Kevin Kerney returns in this action-packed adventure. Photograph by Inga Hendrickson.
WE KNEW THAT SAYING GOODBYE to fictional detective Kevin Kerney would be hard, but who knew it would be so brutal? In this 14th and final outing, Head Wounds (Norton), author Michael McGarrity spares our hero, leaving him largely on the fringe of a tale that bursts with nonstop action and a vicious drug cartel. Kerney’s Mescalero Apache son, Clayton Istee, rises to the challenges, providing insights into tribal ways while nabbing some very bad guys. Newcomers to the series will do fine, but to fully appreciate Kerney, the Tularosa Basin, and the long-term arcs of the characters, head to the beginning for a winter’s worth of binge sleuthing.