Rating: 
Summary: Abridged tape doesn't quite click
Review: Having heard all three previous books in the Kevin Kearny series in their unabridged form, this 4.5 hour abridged version left me rather flat. I realize this is the norm for the commercial tapes but I find the orchestrated music annoying. I also am ambivalent about the narrator. His speech patterns are authentic to the New Mexicans I've known. At the same time, it's a clipped speech pattern that was bothersome to me at times.As for the book itself, this isn't as strong an offering as Serpent Gate. It's fun to have Sara Brannon back and to have Kearney struggling with the love thing. But this book (and this may be the fault of the abridgement) lacks much of the charm of earlier stories. I really missed his gay landlord -- tho the dog, Shoe, is fun. Fundamentally, the crimes that he's investigating are rather pedestrian after the sophisticated crimes of Serpent's Gate. Also, I second the comment of the reader that the abundance of place names and players was hard to keep track of - particularly when listening instead of reading. Still, this is a good series. For new readers, I'd strongly advise not starting with this book as there are many references and plot lines that stem from earlier books. And, after reading one too many mysteries with alcoholic or otherwise ugly protagonists, it is so refreshing to have a hero who's basically a good guy.
Rating:
Summary: Abridged tape doesn't quite click
Review: Having heard all three previous books in the Kevin Kearny series in their unabridged form, this 4.5 hour abridged version left me rather flat. I realize this is the norm for the commercial tapes but I find the orchestrated music annoying. I also am ambivalent about the narrator. His speech patterns are authentic to the New Mexicans I've known. At the same time, it's a clipped speech pattern that was bothersome to me at times. As for the book itself, this isn't as strong an offering as Serpent Gate. It's fun to have Sara Brannon back and to have Kearney struggling with the love thing. But this book (and this may be the fault of the abridgement) lacks much of the charm of earlier stories. I really missed his gay landlord -- tho the dog, Shoe, is fun. Fundamentally, the crimes that he's investigating are rather pedestrian after the sophisticated crimes of Serpent's Gate. Also, I second the comment of the reader that the abundance of place names and players was hard to keep track of - particularly when listening instead of reading. Still, this is a good series. For new readers, I'd strongly advise not starting with this book as there are many references and plot lines that stem from earlier books. And, after reading one too many mysteries with alcoholic or otherwise ugly protagonists, it is so refreshing to have a hero who's basically a good guy.
Rating:
Summary: Not up to the standards of his earlier books
Review: I have read 3 or 4 earlier books of McGarrity and enjoyed them very much, especially the setting in the beautiful southwest. This book, however, has an unbelievable number of characters, most of whom are not important to the plot. I felt I had to diagram them out on a sheet to keep them straight. Kerney is an interesting character, but I was not impressed with Sara. She and Kerney are not going to make it on a long term basis. The crimes to be solved are never a mystery and they are totally unrelated to each other--filling up pages I thought.
Rating: 
Summary: More Kevin Kerney
Review: I have read all of the Kevin Kerney mysteries recently and I enjoyed "Hermit's Peak" the most. Kerney inherits what he has always dreamed of but of course it isn't ever that simple. When he goes to look at the property he has recently inherited of course he stumbles on the mystery of a dead body which leads to more than a few other connected mysteries. Kerney's fellow officers are well developed characters and the book was hard to put down. I really enjoyed this one.
Rating: 
Summary: excellent writing and plotting
Review: I read a lot of mysteries and this is one of the best plotted, best written ones I've ever read. In my opinion, Michael McGarrity is one gifted writer.
Rating:
Summary: This is the one he "peaks" with. It's downhill from here.
