Less Than a Moment — Steven F. Havill

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 along the southern border of New Mexico has enjoyed a surge in visitors, jobs, and prosperity since rancher Miles Waddell opened an eco-friendly complex. But then the developer buys land just next door, with plans for a project that will threaten the county's newfound success.
 
Tension is at an all-time high when someone shoots up the newsroom -- and then the developer is found dead at the base of a cliff. Sheriff Bob Torrez and Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman know these bloody events are all too convenient not to be connected.

With support from Bill Gastner -- an old Western sheriff straight out of the movies -- the partners dive into a heated investigation. But as the case gets personal, the two will have to untangle a web of convoluted evidence before the community turns on itself . . .

“The Posadas County that Havill has created is so tangible, you feel that if you walked down its streets, you would be greeted by old friends.” -- Bookreporter

“Less Than A Moment reveals Posadas' sense of small-town life through the conversations of multiple characters and by rolling them into the narrative, whether they're related or unrelated to the crimes.” -- Albuquerque Journal
 
“If you haven't yet discovered these wonderful mysteries, you are in for a treat!” -- Anne Hillerman, New York Times-bestselling author of Lost Birds
 
“Mystery fans who haven't yet made the trip to Posadas County, consider yourself deprived.” -- Kirkus Reviews