Nothing but trouble: a Kevin Kerney novel

The title of this latest in the Kevin Kerney series misses the point entirely. Yes, many cop novels, especially those veering toward noir, are about nothing but trouble, but McGarrity's series--at least since Kerney became Santa Fe chief of police and married career army officer Sarah--has been about all sorts of things besides trouble: domestic life in a long-distance marriage and the joys and frustrations of middle-age parenting, for example. McGarrity's remarkable eye for detail, always the hallmark of his series, remains so, whether the hero is choosing a day-care facility or working a stakeout. This time the action is split between Sarah tracking an army defector in Ireland--a story begun in Slow Kill (2004)--and Kerney serving as a consultant on a movie about rodeo competitors. There's plenty of trouble on both fronts, of course, but McGarrity never loses sight of the everyday, even in the heat of battle. Longtime fans of the series may yearn for some of the edginess of the early installments, but that's how it goes with life--either too much excitement or not enough. --Bill Ott Copyright 2005 Booklist

Returning from 2004's Slow Kill, stoic Sante Fe police chief Kevin Kerney receives an unexpected visit from Johnny Jordan, a childhood friend and now cantankerous former rodeo pro, who convinces Kerney to serve as a technical adviser in the shooting of a local western film. Eager for a break, Kerney heads to the location in southwestern Bootheel with his lovely wife, Army Lt. Col. Sara Brannon, and his young son, Patrick, in tow. But what starts out as a working vacation in this seventh Kerney outing quickly detours into a bloody crime scene when the body of an undercover Border Patrol agent is dumped onto Highway 81. In no time, U.S. Customs joins Kerney's investigation into a possible illegal immigrant and drug smuggling operation. Meanwhile, Sara's army job unexpectedly takes her to Ireland where she must track down and seize the notorious George Spalding, a gemstone smuggler and wartime deserter. McGarrity focuses on the details of the settings and on the characters' tactical maneuvers career- and parenting-wise. The result is slightly amplified sleuthing, deftly swapped out at surprising moments to the POV of the bad guys, and with fine but low-grade intensity. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

In McGarrity's latest Kevin Kerney mystery (after Slow Kill), readers are treated to moviemaking in New Mexico and, in a real departure for the series, a venture to Ireland featuring the Santa Fe police chief's wife, Sara, an army officer. McGarrity dedicates a third of the book to Sara, homing in on her covert operation in Ireland as she tries to capture a fugitive whose schemes have ties to important U.S. government officials. Her operation upsets a superior officer who immediately deploys her to Iraq. Although Kevin and Sara are accustomed to a long-distance marriage, they now have just a few days to make arrangements for Kevin to assume the care of their five-year-old son. In the meantime, Kevin gets involved with the filming of a movie along the Mexican border, thus allowing McGarrity to once again exhibit his remarkable ability to make the landscape and people of the Southwest a vital character in his story. Recommended where the series is popular. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 8/05.]-Ann Forister, Roseville P.L., CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In his ninth (Everyone Dies, 2003, etc.), Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kerney meets an old friend, cracks a tough case and goes to the movies. Fast-talking, hard-drinking, skirt-chasing Johnny Jordan is less a friend than a case of nostalgia gone sour. When he and Kevin Kerney were kids growing up together on Joe and Bessie Jordan's ranch, Kerney had learned to step warily around Johnny. Now Johnny's producing a movie, a modern western to be filmed in the nearby Playas. How would Kerney like being technical advisor on the cop stuff and pick up some expense money for his wife and young son? It sounds like a great way to spend the free time he and Sara have coming, Kerney thinks. And he'd be right if the pace of events didn't make its usual mockery out of Kerney family planning. Suddenly, Lieutenant Colonel Sara finds herself detached from the Pentagon and on her way to Dublin in the wake of an international smuggler with military connections. And suddenly Kerney has the murder of a Border Patrol agent on his hands, along with all the trouble Johnny Jordan can stir up as easily on a movie set as he had on the old homestead. Although the hero vanishes for nearly a hundred pages, the series remains one of crime fiction's most readable. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The title of this latest in the Kevin Kerney series misses the point entirely. Yes, many cop novels, especially those veering toward noir, are about nothing but trouble, but McGarrity's series--at least since Kerney became Santa Fe chief of police and married career army officer Sarah--has been about all sorts of things besides trouble: domestic life in a long-distance marriage and the joys and frustrations of middle-age parenting, for example. McGarrity's remarkable eye for detail, always the hallmark of his series, remains so, whether the hero is choosing a day-care facility or working a stakeout. This time the action is split between Sarah tracking an army defector in Ireland--a story begun in Slow Kill (2004)--and Kerney serving as a consultant on a movie about rodeo competitors. There's plenty of trouble on both fronts, of course, but McGarrity never loses sight of the everyday, even in the heat of battle. Longtime fans of the series may yearn for some of the edginess of the early installments, but that's how it goes with life--either too much excitement or not enough. ((Reviewed December 1, 2005)) Copyright 2005 Booklist Reviews.

In McGarrity's latest Kevin Kerney mystery (after Slow Kill), readers are treated to moviemaking in New Mexico and, in a real departure for the series, a venture to Ireland featuring the Santa Fe police chief's wife, Sara, an army officer. McGarrity dedicates a third of the book to Sara, homing in on her covert operation in Ireland as she tries to capture a fugitive whose schemes have ties to important U.S. government officials. Her operation upsets a superior officer who immediately deploys her to Iraq. Although Kevin and Sara are accustomed to a long-distance marriage, they now have just a few days to make arrangements for Kevin to assume the care of their five-year-old son. In the meantime, Kevin gets involved with the filming of a movie along the Mexican border, thus allowing McGarrity to once again exhibit his remarkable ability to make the landscape and people of the Southwest a vital character in his story. Recommended where the series is popular. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 8/05.]-Ann Forister, Roseville P.L., CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Returning from 2004's Slow Kill , stoic Sante Fe police chief Kevin Kerney receives an unexpected visit from Johnny Jordan, a childhood friend and now cantankerous former rodeo pro, who convinces Kerney to serve as a technical adviser in the shooting of a local western film. Eager for a break, Kerney heads to the location in southwestern Bootheel with his lovely wife, Army Lt. Col. Sara Brannon, and his young son, Patrick, in tow. But what starts out as a working vacation in this seventh Kerney outing quickly detours into a bloody crime scene when the body of an undercover Border Patrol agent is dumped onto Highway 81. In no time, U.S. Customs joins Kerney's investigation into a possible illegal immigrant and drug smuggling operation. Meanwhile, Sara's army job unexpectedly takes her to Ireland where she must track down and seize the notorious George Spalding, a gemstone smuggler and wartime deserter. McGarrity focuses on the details of the settings and on the characters' tactical maneuvers career- and parenting-wise. The result is slightly amplified sleuthing, deftly swapped out at surprising moments to the POV of the bad guys, and with fine but low-grade intensity. (Jan.)