Review: I'm reviewing the series for the most part. Kerney is pleasent enough although he gets less so in subsequent books. These are "feel good" fluff books. I enjoy the South West and I enjoy well written mysteries so I hoped there'd be something close to Hillerman. There just isn't enough of substance to keep me sustained. I understand McGarrity was a cop in New Mexico and his love of the local country is a major highlight to my enjoyment of the books. However I have to believe that when McGarrity was performing police work, his cases were not solved that easily nor was he shot or injured as often as Kerney is. Kerney pretty much leads a charmed life going from subsistence living in the first book to inheriting valuable acreage in this book from a former teacher who he was nice to. Where are those nice old ladies when we want to have more material possessions in our lives? I'd like to be like Kerney who always knows when someone is a low down varmint and he can therefore treat them like dogs because it's convenient to the plot. I forget which book (they tend to run together) has Kerney bedeviling a young ne'er do well until the kid dies unnecessarily. The impression I got was that the kid was a disposable person and there are plenty of them out there so no one will mourn their passing. The way the kid was portrayed, was he would never be a great asset to society and so we get the impression it's ok for people to die because they'll never be a CEO or write poetry or drive a race car fast. I wanted to like this series. Kerney doesn't need to start drinking or gambling to make himself more interesting, but after a while you need more so you can keep on liking him. Too much black and white, not enough greys. Thin stuff.
Rating:
Summary: This is the one he "peaks" with. It's downhill from here.
Review: I'm reviewing the series for the most part. Kerney is pleasent enough although he gets less so in subsequent books. These are "feel good" fluff books. I enjoy the South West and I enjoy well written mysteries so I hoped there'd be something close to Hillerman. There just isn't enough of substance to keep me sustained. I understand McGarrity was a cop in New Mexico and his love of the local country is a major highlight to my enjoyment of the books. However I have to believe that when McGarrity was performing police work, his cases were not solved that easily nor was he shot or injured as often as Kerney is. Kerney pretty much leads a charmed life going from subsistence living in the first book to inheriting valuable acreage in this book from a former teacher who he was nice to. Where are those nice old ladies when we want to have more material possessions in our lives? I'd like to be like Kerney who always knows when someone is a low down varmint and he can therefore treat them like dogs because it's convenient to the plot. I forget which book (they tend to run together) has Kerney bedeviling a young ne'er do well until the kid dies unnecessarily. The impression I got was that the kid was a disposable person and there are plenty of them out there so no one will mourn their passing. The way the kid was portrayed, was he would never be a great asset to society and so we get the impression it's ok for people to die because they'll never be a CEO or write poetry or drive a race car fast. I wanted to like this series. Kerney doesn't need to start drinking or gambling to make himself more interesting, but after a while you need more so you can keep on liking him. Too much black and white, not enough greys. Thin stuff.
Rating:
Summary: His best yet!
Review: I've read all of McGarrity's books and this is the best so far. His control of the story, characters, and settings has matured. Enjoy the ride!
Rating:
Summary: A great storyteller who is the best at building suspense
Review: In a previous life, Kevin Kearney and his family were ranches until the New Mexico Testing Grounds were enlarged. Now, Kevin serves as the Chief Deputy of the New Mexico State Police. An opportunity to return to ranching surfaces, so Kevin goes to inspect the parcel. While there, he notices a dog carrying a woman's shoe. He takes a closer look and uncovers the carved up remains of a female corpse that remains partially buried. While Kevin and his team investigate THE crime, they wander down other paths where other criminal actions have occurred. His personal life picks up when Sara, the woman he cares about, is transferred closer to his home. However as Sara and Nick become tight, she flees to her girlfriend's home to discuss her fear of a permanent commitment to her lover. As he searches for a mass killer, Kevin wonders whether his future will include the woman he loves. Anyone, who takes pleasure from a fast-paced, original police procedural needs to read HERMIT'S PEAK. The descriptions of the unique geography of New Mexico remains deep in the audience's mind long after finishing the novel. The gentle, sensitive protagonist turns tough when his job calls for it. Michael McGarrity shows he is a magician as he paints a magical mystery that will entice sub-genre fans to try his other books. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Robert B. Parker meets Tony Hillerman
Review: July was Kevin Kerney month. I read all six of his novels and every single one was a keeper with Hermit's Peak being the best. The writing is superb, the characters believable, and the dialogue is without peer. I have to admit I am biased. I worked in Santa Fe, lived in Albuquerque, and know some of the people that received the author's acknowledgements. But wait, that is a good thing because I know what he is writing is real, the places are real, and the cases have a basis in fact. I believe this author has the staying power that some others lack. Good reading and good fun.
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