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Michael McGarrity holds a BA with distinction in
psychology and a master's degree in clinical
social work. As an undergraduate, he held a
Ford Foundation Scholarship at the University of
New Mexico. Additionally, he is an honor
graduate of the New Mexico Law Enforcement
Academy.
His career in criminal justice includes work in
corrections, law enforcement, security, police
officer training, and serving as an expert witness
to the court. As a deputy sheriff for Santa Fe
County he worked as a patrol officer, community
relations officer, training and planning
supervisor, and lead investigator for the sex
crimes unit, which he established. He also has
served as an instructor at the New Mexico Law
Enforcement Academy, an investigator and
caseworker for the Public Defender's Office, and
an investigator for a state government agency.
In 1987, he was honored as Santa Fe's Police
Officer of the Year.
As a trained psychotherapist, McGarrity
specialized in the treatment of high-risk and
at-risk populations including drug abusers,
chronically mentally ill patients, juvenile
delinquents, adult felons, and abused and
psychology and a master's degree in clinical
social work. As an undergraduate, he held a
Ford Foundation Scholarship at the University of
New Mexico. Additionally, he is an honor
graduate of the New Mexico Law Enforcement
Academy.
His career in criminal justice includes work in
corrections, law enforcement, security, police
officer training, and serving as an expert witness
to the court. As a deputy sheriff for Santa Fe
County he worked as a patrol officer, community
relations officer, training and planning
supervisor, and lead investigator for the sex
crimes unit, which he established. He also has
served as an instructor at the New Mexico Law
Enforcement Academy, an investigator and
caseworker for the Public Defender's Office, and
an investigator for a state government agency.
In 1987, he was honored as Santa Fe's Police
Officer of the Year.
As a trained psychotherapist, McGarrity
specialized in the treatment of high-risk and
at-risk populations including drug abusers,
chronically mentally ill patients, juvenile
delinquents, adult felons, and abused and
Tularosa -- the place of reddish willows in Spanish -- holds the key to Kevin
Kerney's past and his future. Ex-chief of detectives in the Santa Fe Police
department, retired by a shot-up leg, Kerney is drawn back into action when Navajo
Indian Terry Yazzi, his ex-partner and the man responsible for his injuries, asks
him to locate his son, reported missing from the high-security White Sands Missile
Range in southern New Mexico.
To find Sammy Yazzi, Kerney must track clues that lead deep into the histories of
the region -- Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo -- and surprisingly, into his own
family's ranching past. And he must deal with the complicated feelings triggered by
the army's investigator, Captain Sara Brannon, a fiery young officer as formidable
as she is attractive. As Sammy Yazzi's trail spirals into a web of murder, treason,
and the smuggling of priceless artifacts, Kerney and Sara travel an accelerating arc
across the New Mexico scene -- from the boutique-ridden plaza of Santa Fe, through
the sharp-edged beauty of the high desert, to bordertown gambling dens -- to a final
confrontation in which, both wounded and at risk, they must fight for their lives and
for each other against opponent who hold all the odds.
Kerney's past and his future. Ex-chief of detectives in the Santa Fe Police
department, retired by a shot-up leg, Kerney is drawn back into action when Navajo
Indian Terry Yazzi, his ex-partner and the man responsible for his injuries, asks
him to locate his son, reported missing from the high-security White Sands Missile
Range in southern New Mexico.
To find Sammy Yazzi, Kerney must track clues that lead deep into the histories of
the region -- Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo -- and surprisingly, into his own
family's ranching past. And he must deal with the complicated feelings triggered by
the army's investigator, Captain Sara Brannon, a fiery young officer as formidable
as she is attractive. As Sammy Yazzi's trail spirals into a web of murder, treason,
and the smuggling of priceless artifacts, Kerney and Sara travel an accelerating arc
across the New Mexico scene -- from the boutique-ridden plaza of Santa Fe, through
the sharp-edged beauty of the high desert, to bordertown gambling dens -- to a final
confrontation in which, both wounded and at risk, they must fight for their lives and
for each other against opponent who hold all the odds.
