Against the backdrop of the harsh desert and high mountain country of southwestern New Mexico, a long- unsolved missing-person case becomes a homicide investigation when the bones of Kim Ward are unearthed in Las Cruces, New Mexico, forty- five years after her disappearance. Compelling forensic and anecdotal evidence quickly shifts suspicion to Ward's old college boyfriend: former Santa Fe police chief Kevin Kerney. "[McGarrity's] portrait of [New Mexico] is a strong one, built on meticulously detailed intelligence gathered, sifted and analyzed for unspoken secrets and lies by the author's own deeply cunning mind." -- Marilyn Stasio, New York Times "An ex- cop, McGarrity knows what he's writing about-- and how to write it." --Tony Hillerman "With each succeeding mystery, McGarrity is ever more sure of his central character, Kerney. Richly textured in setting and character, this series gets better with each outing." -- Dallas Times Herald.