Bag Limit

An unflappable New Mexico sheriff's retirement plans are postponed by a drunk driver and a murder in this 9th entry in this small-town mystery series.

"Low-key and laconic . . . this latest mystery featuring immensely likable New Mexico Sheriff Bill Gastner coasts admirably on its folksy charm. . . . At the close there's a neat conclusion to a case that has ambled along at its own pace, like a rolling tumbleweed in a gentle wind." —Publishers Weekly

Bill Gastner, reluctant sheriff of Posadas County, New Mexico, anticipates his last few days in office will be uneventful. That is, until local teen Matt Baca drives drunkenly into the back of Gastner's cruiser and flees into the night. His eventual capture turns tragic when the boy becomes irrationally violent and takes a fatal tumble into oncoming traffic. Adding to the tragedy, Matt's father is found dead in his tiny kitchen.

The dead teen's fake ID troubles Gastner. He suspects it's why Matt Baca was so intent on avoiding arrest for drunken driving. His theory leads him to the toughest, deadliest couple of days of his career . . .

"The quiet pleasures of small-town life are again at the center of this appealing series, as Gastner reaffirms his belief that even the encroaching evils of the modern world can be endured with the help of friends, family, and a properly prepared green-chile burrito." ―Booklist