"Tularosa" introduced Kevin Kerney, ex-Santa Fe chief of detectives and
ex-rancher, as he followed the trail of his missing godson into a web of murder,
treason, and the smuggling of historical artifacts. A year later, Kerney is working
as a seasonal forest ranger in the Gila Wilderness and banking his pay toward the
down payment on a small ranch. Despite the county militia's planting pipe bombs on
hiking trails, Kerney looks forward to a quiet summer in the high mountains.
But the poaching of wildlife, the murder of a Mexican tourist, and the discovery of a
disoriented old man in the wilderness thrust Kerney into an investigation that
accelerates dangerously to a heart-stopping final confrontation.
Frustrated by the ineptness of the local sheriff and bureaucratic roadblocks within
the forest service, Kerney teams up with Jim Stiles, a young, energetic game and
fish officer. Together Kerney and Stiles begin an investigation that takes them back
in time to a sixty-year-old feud between two land-rich brothers, Edgar and Eugene
Cox, and its possible connection with the death of an Hispanic rancher, and into the
present-day intrigue of the paramilitary militia movement sweeping the country.
The investigation leads Kerney to question the motives of the new assistant district
attorney, Karen Cox, Edgar's daughter, who may be more interested in shielding her
father than in solving the crimes.
As the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, someone keeps trying to kill
Kerney. And soon Karen must choose between protecting her father's long-buried
secret or joining Kerney in a battle for their lives and the truth.
ex-rancher, as he followed the trail of his missing godson into a web of murder,
treason, and the smuggling of historical artifacts. A year later, Kerney is working
as a seasonal forest ranger in the Gila Wilderness and banking his pay toward the
down payment on a small ranch. Despite the county militia's planting pipe bombs on
hiking trails, Kerney looks forward to a quiet summer in the high mountains.
But the poaching of wildlife, the murder of a Mexican tourist, and the discovery of a
disoriented old man in the wilderness thrust Kerney into an investigation that
accelerates dangerously to a heart-stopping final confrontation.
Frustrated by the ineptness of the local sheriff and bureaucratic roadblocks within
the forest service, Kerney teams up with Jim Stiles, a young, energetic game and
fish officer. Together Kerney and Stiles begin an investigation that takes them back
in time to a sixty-year-old feud between two land-rich brothers, Edgar and Eugene
Cox, and its possible connection with the death of an Hispanic rancher, and into the
present-day intrigue of the paramilitary militia movement sweeping the country.
The investigation leads Kerney to question the motives of the new assistant district
attorney, Karen Cox, Edgar's daughter, who may be more interested in shielding her
father than in solving the crimes.
As the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, someone keeps trying to kill
Kerney. And soon Karen must choose between protecting her father's long-buried
secret or joining Kerney in a battle for their lives and the truth.
Mountainair, New Mexico. The very name conjures up the clean air, the foothills,
the gorgeous mountains of the Southwest. Some would say this is God's country.
It's also Kevin Kerney's, especially when crimes like rape and cop murder intrude
on the outwardly idyllic setting.
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 Santa Fe, where
priceless art disappears from the governor's office 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.
Restless, thinking perhaps too often of a woman who is, for him, off-limits, Kerney
accepts the challenge. With his love of the land, his knowledge of police tactics and
the criminal mind, his raw courage and tenaciousness, Kerney heads toward a
showdown with his enemy.
the gorgeous mountains of the Southwest. Some would say this is God's country.
It's also Kevin Kerney's, especially when crimes like rape and cop murder intrude
on the outwardly idyllic setting.
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 Santa Fe, where
priceless art disappears from the governor's office 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.
Restless, thinking perhaps too often of a woman who is, for him, off-limits, Kerney
accepts the challenge. With his love of the land, his knowledge of police tactics and
the criminal mind, his raw courage and tenaciousness, Kerney heads toward a
showdown with his enemy.
When an old family friend unexpectedly leaves Kevin Kerney 6400 acres of high
country land outside Las Vegas, New Mexico, the last thing Kerney wants to think
about is police work. Taking a rare weekend off from his job as deputy chief of the
New Mexico State Police, Kerney sets out to explore the land, a rugged mesa in the
shadow of Hermit's Peak.
