Privileged to Kill (Missing Mysteries) [Paperback]

Steven F Havill (Author)

Book Description

Series: Missing Mysteries | Publication Date: August 29, 2001

Rolling stone Wesley Crocker seems a harmless enough free spirit when Posadas County Undersheriff Bill Gastner offers him a lift on the road and spots him a free dinner. Crocker beds down for the night with his gear on the high-school athletic field. By morning, 13 year-old Maria Ibarra is found dead under the high-school football bleachers a few feet away and Crocker goes straight to jail. His account of how he passed the night is full of enough holes to keep him locked down, but meanwhile a background check on Maria raises troubling questions about her life....
Compare to Michael McGarrity's Tularosa (Norton 0-393-03922-6 04/96 and mass market 0-671-00252-X) and The Judas Judge (Dutton 0-525-94547-4 06/00).
Originally published in 1997 by St. Martin's Press 0-312-15196-9, Privileged to Kill is the fifth Undersherrif Bill Gastner mystery following Poisoned Pen Press' releases of Heartshot, Bitter Recoil, Twice Buried, and Before She Dies. Recent publications from St. Martin's Press include Out of Season (0-312-24424-2 10/99) and Dead Weight (0-312-25203-X 10/00).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bill Gastner can't sleep, eats way too much Mexican food and seems headed for a stroke. But in his fifth adventure (after Before She Dies), the aging undersheriff of Posadas County, N.M., labors 'round the clock to solve the mysterious death of a 15-year-old girl. Maria Ibarra's body was found under the high-school football field bleachers. The first suspect is Wesley Crocker, an itinerant bicyclist whom Gastner, out of kindness, had treated to a meal the previous night. Gastner feels certain that Crocker is innocent, a notion confirmed when an unknown motorist tries to run down the cyclist. Vanessa Davila, a friend of Maria's, flees when police question her. Then a bright, popular student is killed in a suspicious car accident. Like Gastner, readers may feel stymied until the last evidence turns up, but there is a cleverly planted clue in the early pages. A strong sense of place and tough but compassionate characters distinguish this series. Gastner and his valued friend, deputy Estelle Reyes-Guzman, pull the case together, while Estelle and her doctor husband urge the undersheriff to start caring for himself.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Wesley Crocker seems a harmless enough free spirit when Posadas County Under-sheriff Bill Gastner meets him for the first time and spots him a free dinner. But Gastner's judgment is questioned when the body of 13-year-old Maria Ibarra is found under the high-school football bleachers a few feet from Crocker's overnight campsite. Crocker's account of the evening is riddled with enough inconsistencies to make Gastner suspicious, but a background check of the victim's life raises other troubling issues, such as possible child abuse or exploitation by her classmates. The fifth Gastner mystery is a crystalline gem of dusty Arizona atmosphere, small-town personalities, and razor-sharp plotting. It also raises questions regarding the law--especially small-town law--and its attitudes toward the indigent, the homeless, and the privileged. Toss in Gastner, one of the most endearing mentors in crime fiction, for a mystery that is disarmingly simple on the surface but ultimately reveals surprising depth. Wes Lukowsky --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (August 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890208655
• ISBN-13: 978-1890208653
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fine performance, February 28, 2007

By 

John Bowes (Oxford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Privileged to Kill (Missing Mysteries) (Paperback)

An author to look for. Good characters. Fine procedural. It feels real.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another satisfying read from Steven Havill..., March 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Privileged to Kill (Hardcover)

Yet another winner in Steven Havill's Undersheriff Bill Gastner series. Good characters, good plot and story, fine local color and descriptions, Havill knows how to turn out a satisfying story. Visit Posadas County and see for yourself- read this series!

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Late but great, December 21, 2008

By 

Jean Moffatt (Seminole, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Privileged to Kill (Hardcover)

The book arrived later than promised, but arrived in perfect condition. We are very pleased with it.