Dead Weight

At 69, Sheriff Bill Gastner knows his Posadas, New Mexico, territory almost as well as he has come to understand the human condition. So, when a man is crushed to death by a backhoe, it’s more instinct than fact that leaves him feeling there’s more to the “accident” than meets the eye. Further complicating the sherrif’s life, someone is sending out anonymous letters accusing deputy Tom Pasquale of smuggling Mexican nationals across the border. Gastner takes this one personally; he’s fond of his deputy, but he does want the truth. He also knows that it’s an election year and that dirty politics—like murder—can happen anywhere. Soon Gastner has two dead bodies on his hands, and a strong desire to ensure that when he does retire, it’s not by way of a well-aimed bullet…