Before Kerney can get very far, he comes upon an ailing stray dog with a woman's
running shoe in its mouth. The dog leads him to the butchered bones of a murder
victim, and Kerney finds he's inherited a homicide along with a ranch.
Determined not to see his weekend ruined, Kerney turns the investigation over to
the state police district office and continues his survey of his windfall inheritance,
only to find that timber thieves have clear-cut a great swath of woodland in a remote
canyon.
Unsure of whether he can pay the inheritance taxes, hold on to the land, and realize
his dream to ranch again, Kerney returns to Santa Fe. There he finds that Sara
Brannon -- a woman he cares deeply about -- has arrived to visit him. As Kerney
and Sara begin trying to sort out a relationship that means more to both of them
either is willing to admit, Kerney is called back to Hermit's Peak. Another murder
victim has been found at a remote cabin next to Kerney's property.
Kerney is soon directing a multipronged investigation into crimes that may or may
not be connected. Step by step, he assembles facts that cast suspicion on some
unlikely suspects. As he races against time to solve to murders and avert another,
Kerney must also grapple with what the truth may mean for a man he has grown to
respect and trust.
country land outside Las Vegas, New Mexico, the last thing Kerney wants to think
about is police work. Taking a rare weekend off from his job as deputy chief of the
New Mexico State Police, Kerney sets out to explore the land, a rugged mesa in the
shadow of Hermit's Peak.
Before Kerney can get very far, he comes upon an ailing stray dog with a woman's
running shoe in its mouth. The dog leads him to the butchered bones of a murder
victim, and Kerney finds he's inherited a homicide along with a ranch.
Determined not to see his weekend ruined, Kerney turns the investigation over to
the state police district office and continues his survey of his windfall inheritance,
only to find that timber thieves have clear-cut a great swath of woodland in a remote
canyon.
Unsure of whether he can pay the inheritance taxes, hold on to the land, and realize
his dream to ranch again, Kerney returns to Santa Fe. There he finds that Sara
Brannon -- a woman he cares deeply about -- has arrived to visit him. As Kerney
and Sara begin trying to sort out a relationship that means more to both of them
either is willing to admit, Kerney is called back to Hermit's Peak. Another murder
victim has been found at a remote cabin next to Kerney's property.
Kerney is soon directing a multipronged investigation into crimes that may or may
not be connected. Step by step, he assembles facts that cast suspicion on some
unlikely suspects. As he races against time to solve to murders and avert another,
Kerney must also grapple with what the truth may mean for a man he has grown to
respect and trust.
Deputy state police chief Kevin Kerney is weeks away from trading in his badge for
a rancher's hat, when six murders are committed late one night at remote
campgrounds in south central New Mexico. Most of the evidence points to the work
of a spree killer, but peculiarities at one crime scene suggest another grisly
possibility, that five random people have been shot to death to cover the
premeditated murder of the sixth victim, Vernon Langsford, a retired judge and
wealthy businessman.
Ruling out neither scenario, Kerney uses all the available resources of the New
Mexico State Police to mount a high-profile search for a possible spree killer and
conduct a deep probe into the life of Vernon Langsford. Quickly, the investigation
reveals a number of motives for Langsford's murder, including money, revenge,
sexual indiscretions, and the six-year-old unsolved killing of Langsford's wife by a
letter bomb meant for the judge. But Kerney has no clear suspects, nor does he
know why Langsford's son scornfully refers to his murdered father as "the Judas
judge".
Under pressure to make an arrest, Kerney struggles to keep a team of investigators
moving forward. As he pieces together a shocking history of family betrayal, he is
harassed by a stalker with an unknown agenda, forced into a gunfight with a
crooked cop that may taint his entire career, and shaken by new doubts about his
plan to give up police work. Most troubling of all, he is reacquainted with a proud
Apace woman from his past. who discloses a secret of her own which could easily
disrupt his recent marriage to a wife he rarely sees, career army officer Sara
Brannon.
