Mexican Hat

Kevin Kerney #2

by Michael McGarrity

With his dazzling debut, Tularosa, Michael McGarrity was hailed "a born storyteller" (Denver Post)—and introduced readers to a memorable new hero, ex-Santa Fe chief of detectives Kevin Kerney. Now, featuring his vivid feel for the southwest, McGarrity's second gripping novel hurls Kerney onto the toughest case of his life.


Taking a job as a seasonal forest ranger in New Mexico's Gila Wilderness, Kevin Kerney is looking forward to a quiet summer high in the mountains. But the murder of a Mexican tourist, and the discovery of a disoriented old man in the wild, thrust Kerney into an investigation that will carry him back in time to a sixty-year-old feud between two land-rich brothers, Edgar and Eugene Cox.


Enlisting young state game and fish officer Jim Stiles to help solve the crimes, Kerney slowly uncovers evidence connecting the ruthless Cox feud with another suspicious death—and the radical actions of New Mexico's present-day county militia. But new assistant district attorney Karen Cox—Edgar's alluring daughter—is torn between hiding her father's long-buried secret and helping Kerney find the truth. Now someone wants Kerney dead—and the deeper he investigates, the more he may be digging his own grave...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Westerns, Thriller, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

316 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1997

About the author

With the publication of Tularosa in 1996, Michael McGarrity turned to writing full time. Many of his novels have been national best sellers. He holds a BA with distinction in psychology and a master's degree in clinical social work. As an undergraduate, he held a Ford Foundation Scholarship at the University of New Mexico. Additionally, he is an honor graduate of the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy.

His career in criminal justice spanned over twenty-five years and included creating treatment programs for drug offenders, supervising outreach services for at-risk juveniles, and re-establishing mental health services for the Department of Corrections after the infamous 1980 riot at the New Mexico Penitentiary. As a Santa Fe County deputy sheriff, he worked as a patrol officer, training and planning supervisor, community relations officer, and was the lead investigator of the sex crimes unit, which he established. Additionally, he taught courses at the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy, served as a caseworker and investigator for the Public Defender's District Office, and conducted investigations for a state government agency. In 1980 he was named New Mexico Social Worker of the Year and in 1987 was recognized by the American Legion as Police Officer of the Year.

In 2004 he received the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts -- Literature. He is also the 2015 recipient of the Frank Waters Exemplary Literary Achievement Award and the 2015 Santa Fe Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts – Literature. He has been instrumental in establishing the Hillerman-McGarrity Creative Writing Scholarship at the University of New Mexico, the Richard Bradford Memorial Creative Writing Scholarship at the Santa Fe Community College, and the N. Scott Momaday Creative Writing Scholarship at the Institute of American Indian Arts.

He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife Emily Beth (Mimi).

Reviews

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is # 2 in the Kevin Kerney series and is very good. In this one Kerney deals with poaching, militia men, and murder. McGarrity has a real winner with this series. Enjoy. Recommended.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just loved this read. 4.5 stars. This is in the era before cell phones. And the plotting is excellent.

Love Karen's role and Kevin can be nasty without being at all cruel. Only when it is deserved.

Great placement, set of characters in most excellent prose flow around all those mesas and desert cacti.

I am looking forward to reading every one in this series. In order too. Kerney, as scarred and broken knee arrangement as he is- sure is on top of his rodeo moves. Also super smart. No fool he. Jim is going to be an excellent associate, as well.

[Valleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars, rounded up to 3

Honestly, it took me some time to get into this book. There were so many characters and my head was spinning as I tried to keep up with all of them. There also seemed to be some unnecessary backstories adding to the confusion. Things were tied up at the end but what a confusing ride it was getting there.

Three things really bugged me: 1) The biggie: wildlife poaching. Ugh.

2) Here we have Kerney, a man who has next to nothing from his past, and in this book they were destroyed when the trailer he was temporarily living in was blown up? Really?? What was the point of that? In my opinion, those three or four items would have added a nice and sentimental thread through the series.

3) Lastly, in a town of 500 people, I think most of them turned out to be villians. Again, I ask "Really??"

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook . . . enjoyed the main characters and especially the southern New Mexico setting. Kevin Kerney is a retired Santa Fe chief of detectives with a temporary Forest Service job who runs into murder cases (one 60 years old, one current, do they tie together?). Interesting the varieties of law enforcement and jurisdiction in the area (local, state, Game & Wildlife & Forest Service).

I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the Gila Wilderness, the little towns around it, the mountains and the ranches. Once, 40 years ago, my husband and I camped for a few days in Gila and I still remember my surprise at how lush the mountains were, especially compared to the desert that wasn't far away. This book recaptured it for me.

