Death Song (Kevin Kerney Novels) (Hardcover)

by Michael McGarrity (Author) "The week had been a long grind for Sergeant Clayton Istee..." (more)
Key Phrases: questioned documents, mobile command center, Brian Riley, Tim Riley, Denise Riley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
McGarrity's solid eighth police procedural to feature Santa Fe County, N.Mex., police chief Kevin Kerney (after 2005's Nothing but Trouble) opens on a deceptively quiet note as Sgt. Clayton Istee of the Lincoln County sheriff's office breaks in the department's newest member, Deputy Tim Riley. A short time later, after someone blasts Riley in the face with a shotgun, Istee and Kerney must dig into Riley's past to identify possible murder suspects. The discovery of Riley's wife, Denise, with her throat slashed in a horse trailer complicates the investigation: autopsies reveal that Denise was three months pregnant and that Riley had a vasectomy. The author does a good job describing the characters and the locale, but some readers may be disappointed that a mundane if realistic piece of evidence fingers the killer. (Jan.)
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Review
“Maybe his most rugged, macho outing yet.”
—Santa Fe New Mexican

“A terrific police procedural.”
—Midwest Book Review

“McGarrity gets better and better.”
—Tony Hillerman --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (December 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525950362
• ISBN-13: 978-0525950363
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #123,389 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 11 in The Kevin Kerney Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars McGarrity weaves another great tale, January 3, 2008

By	D. Ware (albuquerque, nm United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In Death Song, Michael McGarrity again creates a compelling story woven into a backdrop of authentic New Mexican settings and characters.

McGarrity's extensive law enforcement background adds credibility to the story telling and his ability to write makes the ins and outs of criminal investigation easy to understand and very enjoyable.

McGarrity's way of painting a picture in his stories puts the reader smack dab in New Mexico. Readers not familiar with the state can rest assured that the locations he describes are just as they appear in all their beauty or degredation.

The Kerney novels are a joy to read and should be in everyone's collection.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment, January 30, 2008

By	J. P. Weimer (Denver) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Over the years, McGarrity has been one of my favorite authors, and I've eagerly followed the travails of his protagonist, Kevin Kerney, a Santa Fe police chief. Perhaps because McGarrity is a former deputy sheriff, he's been able to masterly depict the law-enforcement apparatus. Also, perhaps because he's from New Mexico, he's been able to so well evoke the haunting landscape of that State.

Thus, I was disappointed when I read "Death Song". It certainly starts off in startling fashion---the ambush of a deputy sheriff and, in a separate incident, the gruesome murder of his wife. Then, there's the tension of the tenuous reuniting of Kerney and his Apache son, Sergeant Clayton Istee, when they attempt to solve these murders. However, about half-way through, the story gets bogged down--there's a tangential drug bust of some acquaintances of the slain couple's son, the prolonged search for the son, and more angst than usual regarding the relationship between Kerney and his wife, Sara. The discovery of the culprit at the end of the novel seems sudden and almost incidental. In "Death Song", there's neither the vigor or rigor of McGarrity's previous novels.

It will be interesting to see where this excellent (up until now) series goes from here. Kerney is retiring, and plans on accompanying Sara, an Army colonel recuperating from Iraq battle wounds, to London where she will be serving the next 3 years as a military attache to the U.S. Embassy. Maybe Kerney will be doing his sleuthing in London. Perhaps this series ends. It would be unfortunate if it did end on such a sour note.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific police procedural , December 29, 2007

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

New Mexico law enforcement at all levels is stunned with the murders of one of their own and the victim's spouse. Someone assassinated rookie deputy sheriff Tim Riley of Lincoln County and gunned down the man's wife in their Santa Fe home.

Although he has one more month on the job before he retires, Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kearney is actively leading the homicide investigation of the wife's murder that occurred in his jurisdiction. His son Lincoln County Sheriff Office Sergeant Clayton Istee is looking into the ambush murder of Riley. He takes it personally as he trained the fortyish officer and sent him out solo on that fatal assignment. Father and son team up as they find a possible link to the killings of two women in Albuquerque. As they follow the deadly clues, they soon find them embroiled with hardened thugs trafficking in drugs.

DEATH SONG is a terrific police procedural with double the fun as father and son work together to solve the homicides. Kevin is at his best as he refuses to coast into retirement with a dead cop case unsolved. He also relishes working with his offspring. Fans of the series know that Michael McGarrity always provides a strong New Mexico mystery; newcomers will seek the back list when retirement was a long way off for the hero.

Harriet Klausner