Challenged by the most sensational case of his career, Kerney must use all his skill
to track down and bring to justice a brilliant and ruthless killer.
a rancher's hat, when six murders are committed late one night at remote
campgrounds in south central New Mexico. Most of the evidence points to the work
of a spree killer, but peculiarities at one crime scene suggest another grisly
possibility, that five random people have been shot to death to cover the
premeditated murder of the sixth victim, Vernon Langsford, a retired judge and
wealthy businessman.
Ruling out neither scenario, Kerney uses all the available resources of the New
Mexico State Police to mount a high-profile search for a possible spree killer and
conduct a deep probe into the life of Vernon Langsford. Quickly, the investigation
reveals a number of motives for Langsford's murder, including money, revenge,
sexual indiscretions, and the six-year-old unsolved killing of Langsford's wife by a
letter bomb meant for the judge. But Kerney has no clear suspects, nor does he
know why Langsford's son scornfully refers to his murdered father as "the Judas
judge".
Under pressure to make an arrest, Kerney struggles to keep a team of investigators
moving forward. As he pieces together a shocking history of family betrayal, he is
harassed by a stalker with an unknown agenda, forced into a gunfight with a
crooked cop that may taint his entire career, and shaken by new doubts about his
plan to give up police work. Most troubling of all, he is reacquainted with a proud
Apace woman from his past. who discloses a secret of her own which could easily
disrupt his recent marriage to a wife he rarely sees, career army officer Sara
Brannon.
Challenged by the most sensational case of his career, Kerney must use all his skill
to track down and bring to justice a brilliant and ruthless killer.
Kevin Kerney is back in Santa Fe, newly installed as police chief, when a U.S.
ambassador's estranged wife is found murdered in her multi-million-dollar home.
Before he can mount a proper investigation, an FBI anti-terrorism team arrives,
takes control of the inquiry, and forces Kerney to watch from the sidelines as the
crime scene is sanitized, potential witnesses disappear, and the case is cleared with
trumped-up evidence. Warned off, put under surveillance, and threatened with
reprisals under the rubric of national security, Kerney balks at accepting the
whitewash and begins a soft probe that points to a covert intelligence coverup with
tendrils stretching from every known government spy shop to the South American
jungles. Convinced that unscrupulous government agents are acting outside the law,
Kerney begins his own clandestine hunt for a hard target that will lead him to the
truth about the Terrell homicide, knowing full well he might not survive the chase.
ambassador's estranged wife is found murdered in her multi-million-dollar home.
Before he can mount a proper investigation, an FBI anti-terrorism team arrives,
takes control of the inquiry, and forces Kerney to watch from the sidelines as the
crime scene is sanitized, potential witnesses disappear, and the case is cleared with
trumped-up evidence. Warned off, put under surveillance, and threatened with
reprisals under the rubric of national security, Kerney balks at accepting the
whitewash and begins a soft probe that points to a covert intelligence coverup with
tendrils stretching from every known government spy shop to the South American
jungles. Convinced that unscrupulous government agents are acting outside the law,
Kerney begins his own clandestine hunt for a hard target that will lead him to the
truth about the Terrell homicide, knowing full well he might not survive the chase.
When a structure fire in an abandoned fruit stand in rural Lincoln County reveals
the murdered body of a woman gone missing from Santa Fe years ago, Police Chief
Kevin Kerney finds himself cooperating with his estranged son, a man he hardly
knows, Deputy Sheriff Clayton Istee. While Kerney digs into the woman's past
hoping to find clues that will lead to a credible suspect, Clayton must unravel two
more homicides which seen on the surface totally unrelated.
As Kerney chases down clues that raise questions about the legitimacy of a
highly-regarded modeling and talent agency, Clayton works to discover the identity
of a murder suspect alleged to have ties to prostitution and illegal gambling.
