Twice Buried [Hardcover]

Steven F. Havill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1994

A series of murders apparently involving old Reuben Fuentes prompts New Mexico Undersheriff Bill Gastner to call in ex-deputy Estelle Reyes-Guzman, Reuben's grandniece, to clear the old man's name, in an investigation leading them to Mexico and a vicious killer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Responding late to a phone call to the Posados County's sheriff's office, laconic New Mexico Undersheriff Bill Gastner (last seen in Bitter Recoil ) finds Anna Hocking, an elderly retired teacher, dead at the bottom of her basement stairs. Gastner, who observes that there are broken cobwebs in the dusty basement too high to have been disturbed by the diminutive woman, is disinclined to write the death off to natural causes. But his attention is taken up by other matters as a real estate agent is found shot on the property of old-timer Reuben Fuentes, who was recently reported to have started wearing a gun. Although Sheriff Martin Holman thinks Gastner should arrest Fuentes and be done with the case, the perceptive undersheriff isn't convinced the old man shot the realtor. As he digs up more clues, Gastner calls Estelle Reyes-Guzman, his former deputy and Fuentes's grandniece, to ask for her help. Gastner finally links all these crimes and a few others as Havill sensitively explores the area's Mexican-American culture in this increasingly estimable regional series.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

An 86-year-old woman is found dead at the bottom of her basement stairs. Ancient recluse Reuben Fuentes starts carrying a gun after his three dogs are poisoned. A young delinquent is found dead on Fuentes' property, buried--apparently for the second time--underneath Fuentes' dogs. A local real-estate developer is shot and killed near the strange grave. Posadas County in New Mexico is rife with suspicious death, but county undersheriff Bill Gastner can't connect the cases, though the experience gained through six decades of living won't let him chalk them up to coincidence. The second Gastner mystery maintains the high standards set in 1991's Heartshot. Gastner is an incisive investigator whose two most valuable qualities are compassion and insomnia. Unlike other fictional detectives who approach murder as a personal affront, Gastner sees himself as the victims' advocate, striving to even the scales of justice for those no longer able to do it themselves. This is definitely a series to watch. Wes Lukowsky

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312105665
• ISBN-13: 978-0312105662
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,696,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not up to the standards of later Gastner mysteries, December 29, 2008

By 

DWD "DWD's Reviews" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Twice Buried (Hardcover)

Having read several of the later Undersherrif Bill Gastner mysteries I found myself a little torn with this one.

I love the character of Bill Gastner. The characters in this series are particularly well-developed and realistic. The procedures in this book are thorough and seemingly well-depicted (I'm not a police officer but it seemed pretty kosher to me) except for one very large hole in the way the investigation developed - a whole line of investigation was ignored that seemed obvious to me. This hurt the integrity of the book in my eyes but I still give it 4 stars.

If you are a fan of Tony Hillerman's Navajo Tribal Police books you should check out this series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Southern New Mexico mystery, March 19, 2009

By 

M. Johnston (Las Vegas, New Mexico United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Twice Buried (Missing Mysteries) (Paperback)

I enjoyed the character development and understanding of the setting by the author. The mystery was well told and believable. I have "met" some of these characters types here in New Mexico. Enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading another one I ordered at the same time.