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Posadas County — by Steven F. Havill
Posadas County Series in Order: 29 books
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Bitter Recoil
Book - 2
OBSESSION TAKES AIM... It's undersheriff Bill Gastner's most difficult assignment: going on a healthy, relaxing vacation. This hardheaded lawman isn't sure he can survive the hiking, the nonspicy, unfried food and the lack of crimes to solve. So ...
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Twice Buried
Book - 3
THE SMOKING GUN? With seven days to go before he leaves for his godson's christening, Posadas County undersheriff Bill Gastner isn't looking for a new crime to solve. But the longtime lawman doesn't believe elderly Anna Hocking ended up on the dus...
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Before She Dies
Book - 4
"If what you're hiding is motive, Gastner will ferret it out and do what needs to be done. An outstanding mystery." --Booklist starred reviewPosadas Register reporter Linda Real barely survives her nighttime patrol with one of Undersheriff Bill Gastn...
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Privileged to Kill
Book - 5
"Havill...quietly continues a project virtually unique in detective fiction: anchoring his tales of crime and punishment as closely as possible in the rhythms of small-town friends, routines, and calamities." --Kirkus ReviewsRolling stone Wesley Croc...
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Prolonged Exposure
Book - 6
Savvy storytelling infused with a spicy Southwestern setting."Not only does Havill offer a melancholy reinterpretation of that grand western myth of the slow-talking, fast-thinking lawman, he also writes crisp, marvelously detailed police procedurals...
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Out of Season
Book - 7
CLEAN SHOT Sheriff Martin Holman of the Posadas County Sheriff's Department didn't like flying. Much less at night, with bad weather. So why he took a plane ride over a nearby mesa under those dangerous conditions is a question as disturbing as wh...
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Dead Weight
Book - 8
CRIME OF OPPORTUNITY A well-seasoned sixty-nine, Sheriff Bill Gastner knows his Posadas, New Mexico, territory as well as he understands the foibles of the human condition. So when a backhoe crushes a man to death, it's more instinct than fact tha...
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Scavengers
Book - 10
While new sheriff Bobby Torrez is at a law enforcement conference, former deputy Estelle Reyes-Guzman is landed with the case of a body found in the desert - that of a man who had been badly beaten and then shot. Estelle and her deputies begin the fo...
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Deadly Morsels: Red or Green?
Book - 11
When Bill Gastner, newly retired sheriff of Posadas County, New Mexico, finds his oldest friend dead of an apparent heart attack, he takes it with a grain of salt. George died after eating the famous Burrito Grande from the Don Juan de O�ate restaura...
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A Discount for Death
Book - 12
Former Posadas County, New Mexico, sheriff Bill Gastner and his legacy of commonsense detecting come in handy just when new undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman can benefit most. One of the best tried and true Gastner-isms -- pick through the pieces of ...
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Convenient Disposal
Book - 13
Posadas County, New Mexico, undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman is called to the scene of a possible domestic violence. The victim is a teenage girl, beaten into a coma and stabbed in the ear with a hatpin. Earlier, the girl was involved in a rivalry o...
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Statute of Limitations
Book - 14
It's Christmas Eve in Posadas County, New Mexico, and the bad-luck snowball really gets moving downhill for Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman. Former police chief Eduardo Martinez suffers a heart attack while chasing car thieves at a local motel; a d...
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Final Payment
Book - 15
The bodies of the three Hispanic victims don't point to the usual vigilante crime scene involving illegal border traffic in Posadas County, New Mexico. The expensively dressed couple and their grown son were shot execution-style at a remote airstrip....
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The Fourth Time Is Murder
Book - 16
Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman is always busy, but more so now than ever. The sheriff is still not completely recovered from his stay in the hospital, and she is recovering from a hospital stay herself. After a long day at work, Estelle is happy t...
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Red, Green, or Murder
Book - 17
In Posadas County, New Mexico, retired undersheriff Bill Gastner understands two things: most criminals aren't as smart as they think they are, and human nature is fairly predictable. When a full cattle truck and trailer go missing along with the ran...
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Double Prey
Book - 18
A rattlesnake fang pegged in a teenager's eye is just the beginning of a spring day for Posadas Undersheriff Estelle Guzman. The injured lad's older brother goes missing, and is found dead in an arroyo, apparently killed by his cartwheeling ATV. But ...