Set against the backdrop of the high mountains of southern New Mexico where
gambling is big business and private sexual encounters for VIPs can discreetly be
arranged, Kerney and Clayton must go up against rich and politically powerful
opponents who are willing to protect their reputations at all costs.
the murdered body of a woman gone missing from Santa Fe years ago, Police Chief
Kevin Kerney finds himself cooperating with his estranged son, a man he hardly
knows, Deputy Sheriff Clayton Istee. While Kerney digs into the woman's past
hoping to find clues that will lead to a credible suspect, Clayton must unravel two
more homicides which seen on the surface totally unrelated.
As Kerney chases down clues that raise questions about the legitimacy of a
highly-regarded modeling and talent agency, Clayton works to discover the identity
of a murder suspect alleged to have ties to prostitution and illegal gambling.
Set against the backdrop of the high mountains of southern New Mexico where
gambling is big business and private sexual encounters for VIPs can discreetly be
arranged, Kerney and Clayton must go up against rich and politically powerful
opponents who are willing to protect their reputations at all costs.
Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kerney and his wife, Lt. Colonel Sara Brannon, are on
leave and eagerly awaiting the birth of their son when a prominent gay attorney is
gunned down outside his office by an unknown assailant. Called to the crime scene
and faced with scanty evidence and no apparent motive, Kerney directs his chief of
detectives to delve into the victim's personal and professional life, a decision which
ultimately leads to a SWAT team screw-up and the death of two innocent people.
But the killer has just begun. Kerney's horse, a mustang he'd gentled and trained, is
viciously and senselessly destroyed, a dead rat is left on his doorstep, and a second
victim with ties to the criminal justice system is found in bed with her throat cut
along with a warning, EVERYONE DIES.
As a time of joy turns into a nightmare, Kerney and Sara search desperately for a
seemingly unstoppable chameleon killer who promises to murder them and their
unborn son.
leave and eagerly awaiting the birth of their son when a prominent gay attorney is
gunned down outside his office by an unknown assailant. Called to the crime scene
and faced with scanty evidence and no apparent motive, Kerney directs his chief of
detectives to delve into the victim's personal and professional life, a decision which
ultimately leads to a SWAT team screw-up and the death of two innocent people.
But the killer has just begun. Kerney's horse, a mustang he'd gentled and trained, is
viciously and senselessly destroyed, a dead rat is left on his doorstep, and a second
victim with ties to the criminal justice system is found in bed with her throat cut
along with a warning, EVERYONE DIES.
As a time of joy turns into a nightmare, Kerney and Sara search desperately for a
seemingly unstoppable chameleon killer who promises to murder them and their
unborn son.
Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kerney travels to a California ranch looking to buy
some prime quarter horse breeding stock; instead, he finds himself the prime
suspect in a possible homicide when a guest at the ranch, Clifford Spalding, is found
dead. Confronted by a determined cop unwilling to let him off the hook, Kerney
decides to conduct his own investigation. As he digs into the victim's background, he
learns that Spalding's ex-wife refuses to believe that her son, a soldier killed in
Vietnam some thirty years ago, is dead.
Kerney soon finds himself sharing the woman's doubts. Did Spalding's current wife,
a much younger woman, orchestrate his murder with the help of a lover? Did a
California cop collude with Spalding to keep his ex-wife from learning the truth
about her son?
Slow Kill races from West coast to East coast, as Kerney tries to find the answers to
a thirty-year old mystery and extricate himself from a situation that could ruin his
career.
some prime quarter horse breeding stock; instead, he finds himself the prime
suspect in a possible homicide when a guest at the ranch, Clifford Spalding, is found
dead. Confronted by a determined cop unwilling to let him off the hook, Kerney
decides to conduct his own investigation. As he digs into the victim's background, he
learns that Spalding's ex-wife refuses to believe that her son, a soldier killed in
Vietnam some thirty years ago, is dead.
Kerney soon finds himself sharing the woman's doubts. Did Spalding's current wife,
a much younger woman, orchestrate his murder with the help of a lover? Did a
California cop collude with Spalding to keep his ex-wife from learning the truth
about her son?
Slow Kill races from West coast to East coast, as Kerney tries to find the answers to
a thirty-year old mystery and extricate himself from a situation that could ruin his
career.
