Sky High Stakes — Ted Clifton

Murder and greed visit the high country...

Tired of spending his days fishing, Ray Pacheco takes on his second assignment with his partner Tyee Chino when the state Attorney General asks them to find out just what the hell is going on in Ruidoso, New Mexico. With the town's sheriff in the hospital with a mysterious illness, acting sheriff Martin Marino is running rough-shod over everyone around him.

What seems like a simple assignment becomes more complicated when Marino is found dead, shot at close range. The suspects include most of the town, from Dick Franklin, manager of Ruidoso Downs racetrack, to bar owner Tito Annoya, to members of the local law enforcement.

At the same time, Ray has an uneasy feeling that the AG is withholding critical details about what exactly is going on in Ruidoso -- and why the state was so slow to respond.

It all comes to a surprising conclusion with the involvement of a Spanish princess, a drug lord gone mad, and a few other lowlifes... and leaves Ray wondering if maybe fishing wasn't so boring after all.

Includes a bonus “Facts in the Fiction” section, discussing some of the real-life inspirations for the locations and characters in the novel.

For fans of mysteries and crime thrillers. Sky High Stakes continues the stories of Ray, Tyee, and Big Jack from the first book in the series, Dog Gone Lies.