Deadly Sin — P.J. Grady

When a 150-year-old statue of San Miguel (the patron saint of policemen) is stolen from a village church, the parish priest asks Santa Fe private investigator Matty Madrid for help. The santo must be returned before the traditional Good Friday pilgrimage to the Santuario at Chimayo. Father Nick also asks Matty to look into anonymous letters wealthy Dionne Delahey Quigley has received--letters revealing the glamorous Dionne's illicit love affair with Father Nick. In no time at all, the priest's in jail, charged with the murder of his lover.

Meanwhile, the "godfather" of Colorado's Front Range is in town for an interview with a papal count. Frankie Ferra is about to receive the Vatican's coveted Golden Rose for his service to Dextera Dei, a secret organization of Catholic laymen. Dionne's grieving husband is a fellow member, and the don will stop at nothing to help a brother. So Matty has to deal with the mob boss, Dionne's family (which put the "dys" in dysfunctional), a papal count who reads Dashiell Hammett, an old boyfriend doing five-to-ten, and a killer who'll stop at nothing.

Praise for the first Matty Madrid mystery, "Maximum Insecurity", has been pouring in:

"As a former resident of New Mexico, I can say that this is one of the few novels in that setting that really gets it right. You can almost taste the green chile....I highly recommend this for every mystery reader (and the paperback edition from Avocet is really beautiful)."--Kate Derie, Amazon.com

"With fast-paced and witty writing and a sprinkling of Spanglish, Grady takes the reader on an exciting jaunt through northern New Mexico and the working of the state pen until the truth tumbles out. Grady's characters have depth and, it seems to me, could live next door....A genuine New Mexican heroine."--Carolyn Appleman, Albuquerque Journal