After years away on the pro rodeo circuit, Johnny Jordan struts into Santa Fe to ask
his boyhood friend, Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kerney, to serve as a technical
advisor on a contemporary Western movie to be filmed along the Mexican border.
Kerney agrees and plans a working vacation on location in a remote area of the
state known as the Bootheel with his wife, Lt. Colonel Sara Brannon, and their
three year old son, Patrick. But a dead man on a road near an isolated border
crossing, a federal undercover investigation into immigrant smuggling, the search
for a fugitive from military justice hiding somewhere in Europe, and Johnny Jordan’
s troublesome behavior ensure that nothing goes as planned.
As separate investigations embroil Kerney and Sara in circumstances that will
forever changes their lives, Kerney must care for Patrick while Sara plays a
dangerous game of Pentagon politics. Packed with family secrets, international
intrigue, and memorable characters, this is McGarrity’s most ambitious and
involving novel to date, traveling an accelerating arc from Santa Fe to the desert
grasslands and mountains of the Bootheel, the most secret levels of the Pentagon, a
resort town on the coast of Ireland, and back to an adrenaline-charged climax on a
desolate landing strip a few miles north of the Mexican border.
his boyhood friend, Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kerney, to serve as a technical
advisor on a contemporary Western movie to be filmed along the Mexican border.
Kerney agrees and plans a working vacation on location in a remote area of the
state known as the Bootheel with his wife, Lt. Colonel Sara Brannon, and their
three year old son, Patrick. But a dead man on a road near an isolated border
crossing, a federal undercover investigation into immigrant smuggling, the search
for a fugitive from military justice hiding somewhere in Europe, and Johnny Jordan’
s troublesome behavior ensure that nothing goes as planned.
As separate investigations embroil Kerney and Sara in circumstances that will
forever changes their lives, Kerney must care for Patrick while Sara plays a
dangerous game of Pentagon politics. Packed with family secrets, international
intrigue, and memorable characters, this is McGarrity’s most ambitious and
involving novel to date, traveling an accelerating arc from Santa Fe to the desert
grasslands and mountains of the Bootheel, the most secret levels of the Pentagon, a
resort town on the coast of Ireland, and back to an adrenaline-charged climax on a
desolate landing strip a few miles north of the Mexican border.
The bushwhack killing of a deputy sheriff in Lincoln County and the brutal murder
of the deputy’s wife in Santa Fe, bring Police Chief Kevin Kerney and his Mescalero
Apache son, Sergeant Clayton Istee, back together in a double homicide
investigation that is soon linked to a major drug trafficking scheme and the cold
blooded slaughter of two women in Albuquerque. With few clues, no known
motives, and no suspects, the investigation turns into a search for the son of the
slain officer, eighteen year-old Brian Riley, who left Santa Fe before his father’s
death under suspicious circumstances.
Due to retire at the end of the month, Kevin Kerney isn’t about to let the murder of
a police officer’s wife go unsolved on his watch, especially since the dead woman was
the sister of a dear friend, and crime scene facts strongly suggest that the killer
may have also ambushed the deputy sheriff. Kerney assumes command of the
combined investigation and calls upon Clayton to find Brian Riley, discover what
triggered the murders, and give him the ammunition he needs to bring a multiple
murderer to justice.
of the deputy’s wife in Santa Fe, bring Police Chief Kevin Kerney and his Mescalero
Apache son, Sergeant Clayton Istee, back together in a double homicide
investigation that is soon linked to a major drug trafficking scheme and the cold
blooded slaughter of two women in Albuquerque. With few clues, no known
motives, and no suspects, the investigation turns into a search for the son of the
slain officer, eighteen year-old Brian Riley, who left Santa Fe before his father’s
death under suspicious circumstances.
