Michael McGarrity is a man of many talents. He worked as a psychotherapist, specializing in treating drug abusers and the mentally ill. Next, he tried his hand at law enforcement, as a Santa Fe County deputy sheriff. But his most successful career came about by combining those experiences with his highly skilled writing ability to create his Kevin Kerney novels. In ìSerpent Gate,î McGarrity delivers a suspenseful mystery with a powerful message. Mentally ill patients deserve the same respect and care accorded to the physically ill. The story opens with Kerney sitting outside the Shaffer Hotel in Mountainair, New Mexico. He is there to solve the murder of Patrolman Paul Gillespie, found with a bullet in his head more than six months ago. Kerney believes an unkempt schizophrenic man, Robert Cordova, who was nearby when the killing took place, holds the key to cracking this case. Cordova recently walked away from the state mental hospital in Las Vegas, New Mexico. But neither the doctors nor police appear concerned, because each time Cordova escapes a mental facility he makes a beeline for his hometown. Right away, I fell in love with McGarrityís writing, as he captures the essence of Mountainair. It is a small town, east of the Manzano Mountains, that lost its luster ìwith the demise of dry land farming and the decline of railroad traffic.î Zoning laws are lax in the town, which has a mixture of middle-class houses plopped right down next to old adobe homes and shacks that may or may not be inhabited. Yet, once outside the residential area, youíre surrounded by an undeniably beautiful environment. Kerney consults a photo as he watches Cordova pacing back and forth in front of an elaborate ìfolk-art gate,î containing stylized human and animal figures centered around a coiled snake ìwith an arrowhead tail.î Both the FBI and state police interviewed Cordova after Gillespieís murder, but they discounted his ravings as nothing more than hallucinations. Cordova constantly tells the authorities, ìSatan raped my daughter,î although he has no daughter. But after patiently interviewing Cordova several times, Kerney believes, daughter or not, a rape did take place. When asked where this occurred, Cordova replies, ìAt Serpent Gate,î going on to say he is not referring to the gate in Mountainair. Is he, or isnít he? You wonít find out until the end of the story. Seeking to learn more about the connection between Gillespie and Cordova, Kerney is stonewalled by every person he interviews, including Marcia Yearwood, the town physicianís assistant; Lurline Toler, Cordovaís foster sister; and Neil Ordway, ìchief of a two-person force.î Kerney tags Ordway as a ìbad cop,î and he lives up to that title, bullying anyone he can, especially Cordova, whom he loves to torment and physically abuse. Stymied by liars and a mentally ill witness, Kerney only uncovers one piece of information that will help him solve this case. A woman named ìAddieî knows something, but her surname and whereabouts are yet another mystery. Suddenly, Kerney is drawn into a huge case in Santa Fe. During a party at the Rancho Caballo clubhouse, an intoxicated art curator, Amanda Tulley, tells a group of men that it would be a snap to steal the fine art collection in Gov. Springerís office. All but one laughs off her diatribe. Enrique DeLeon, a Mexican drug lord and art connoisseur, lures Amanda back to his house with the promise of cocaine and champagne, as he garners additional details. In short order, he arranges the heist, netting ìthree Georgia OíKeeffe oils, and a Maynard Dixon cowboy scene,î along with a treasure trove of Southwestern art worth a cool $8 million. McGarrity fans will remember DeLeon from ìTularosa,î the first book in this series. Kerney and DeLeon are archenemies. He is a cutthroat mobster with numerous political connections. His stoolies, Carlos Ruiz and Nick Palazzi, address him respectfully as ìpatrÛn,î while knowing the slightest error on their part means certain death. At this point, the twists and turns in the story have Kerney running from one end of New Mexico to the other, with a few side trips to Mexico. A map at the front of the book helps readers not familiar with the names of the places follow along. As Kerney tracks down the stolen art, the action begins to resemble a flash flood careening through a mountain pass. A patrol officer is killed after inspecting the back of a white van outside of Truth or Consequences. His dash cam reveals what looks like a body in the back of the van. Two ìpersons of interestî disappear into thin air. Chaos rules in Juarez, Mexico. A shootout in a residential neighborhood in Santa Fe leaves behind three bodies and sends one officer to the hospital. In a commercial district, a million dollars worth of black tar heroin and crack cocaine is found stashed in a basement. And darn! Could some of the bad guys be New Mexicoís political heavyweights? McGarrityís blend of vivid geographic description and equally realistic characters netted him a number of writing awards, including the Pikes Peak Library Districtís ì2015 Frank Waters Award for Literary Excellence.î See why, as with the sleight-of-hand of a magician, McGarrity wraps up the entire ìwhodunitî right back where it all began, at ìSerpent Gate.î Enjoy the mayhem!
