Nightzone

By Steven Havill

"Gastner's capabilities are plausible for a septuagenarian, and Havill peoples the book with believable characters." —Publishers Weekly STARRED review

What do you do when you inherit $330 million after taxes? If you're New Mexico rancher Miles Waddell, you build a dream. Waddell's dream is NightZone, an astronomy-based theme park complete with giant radio telescope, a bank of smaller scopes linked to a theater, five-star dining in a restaurant with retracting dome ceiling, a hotel/resort, tram car access, and a narrow gauge steam locomotive to carry tourists to the mesa top.

But the dream becomes a nightmare when two eco-terrorists chain-saw down power lines that feed the development. One of them is killed by a bucking power pole; the other escapes by car. From 20 miles away, retired Posadas Sheriff William K. Gastner spots a pair of headlights as the dead man's companion speeds from the scene.

Soon charges include murder when the fleeing conspirator is stopped by a cop and guns the lawman down. Hours later Gastner stops to assist Sgt. Jackie Taber during an unrelated traffic stop, and 74-year-old Gastner becomes the focus of a second investigation by the District Attorney and Sheriff's Department.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Oct 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781615954247

Steven Havill

Steven F. Havill lives with his wife of fifty-three years, Kathleen, in New Mexico. He is the author of thirty-two novels, taught secondary schools for 25 years, and recently earned an AAS degree in gunsmithing.

Reviews for Nightzone

[dallenbaugh_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The first mystery I have read by this author. I liked the crusty old ex sheriff Gastner, who seems to get into a heap o' trouble as he helps track down some serious eco-terrorists intent on destroying the dreams of his friend Miles Waddell to build a huge telescope and public education complex. The story was a little far fetched and could have been shortened quite a bit, but contained interesting info on the Bennet family who tried to establish a presence in southern New Mexico. Also contained a nice appreciation and description of the arid New Mexico landscape.

[pmorris_503958 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this novel immensely... as I have all of the books in the Posadas saga. Mr. Havill creates a word portrait which forms a clear image of the people and places he describes. I continuously have to rein in my desire to grab or pull up an atlas to track the exact locations of the events he describes. I would like to meet these people and see these places, but I'll just have to be satisfied with the word pictures.

[readinggeek451 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This series hasn't run out of steam yet.

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fast moving, interesting addition to an excellent series. Hard for Sheriff Bill to stay retired. When his insomnia kicks in; he is out and about and ready to get involved. An incipient prairie fire interrupts his mesa top solitude and we are off and running. A classical interlude provided by his prodigy grandson demonstrates that Posadas country does not lack for culture. Car chases, car crashes and gunfire galore; can't wait for the TV series.