Serpent Gate

It was opening night of the annual town rodeo six months ago when Patrolman Paul Gillespie left the calf-roping finals, headed toward the police station, and was killed by person or persons unknown. Nobody much is talking, at least not to Kerney, but Kerney suspects that one man, Robert Cordova, a schizophrenic, saw something that memorable night. Why, for instance, does Cordova seem obsessed with rape, and what about his ramblings on the subject of Serpent Gate? And what roles, if any, should the possibly imaginary Addie and veterinarian Nita Lassiter play in Kerney's investigation? Murder and its aftermath, which are reflected on a small scale in Mountainair, play themselves out against a much glitzier backdrop in upmarket Sante Fe, where priceless art disappears from the governor's offices and a beautiful young woman dies a quick and violent death in a millionaire's mansion. While monitoring Mountainair, Kerney, now deputy chief of the State Police, returns to Santa Fe to take on an old nemesis.Michael McGarrity is the author of 'Serpent Gate' with ISBN 9781574903263 and ISBN 1574903268.