Customer Reviews

Under the Color of Law (Michael Mcgarrity's Exciting Series)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Good news for crime fiction fans. Michael McGarrity has issued the sixth book in his highly acclaimed series featuring old friend and protagonist Kevin Kerney as the new police chief of Santa Fe, New Mexico and about to be embroiled in a mystery that includes murders, computer espionage and national security. For readers that have not read McGarrity's previous novels, be aware that many now believe he rivals Tony Hillerman with his highly readable style and unique ability to combine his knowledge of both the landscape and culture of the American southwest with plot and storyline that have few equals. Kerney, after having been deputy chief for the New Mexico State Police, is persuaded to postpone retirement and accept a job as police chief of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The department is in disarray and less than professional; Kerney's wife is pregnant and intent on pursuing her military career; and Kerney simply cannot seem to stay away from police work he so enjoys. Thus, he accepts the job in Santa Fe that is not known as a high crime area and keeps him close to the land and people he knows and understands so well. A pretty good setup for someone that wants to keep his hand in law enforcement but not as demanding and dangerous as former jobs...one would think! The story begins with the murder of the estranged wife of a U.S. Ambassador in her Santa Fe home. At first it appears to be a crime not unlike others Kerney has investigated in his career, senseless to be sure but not without clues and witnesses. Ah, but the plot thickens. Just as Kerney begins his investigation he is notified that a FBI anti-terrorism team is enroute to Santa Fe and will take over the investigation. It seems that national security might be involved which requires the expertise of the feds. A bit unusual to be sure but Kerney initially discontinues investigation and steps into the background while the FBI takes charge. True to form the case turns bizarre with the feds sanitizing the crime scene, potential witnesses disappearing, and ultimately what appears to Kerney to be fake evidence is used to clear and close the case. Suspecting a cover-up Kerney begins his own unofficial investigation which leads to evidence of a covert cover-up involving U.S. intelligence agencies, dot-com companies, and rogue federal agents. He is placed under surveillance, threatened, and forced to watch as a number of murders are committed, including his own officers, in the name of national security. It also appears he is on the hit list. This is McGarrity at his best. The story moves at a fast pace, is highly readable, and eerily believable given both the current climate in this country and the unique talent of the author to place the reader in a time and place he obviously knows so well. The description of the Southwest landscape combined with both a believable plot and characters makes this a must read for mystery fans or anyone seeking a good read. I reviewed one of his previous books, The Judas Judge, and noted "He knows the territory and it shows." It is still true in this book. Highly recommended.

Another fine entry in the Kevin Kerney series. The author carries characters and plot from one book to another and rewards the loyal reader for paying attention. One wonders if the continuing promotions in rank will logically take Kerney out of the action, as happened to Jack Ryan. Bring back the maps.

Kevin Kerney returns to New Mexico as the new chief of police, but before he settles into his job, he has a major homicide case. Ms. Phyllis Terrell, estranged wife of a US Ambassador, is found dead in her home. Before the chief and his men dig too deep, the FBI, claiming national security, takes over the investigation.

While the FBI whitewash the case, across town at the College of Santa Fe, a second homicide occurs. The victim is a priest who was studying covert actions of the United States in South America. Seeing a clear link between the homicides and an obvious cover up by the Feds, Kerney and his most trusted staff go undercover to try to learn the truth.

Michael McGarrity has written a fast-paced police procedural that is so action-packed the audience will need an oxygen tank to take a breath. The government's covert operation seems plausible, but Kerney's counter-measure makes David look like a giant going up against Goliath. This improbability does not hurt an enjoyable UNDER THE COLOR OF LAW because the protagonist is easy to like and identify with in this SST speedster. This thriller wrapped around a police procedural will keep fan interest from start to finish.

Harriet Klausner

Michael McGarrity's Kevin Kearney novels have been superb to this point, so I guess he's due for a misstep. The best part of these modern Westerns has been the way McGarrity has weaved the history and different cultures into his stories.

However, here, he goes for an Oliver Stone conspiracy that makes "JFK" look logical. This is one of those plots where the bad guys, to protect their secret, murder people who don't even know that they are a witness to anything, or have an incentive not to talk. As though bodies littering the landscape who all have an obvious connection to one another aren't going to raise unwanted attention. McGarrity is usually very good on procedure, but either doesn't seem to realize how hard it would be to get this kind of authority to kill American citizens, or doesn't care.