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One Perfect Shot
Book - 19
When a county employee is found shot to death in sun-drenched daylight while sitting in his county road grader, Undersheriff Bill Gastner is faced with puzzling questions. The simplest explanation--that an errant bullet from a careless target shooter...
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Night Zone
Book - 20
What do you do when you inherit $330 million after taxes? If you're New Mexico rancher Miles Waddell, you build a dream. A flat-topped mesa and a third of a billion dollars equals NIGHTZONE, an astronomy-based theme park, complete with giant radio...
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Blood Sweep
Book - 21
Next book in the Posadas County Mystery SeriesPosadas County Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman has a lot on her plate -- but when her family is threatened by a criminal underworld, she'll stop at nothing to protect her ownGifted fifteen-year-old Fran...
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Easy Errors
Book - 23
When the first Posadas County Mystery, Heartshot, published in 1991, Bill Gastner was the county Undersheriff. Over time Bill became Sheriff, then retired, and Robert Torrez took over the top spot. But what were Torrez's first days as a rookie office...
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Lies Come Easy
Book - 24
One blizzardy New Mexico night, Posadas County Deputy Pasquale picks up a toddler scooting his Scamper along the shoulder of State 56. Yes, it's horrifying - a child apparently dumped out of a truck by his father. Nearly as horrifying is what unro...
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Less Than a Moment
Book - 25
A New Mexico border town reckons with a shocking shooting and a dead developer in the "consistently excellent" police procedural series (Booklist). When a developer shows up in Posadas County, the locals get nervous. The small town a...
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No Accident
Book - 26
Good cops have no use for coincidenceWhen a driver slams his pickup truck -- twice -- into a tandem bike being ridden by Carlos Guzman and his fiancée, Tasha, in Briones, California, it's more than a simple hit-and-run; the driver clearly intended t...
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Perfect Opportunity
Book - 27
Octogenarian former sheriff Bill Gastner and Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman investigate a puzzling double murder in this twisty, page-turning instalment in the critically acclaimed Posadas County mystery series"If you haven't yet discovered these ...
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If It Isn't One Thing . . .
Book - 28
A fatal road crash -- a domestic incident turned deadly -- if it isn't one thing, it's another for Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman in this intricately plotted, warm-hearted Posadas County mystery, set in small-town New Mexico"If you haven't yet...
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Series Premise
The Posadas County series centers on criminal investigations handled by the local sheriff's department in a small Southwestern county. Books feature cases involving murder, theft, and local disputes, often led by characters like Undersheriff Bill Gastner or Estelle Reyes-Guzman. The structure emphasizes detailed procedural work within a consistent community environment.
Posadas County Series Reading Order
🟡 Mostly Standalone · Start Anywhere
Mostly standalone stories with recurring characters in a shared setting.
The Posadas County series does not need to be read in order. Each book tells a complete story with its own mystery resolution and case details. Continuity is limited to recurring characters and the shared county setting. Reading out of order does not cause confusion, as each volume stands on its own while offering familiar faces and locations for returning readers.
Explanation of reading order types
Posadas County Series Characters
The series features law enforcement professionals as central figures, including longtime Undersheriff Bill Gastner, known for his experience and insomnia, and Estelle Reyes-Guzman, who advances in the department. Stories often include supporting roles for deputies, medical examiners, and local residents involved in investigations.
Setting of the Posadas County Series
The books take place in Posadas County, New Mexico, a rural area with desert landscapes, small towns, and border influences. The setting highlights interactions between law enforcement, ranchers, and diverse community members.
Tone & Themes of the Posadas County Series
The tone is straightforward and procedural with realistic detail. Themes include justice in small communities, the impact of crime on families, ethical dilemmas in policing, and the balance between personal life and professional duty.
Is the Posadas County Series Worth Reading?
This series appeals to readers who enjoy traditional police procedurals, detailed investigations, and stories set in rural American communities. It suits fans of character-driven mysteries with a focus on local law enforcement.
Content Warnings and Heat Level
Books contain descriptions of crime scenes, violence, and death consistent with mystery fiction. There is no significant romantic heat level.
The Posadas County series delivers self-contained mysteries within a shared rural setting. Readers interested in the Posadas County books in order can begin anywhere without losing core story comprehension. The recurring characters and county environment provide ongoing familiarity across the volumes.
Books in this series fall into the following genres
Genres
Themes
People / Creatures
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Top Series in Police Procedural