Customer Reviews

Hermit's Peak: A Kevin Kerney Novel

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Michael McGarrity has a wonderful writing style. The pages just fly by. He sets scenes in the beautiful New Mexico landscape that place you there. His books have all lived up to the high standard set with his initial novel, "Tularosa"...no easy trick. His pacing really works...it was like eating peanuts...I had to read "just one more" passage before putting it down.

The characters are realistic, well defined and simply a great mix. The protagonist, Kevin Kerney, is unique in the cop/mystery genre in that he is pretty normal. He is not the prototypical flawed man who must ovcercome a myriad of personal demons. A limp resulting from a bullet to the kneecap is his only eccentricity. Kerney is a top cop, but also an excellent manager of people. His staff responds not only to his abilities, but also to the respect he shows all with whom he works. With all his field experience, he has seen it all and is hard to fool. He gets the job the right way and is easy to cheer for.

His romantic interest returns, but her sidebar does nothing to detract from the whodunit aspect. She is a strong character, a good addition and we will see more of her.

Mr. McGarrity has crafted a strong series with characters that stand out, all placed in a most atmospheric setting. I think he and the Kevin Kerney series are understated and underappreciated gems. He deserves more acclaim and recognition. He was suggested to me with these words: "if you enjoy Michael Connelly, McGarrity is for you." I do and he is.

Do not miss this sereis.

Kearney finds romance and another officer finds his heart crushed in the worst nightmare possible. A fine episode, well written and filled with interesting secondary characters.

If you haven't seen the west in person, the writing in this series will draw vivid pictures, that will send you to the travel office.

July was Kevin Kerney month. I read all six of his novels and every single one was a keeper with Hermit's Peak being the best. The writing is superb, the characters believable, and the dialogue is without peer. I have to admit I am biased. I worked in Santa Fe, lived in Albuquerque, and know some of the people that received the author's acknowledgements. But wait, that is a good thing because I know what he is writing is real, the places are real, and the cases have a basis in fact. I believe this author has the staying power that some others lack. Good reading and good fun.

McGarrity's low-key Kerney character is a friendly sort in a hard profession. This is a story of place and people, rather than precise timing. The mystery gradually widens and draws interesting characters into the building story. Having lived in New Mexico for a few years a while back, I like how well McGarrity takes me into the dusty rural corners, the many empty places, the immense vistas. He evokes the Southwest as well as Hillerman, but mostly in the eastern ranching rather than western desert half of the state. He writes as clearly as the mountain air.

Michael McGarrity's Hermit's Peak is another winner in the Kevin Kerney series. The action, the procedure, the description of place are all first rate. My one quarrel with McGarrity in this novel- please Michael, go easy on the feminine dialogue, it's NOT your strong point! Apart from that, this novel is a winner, easily one of the top ten I have read this year, and part of a series that I hope continues.

I have read all of the Kevin Kerney mysteries recently and I enjoyed "Hermit's Peak" the most. Kerney inherits what he has always dreamed of but of course it isn't ever that simple. When he goes to look at the property he has recently inherited of course he stumbles on the mystery of a dead body which leads to more than a few other connected mysteries. Kerney's fellow officers are well developed characters and the book was hard to put down. I really enjoyed this one.

I was sure I'd like this. I enjoy Hillerman, I love northern New Mexico, and the other reviews led me to think this would be a winner. But there's just too many problems here. The plot is full of whoppers, the characters are caricatures (the protagonists are almost in the "Mary Sue" category), and the writing was shockingly bad at times. The main character cuts his steak "with his knife" (thanks, I might have thought he'd use a banana), both he and his lover are described as "incredibly sexy" multiple times (oh, I guess I'm excited now), an Englishwoman is referred to by her full name twice in adjacent sentences (what was that lady's name again?), etc. In order to describe the problems with the plot, I must warn of a few spoilers ahead. My main complaint is the abundance of coincidences. Yes, it's a silly mystery and I know to expect a little bit of that, but there has to be a line somewhere and McGarrity leaps over that line like Bob Beamon. Our hero's newly inherited land soon yields: a woman's dismembered skeleton, a murdered pot grower, an illegal clear cut, a discovery of super rare cacti, and a connection to a massive west Texas burglary ring. Oh yeah, and the main sidekick's son turns out to be one of those responsible for one of the murders. Then there's the inconsistancy of tone: the cop whose son was just murdered is taken along to bust the murderer. Real bright. Of course there's some abuse of the evil bad guy, but I guess I'm supposed to hate him enough not to notice how stupid the situation is. And our sterling hero cavalierly plans to perjure himself to protect this cop later on. Oh yeah, there's an adorable mutt, too. He licks peoples' faces. The pages turn easily, and it's not totally horrible, but I'd been led to expect much more.

My husband got me into reading this author and the Kevin Kerney series. You should start at the beginning and read them all! I'm on the 6th book right now and love them. "Hermit's Peak" was a good read. They are all hard to put down.

Was recently introduced to the Kevin Kerney novel series and have purchased all of them through Amazon. This is a good series, intersting and well written. Wish Michael McGarrity would continue writing about the New Mexico law enforcement officer.

This is the fourth book in the Kevin Kerney novels set in the northern part of New Mexico. In each novel, McGarrity is building Kerney's character and evolving his history with back and fore-story. This book brings back Sarah Brannon back from Korea and dumps her right into Kerney's lap (literally and figuratively). He has also deepened the number of secondary characters who make up the New Mexico State Police in this part of NM.

McGarrity's descriptions of the northern New Mexico landscape and the way that people live their lives and earn their livings rings true. He does a good job in explaining the loss of lands due to inheritance taxes that no one but the rich or land speculators can afford. How does one pass on a 'working ranch' to the next generation without leaving them under an impossible amount of debt?

The actual murder and police procedure is more pedestrian but is well rooted in true crime solving. No one turns out to be a superman or prescient when it comes to tracking down the wrongdoers and other miscreants, just good dogged police work and making sure that every question is asked and answered.

Zeb Kantrowitz