Plot was sometimes a bit hard to believe but it was an enjoyable and quick mystery.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I am in a funk, as none of the books I've read lately seem to grab me. I do like this series. Kevin Kerney is an interesting character, and I like the locale--not many books feature New Mexico. This second book in the series is more bloody than the first, and involves many characters, which makes following the audio version more difficult. Still, I plan to read more of McGarrity's work.

[Tom Gorski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd read the entire series plus the Kerney Trilogy but not this early one (library didn't have it). Found it in an electronic version and very glad I did...McGarrity writes a great story and the fact that it is always centered in an area I have always loved (New Mexico) is icing on the cake.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This takes place in New Mexico, so automatic five stars.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medically retired police detective Kevin Kerney has landed a gig as a temporary forest ranger in New Mexico.After her divorce Karen Cox becomes assistant district attorney in her home town. When endangered animals are poached and a Mexican citizen is murdered, the two must work together in the face of betrayal, corruption, and a home grown militia movement. Their lives are on the line.

[Tory Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mexican Hat by Michael McCafferty continues the series featuring Kevin Kerney. In this outing, Kearney is working as a seasonal forest ranger and gets caught up in a case about wildlife poaching. It quickly develops into a matter of life and death with Kearney and his friends on one side and a deadly militia on the other.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in series, and better than first. This is a stand-alone and can be read without number one, but for the full enjoyment read them in order. Really enjoyed this book and have started number three - "Serpent Gate".

[Linda Rhine]

A really good modern-day western.

I love all of the Kevin Kearney novels. His family saga stretches back to early day New Mexico and the big ranch families.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great mystery by Michael McGarrity, the second in his Kevin Kerney series. As the first book, this one is set in remote areas of New Mexico. I loved the setting, in the southwest corner of the state, as names that are mentioned are towns I have stayed in, and in the Gilla Wilderness are mountains where I have hiked. Kevin Kerney is working in the area as a temporary Forest Ranger. But while there he becomes involved in investigating some poaching, and then finds himself in the midst of a family fight, and hidden secrets, that have gone on for years. A long ago murder appears to have links to a recent homicide, and Kerney is determined to help find answers, and justice.
I enjoyed the characters developed by the author, and the mystery is complex, with many layers. I will continue reading this series.

[Bobbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Another good but not great mystery in this series. For some reason I really am not invested in these characters, but I really want to be.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love McGarrity partly because I’m New Mexican and mostly because he can write. As a side note: Catron County passed a law making gun ownership mandatory. Nothing was said about Concealed Carry Licensure. Strange place.

[Joe L · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great follow up to “Tularosa” Kept me flipping page after page. A fictional story set in the southwest USA but not a “western” in the traditional sense.
Looking forward to the third installment I recently checked out at the library.
Solid 4 stars.

[Janet Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 2 in this series continues on in an excellent way. Looking forward to number 3.

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review is of the audio book. I like mysteries in general, and southwestern mysteries particularly, so I really wanted to like this book. In the end, though, I just didn't. The plot is OK, but not good enough to overcome the trite and cliched characters. It felt as though every single person in the book was a cardboard cutout, crudely and obviously labeled "good person" or "bad person", without any nuance whatsoever. As I noted, the plot is interesting, but once again lacking completely in subtlety. I can't recommend this one.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am enjoying Mr McGarritiy's writing style with each new book in the series I read. His characters are believable. No super heroes here just folks living their lives. He keeps my attention without being repetitive. Yes the stories are about solving crimes and murder, but he has a very interesting way of working through the details while taking you on a scenic tour of his world.

[ML Couch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Second book in this series and I’m enjoying it very much. I like the Main character, Kevin Kearney and the settings. Very good character development on all the primary characters. Just an enjoyable read all the way around.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts slowly, but by the end Kevin Kerney is in fine form.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kerny is my new favorite leading man!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good listen. It kept my interest most of the time.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting and well written murder mystery set in New Mexico. I enjoyed the writing, the exciting plot and the beautiful scenery that was eloquently described.

[Karen Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Michael McGarrity’s books. I especially enjoyed this one because it took place around Silver City, where I live.

[Cybercrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to find a good mystery series where the 'hero' is someone you can actually relate to.

Thoroughly enjoyed this.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm on a roll with Michael McGarrity books. Kevin Kerney is a close acquaintance now and I love the plot twists and the characters that appear in the books.

[Solitarius Lupus · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this series of mysteries is not new, it is new to me, and I'm really enjoying it. I particularly like the New Mexico setting and the former rodeo champion-retired police detective protagonist.

[Patricia in New Mexico · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good western mystery set in southern New Mexico. I enjoyed it as well as the author’s many references to locations I’m familiar with!

[Debbie Standard · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

[Ann Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

Kearney’s character is growing on me as he stumbles into a decades old murder and a plot against the federal government organized by a local militia.