen

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not everyone dies, October 5, 2003

By 

gotta run now (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Everyone Dies: A Kevin Kerney Novel (Kevin Kerney Novels) (Hardcover)

Having never read Michael McGarrity fiction, I am unable to compare this novel with previous works in what is apparently a series. I actually did not know it was a series until I read it somewhere, so that certainly says something.
I like crime fiction, and the challenge of figuring out "who done it". It's disappointing when it's too easy. That didn't happen here. The story begins with the murder of a prominent gay attorney. There are several angles to be explored, but nothing stands out that makes the victim an obvious target. Our protaganist, Kevin Kerney, is pulled off his vacation to try to solve the crime. He is then yanked smack dab into the middle of the mystery when his beloved horse is killed in a cruel way. It all becomes very personal when a dead rat is delivered to his doorstep along with threats toward his pregnant wife and the rest of his family.
I won't go into the details, you should read them for yourself! There are plot twists, interesting characters, real personalities. The Santa Fe setting is a refreshing departure from the usual gritty New York crime novels. The fact that the author is a former detective adds authenticity.
Now that I know it's a series, I will definitely look for the others and catch up with these characters. Overall, a fine book that I recommend to anyone who likes a good mystery and/or crime fiction.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More down time, November 13, 2003

By 

John Bowes (Oxford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Everyone Dies: A Kevin Kerney Novel (Kevin Kerney Novels) (Hardcover)

This excellent series continues with a procedural that needs more of Kerney, and a little less of the spare step by step police investigation.