Midnight at the Camposanto : a Taos Mystery [Hardcover]

Mari Privette Ulmer (Author), Mari Ulmer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Taos Mysteries | Publication Date: April 2000

The first novel in a series planned to follow the sacred and secular calendar through its annual cycle opens on Good Friday as The Brotherhood of Our Lord Jesus, the centuries-old lay society known as the penitentes, march singing their ancient, primitive hymns towards their vigil at the morada, the prayer hall in Talpa. One hermano, one brother, has been singled out to die, the assassin striking him down in the graveyard, the camposanto, and tumbling him into the darkened room to lie all night with his unsuspecting comrades. The next morning, one is charged with the act.

This outrage arouses the widowed Christina Garcia y Grant, an attorney who gave up her practice in favor of innkeeping and writing, to defend the accused. Her team is composed of her mentor, La Dona Abogado -- Miss Doris Jordan -- a sturdy senior advocate, Ignacio Baca, an opera-and-sweet-loving public defender, and Mac McCloud, a doctor vacationing at Christy's La Casa vie)a B&B. This motley crew suspects that Hermandad Pat Salazaar has been set up. Sorting through Satanism, witchcraft, and modern day science, their widening investigation covers Taos, Los Alamos, and San%a Fe....

Seldom has so lyrical a voice described the beauties of Northern New Mexico and the very special culture of its Hispanic and Anglo people. The author wry. res with ho/nor and compassion, peopling her story with memorable minor characters and recounting local legends with zest. Spring and Easter bloom under her assured hand, leaving readers impatiently anticipating the next festival.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ulmer draws on the rich Hispanic culture of northern New Mexico for her first novel, launching a series that will follow the church calendar through its yearly cycle. What the book lacks in mysticism and epic plot, it makes up for with a natural prose style and vivid descriptions of the striking desert landscape. A widow and, like Ulmer, an ex-lawyer, Christina "Christy" Garcia y Grant owns La Casa Vieja Bed and Breakfast in Taos, N.Mex., a sleepy town whose biggest excitement is the Holy Week leading up to Easter. The Brotherhood of Our Lord Jesus is the focal point of this annual ceremony, with the penitentes (members of the brotherhood) performing a chanting pilgrimage toward the morada (prayer hall). When brother Eusebio Salazaar is found stabbed to death on Good Friday, suspicion falls on his cousin Patricio. Drawn to the case, Christy assembles a team of diverse characters to find the truth: Mac McCloud, a vacationing doctor who seems more interested in courting Christy than in helping the accused; Ignacio "Iggy" Baca, the pudgy, opera-loving public defender; and aging yet stalwart "la Do?a" Doris Jordan, a senior advocate. As the four identify numerous shady suspects, from modern-day witches to top-secret Los Alamos nuclear research facility employees, it becomes clear that Eusebio's death was more than a random act of violence. Ulmer offers a notable literary mystery that will intrigue and amuse in equal measure.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Ulmer's protagonist embodies the clash between old ways and new, between Hispanic and Anglo. Attorney Christy Garcia y Grant (widow of an Anglo) runs a bed and breakfast in her inherited Taos hacienda so she can write. The sudden murder of a revered penitente on Good Friday, however, goads her into action. Intent on following the religious traditions of her family and deploring the attempts of some to make the murder appear cult- or drug-related, Christy instead uncovers connections to nearby hush-hush Los Alamos activities. Heavy on atmosphere, local beliefs, and familial connections but weak on forward movement, this first novel is recommended for larger collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 258 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1 edition (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890208302
• ISBN-13: 978-1890208301
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,017,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hodge Podge or Collage?, November 6, 2001

By 

Mamalinde "mamalinde" (Dallas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight at the Camposanto : a Taos Mystery (Hardcover)

Since I was ready for a trip back to Taos, I really wanted to like this book. The reviews all look optimistic. Could I have possibly have read a different book? Sorry, but this reviewer is going to break the string. I was hopeful to find some marriage of the richness and charm of Willa Cather's Death Comes to the Archbishop and Song of the Lark; Mabel Luhan Dodge's Edge of Taos Desert: Escape to Reality; the mysticism and local lore of Tony Hillerman's wonderful mysteries; and/or the southwest of Louis L'Amour. [All of which I'd easily recommend if you want more of the locale.] Instead of a lovely visit to the high desert country, we have an irritating protagonist, a hodge podge of ideas that probably could have been used to write an entire series of books and a book that seems like it will never end.