The book is far fetched, cliched, and has so many victims and witnesses running through it on the way to being offed, that there are no real characters. And, there is no real ending; which means, unfortunately, that McGarrity might think he has to wrap this plot up in another book before he moves on. Too bad.

I'll drop any other book I'm reading when I find a new Kevin Kerney police novel. In this one very big people and immense issues blow through lil' ol' Santa Fe, where Chief Kerney is already struggling to be accepted as the new chief of police after a series of corrupt predecessors. This is the sixth chapter in the life of Kevin Kerney, a rancher-lawman who married an Army officer a book or two ago, and also discovered his unknown Apache son. Kerney is an admirably upright (and somewhat uptight) person who just seems to make the right investigative assignments and asks just the right terse questions without showing us much of the reasoning behind them. Under the Color is very fast-paced with a bit less of the usual local atmosphere (and rich Santa Fe is not like the rest of New Mexico, either). It is (or feels like) the bloodiest novel in the series, bodies falling left and right from unexpected precision kills until the messy climax.

The author doesn't take the space to lovingly develop the more sinister and conspiratorial aspects of the story a la Tom Clancy. We see it almost all from Kerney's local view at the bottom of a vast, nebulous, and possibly governmental, conspiracy. Who can he trust? Anyone he speaks to could become a target! The murderous story ends somewhat inconclusively, and where secret operations are involved indeed an outsider like Kerney probably would not resolve everything. I do hope McGarrity returns to New Mexico affairs in his next book and not another less engrossing slam-bam techno-thriller story like this.

Of course, there's no map; I am really glad I've actually experienced the glare and dessication of the dusty Rio Grande corridor where most of this series takes place.

Michael McGarrity demonstrates again his command of the crime thriller and police procedural. As in the past, Kevin Kerney, now the Chief of the Santa Fe Police Department, gets involved in a messy murder, which gets messier as his investigation progresses. This book is a page turner of the finest kind. I read all 272 pages in one sitting, and lost a lot of sleep in the process.

Unfortunately, unlike the previous Kerney novels, the reader doesn't get the feeling and flavor of New Mexico as much as in the previous McGarrity novels. As a New Mexican, I became a confirmed McGarrity fan precisely because of the New Mexico flavor of his novels.

In balance, though, as a police procedural, this novel rates at least five stars. As a New Mexico novel, however, it makes me wonder if maybe McGarrity has run out of words to describe our Land of Enchantment. For that reason, I have to rate the book four stars overall.

McGarrity's hero has to take on a much expanded view of the world, and the law enforcment community, in this outing.
When the wife of a high US government official is murdered
in Sante Fe, the crime scene is quickly filled with various
agents of the US, who all push aside the local police, citing
some vague need for "national security." It all sounds a little
too much like a glossly cover-up, so the hero and his top police
aides dig in and try to uncover the truth, all the while having
to work under the radar of the FBI. And as the investigation goes on, some of the federal investigators seem a bit too cold-blooded, keeping too many secrets, to even be FBI types.
The local cops begin to suspect a conspiracy, and they uncover
the disturbing fact that even they are under surveillance by
the feds.
It's a real law enforcement mess, and the author must know about
jurisdictional arguments and fights, with multiple agencies, and
even over-lapping court jurisdictions, because he does such a nice job of presenting the frustration felt by many local authorities.
The range of the problems explored is a bit large, and it does
take the reader away from the beautiful New Mexico settings
favored by author McGarrity, but it is still a very nice mystery. The pace is good, and the reader will keep wanting to
move forward.

The sixth book in the series does not do justice to the first three in the series. (There was a noticable change in the fourth book.) The edge is gone along with Kevin's limp. A character that demonstrated such an interesting edge and insight has been regulated to cliche's and a boring plot. There is too much emphasis on Kevin's son and his struggle with the injustices of life, both perceived and real. If the author wants to write about Clayton, then let him create a spin off series, and return Kevin to the original character that he was, for he has become a dull read.

I had previously read "The Judas Judge" by McGarrity and although I liked it well enough, I found myself straining a little at the plot. "Under the Color of Law" had a fairly incredulous plot but this time, I didn't feel like I strained so much. Go figure. McGarrity fills his books with a precise and loving characterization of the Southwest and for those elements of his plots, anyone who has never been to the Southwest may readily believe them. This story was interesting and complex and not a little paranoid about the shadowy figures who hold great power in these United States, but it was a fun read and I look forward to his next book in this series.

This 6th Kevin Kerney mystery is one of the best I've read this year. I didn't find the plot far-fetched, as another reviewer complained. I did read it in one sitting and thought it very well done!