A joy ride turned fatal and a community rocked by loss. For Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman, the road to retirement is paved with drama in this intricately plotted, warm-hearted Posadas County Mystery, set in small-town New Mexico.

A road to nowhere...

Recovering from a near-death collision with a giant elk, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman is back to finish her last month at the Posadas County sheriff’s office. It’s supposed to be a quiet road to retirement, until a body is found at the bottom of a water-filled quarry. The barely alive figure of the grandson of the wealthiest man in town also lies further down the ravine.

Figuring out what really happened is going to take everything that Estelle and her understaffed, overworked team have. Especially when there’s a vandal on the loose targeting the local airfield and the department has its own internal issues wreaking havoc.

Plunged into another tricky investigation, one Estelle hopes will be her last, she can’t help but think her retirement can’t come soon enough.

If you like CJ Box, Anne Hillerman and Terry Shames, you’ll love this small-town mystery that combines a vivid setting, multidimensional characters who spring from the page, and meticulous plotting, full of twists and turns.