Here is a partial list of irritations (with apologies for the length of this review, my usual style is "short and sweet").

While the story bypasses the fascinating Taos pueblo, it focuses on ancient religion morphing into something (possibly sanctioned by the church?), witchcraft, devilry, government secrets, AIDS, the genome project, as well as the lab at Los Alamos. That none of this comes together neatly is no surprise. The buckets of blood seemed to come out of nowhere, and certainly didn't seem to be either interesting or worthy of mention as a "floor finish".

The unlawyerly demeanor of protagonist Christy Garcia y Grant, La Dona and Iggy. The lawyers I've worked with (for entirely too long) would NEVER behave in such an unprofessional and quite frankly silly manner, chasing about with a lack of thought, a lack of logic, lack of regard for their personal safety as well as others, and a total disregard for ethics.

Christy Garcia y Grant comes from a family of Spanish speaking locals, and studies law. But never bothers to learn her native tongue (or correct English, actually). Although she immerses herself with ancient religious customs.

The elderly La Dona shooting "across the prow" at the driver of the car she is riding in? And then RUNNING from the accident and going home? Yeah, right.

Missed opportunities of setting. Taos is a enchanting place. The magic of the high country desert, the mesas and the mountains, the clear air and rich landscape and are only given a cursory glance as this crazy bunch dashes about willy-nilly.

The protagonist is simply irritating, with her numerous exclamations, her bossy and unsympathetic approach to others - she is either disoriented or delusional much of the time. The guests in her bed and breakfast receive little in the way of charm or hospitality, the "amusing tidbits" and "story time" seem nothing less than insulting.

Finally, did anyone else notice that the issue causing all the murder and mayhem was simply lost in the final wrap up? Or, perhaps I simply missed something in my race to finish this bizarre book.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A hauntingly atmospheric mystery, June 16, 2000

By 

R. L. Smith - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Midnight at the Camposanto : a Taos Mystery (Hardcover)

Midnight at the Camposanto is, for a British reader, stunningly atmospheric. The other-worldness of the New Mexico setting are unforgettable. For me, the best value was in the sensitive portrayal of the strange mixture of Christianity and much older native religion which has to be unique to this part of the world. While placed firmly in the late 20th century, there is a timelessness in the power of this religion over the individuals in the story that really got under my skin as I read the book. A multi-layered novel - much more than a simple murder mystery. Excellent writing, and a very original voice.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mari comments on Midnight at the Camposanto, April 15, 2000

By 

Mari Ulmer (Ranchos de Taos, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight at the Camposanto : a Taos Mystery (Hardcover)

Midnight at the Camposanto is first in a series that feature a Taos the tourist never sees and that revolves around the church and secular year. The exciting mystery features Christina Garcia y Grant, who, like the author is a burned out attorney, running a B&B to support her writing. She and a tough elderly mentor, a young attorney and a retired doctor try to free a Hermano charged with a murder that may have been committed by Satanists or Los Alamos scientists. Great reviews in Publisher's Weekly, Harriet Klausner, Today's Librarian, The Snooper, About.com < mysterybooks.about.com > Boston Globe and every other reviewer who's read it. About.com said that "The rest of this tale unfolds not only in the beautifully depicted local of Taos, but during the rich celebrations of ancient Spanish culture...." Klausner ended with, "...if the subsequent tales are half as colorful, mystical and alive as this debut is, fans will have a treat for years to come."