Bill Gastner had been in Michigan recovering from heart surgery. He arrives home to Posadas as a child is missing. Search and rescue, law enforcement, and other agencies are engaged in a massive search. But, as always, there is more than one crime happening at a time.

This is a suspenseful tale with plenty of eyebrow-raising events. As I finished, I wiped the sweat from my brow and started to look for the next in this series. ( )

Steven F. Havill has one of the best mystery series going. There's not an ounce of flab on any of them. The mysteries are intriguing and well-paced, and the cast of characters is marvelous-- growing and changing as time passes. Add genuine Western flair and the scenic landscape of New Mexico, and you've got it all... green chiles optional but definitely preferred.

Bill Gastner talks slow, thinks fast, doesn't sleep much, and knows Posadas County and its people like the back of his hand. I love watching him solve each case with a blend of good old-fashioned common sense and a bit of technical know-how. Havill's splendid cast includes Deputy Estelle Reyes-Guzman who couldn't be more different from Bill yet is just as talented and dedicated, Estelle's doctor husband and their young son, and other members of the Posadas County Sheriff's Office. These people are bound together by the job and by their real caring for each other. They may not be equally skilled, but that just makes the "family" dynamic more interesting.

Prolonged Exposure-- and all its siblings in this series-- is so good that I wish everyone would give it a try. It's probably all right to start wherever you like since Havill does provide necessary details, but since the characters' lives play such an important role in the books, it would probably be best to begin at the beginning with One Perfect Shot so you can savor each and every bit... like I've been doing. I doubt very much that you'll be disappointed... unless you're one of those city slickers I've heard tell about. ( )