Due to retire at the end of the month, Kevin Kerney isn’t about to let the murder of
a police officer’s wife go unsolved on his watch, especially since the dead woman was
the sister of a dear friend, and crime scene facts strongly suggest that the killer
may have also ambushed the deputy sheriff. Kerney assumes command of the
combined investigation and calls upon Clayton to find Brian Riley, discover what
triggered the murders, and give him the ammunition he needs to bring a multiple
murderer to justice.
neglected children. He was responsible for reestablishing mental health services
for the New Mexico Corrections Department after the infamous prison riot of 1980,
creating school-based counseling services for children and youth, setting-up
intensive therapy programs for patients with serious mental disorders, and
developing halfway houses and residential treatment programs for drug abusers
and felons released to the community. In 1980 he was recognized by his peers as
the New Mexico Social Worker of the Year.
He has been on the faculty of several colleges and universities, teaching courses
in psychology and counseling, functioning as a field supervisor for undergraduate
and graduate clinical social work students, and as a college instructor within the
New Mexico prison system.
Prior to turning his attention to the writing of fiction, he published a number of
professional journal articles on a wide range of topics, including therapy programs
for children, program assessment and evaluation, staff development, and drug
treatment interventions. For a number of years, he maintained a private practice
specializing in the family therapy and consultation services to community-based
treatment agencies.
With the publication of "Tularosa" in 1996, McGarrity turned to writing full time. He
lives in Santa Fe New Mexico with his wife and college sweetheart, Emily Beth
(Mimi). His son, Sean Eli, who creates the maps for the books and takes the
author's photographs, also lives in Santa Fe.
Michael's debut novel,Tularosa" was nominated for an Anthony Award, a Dilys
Award and a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America, and was selected
as one of the best books of the year by "Publishers Weekly". "Serpent Gate", the
third novel in the Kevin Kerney series, was a "Booklist" top-ten crime novel of
1998-1999. "Under the Color of Law" garnered kudos as a Top 10 bestseller
list for 2001 of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. It was also
judged as one of the best books of 2001 by Deadly Pleasures Magazine. Deadly
Pleasures also gave a nod to the cover art as a top book cover of 2001. In 2003,
Michael was nominated for two awards, the New Mexico Governor's Award for
Excellence in the Arts, and the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best
Western Novel, his second Spur nomination and in 2004, Michael was not only
nominated but was awarded the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in
the Arts -- Literature.
for the New Mexico Corrections Department after the infamous prison riot of 1980,
creating school-based counseling services for children and youth, setting-up
intensive therapy programs for patients with serious mental disorders, and
developing halfway houses and residential treatment programs for drug abusers
and felons released to the community. In 1980 he was recognized by his peers as
the New Mexico Social Worker of the Year.
He has been on the faculty of several colleges and universities, teaching courses
in psychology and counseling, functioning as a field supervisor for undergraduate
and graduate clinical social work students, and as a college instructor within the
New Mexico prison system.
Prior to turning his attention to the writing of fiction, he published a number of
professional journal articles on a wide range of topics, including therapy programs
for children, program assessment and evaluation, staff development, and drug
treatment interventions. For a number of years, he maintained a private practice
specializing in the family therapy and consultation services to community-based
treatment agencies.
With the publication of "Tularosa" in 1996, McGarrity turned to writing full time. He
lives in Santa Fe New Mexico with his wife and college sweetheart, Emily Beth
(Mimi). His son, Sean Eli, who creates the maps for the books and takes the
author's photographs, also lives in Santa Fe.
Michael's debut novel,Tularosa" was nominated for an Anthony Award, a Dilys
Award and a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America, and was selected
as one of the best books of the year by "Publishers Weekly". "Serpent Gate", the
third novel in the Kevin Kerney series, was a "Booklist" top-ten crime novel of
1998-1999. "Under the Color of Law" garnered kudos as a Top 10 bestseller
list for 2001 of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. It was also
judged as one of the best books of 2001 by Deadly Pleasures Magazine. Deadly
Pleasures also gave a nod to the cover art as a top book cover of 2001. In 2003,
Michael was nominated for two awards, the New Mexico Governor's Award for
Excellence in the Arts, and the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best
Western Novel, his second Spur nomination and in 2004, Michael was not only
nominated but was awarded the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in
the Arts -- Literature.
