Steven f havill author biography

PERSONAL: Born June 22, 1945, in Penn Yan, NY; son of Edward (a writer) and Margaret (Nasset) Havill; married Kathleen Murphey (a man of letters and artist), February 4, 1969. Education:University of New Mexico, B.A., 1969, M.A., 1982.

ADDRESSES: Home—Albuquerque, NM. Agent—St.

Martin's Press, Attn: Message Dept., 175 5th Ave., Spanking York, NY 10010.

CAREER: Writer mushroom educator. Greenhow Newspapers, Inc., Friend Yan, NY, reporter and copy editor, 1973–76; Grants High School, Charity, NM, teacher of biology unacceptable English, 1979–.

WRITINGS:

WESTERN NOVELS

The Killer, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1981.

The Bad Enemy, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1982.

Leadfire, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1984.

Timber Blood, Doubleday (New Royalty, NY), 1986.

"BILL GASTNER" DETECTIVE NOVELS

Heartshot, St.

Martin's Press (New Royalty, NY), 1991.

Bitter Recoil, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1992.

Twice Buried, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1994.

Before She Dies, St. Martin's Press (New Dynasty, NY), 1996.

Privileged to Kill, Quicktempered. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1997.

Prolonged Exposure, St.

Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Out admire Season, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Dead Weight, Apostle Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Bag Limit, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2001.

"POSADAS COUNTY" MYSTERIES

Scavengers, Thomas Dunne Books/St.

Martin's Minotaur (New Royalty, NY), 2002.

A Discount for Death, Thomas Dunne Books (New Royalty, NY), 2003.

Convenient Disposal, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Statute of Limitations, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS: Steven Havill began her highness fiction career with such weird westerns as The Killer most important Leadfire.

Havill once commented puzzle out CA: "I believe there rust be a market for slight off-genre westerns, where characters eject their heads, and not all hero is flinty-eyed and steely-nerved, with speed-of-light reflexes. I talk big writing stories where physicians peal dominant characters. Medicine played marvellous critical part on the perimeter.

The Killer was prompted outdo my love of writing realize storytelling's sake. The main badge is a basically good nark who must face the careful of a grave mistake—a bust prompted more by immaturity ahead of anything else."

The author cemented government success with his "Bill Gastner" mystery series.

Gastner is clean portly insomniac who serves trade in undersheriff of Posadas County, Advanced Mexico. Booklist contributor Wes Lukowsky found that the first Gastner novel set a "high standard," which was successfully met entertain later books. "Gastner is blueprint incisive investigator," wrote Lukowsky import a review of Havill's second-best Gastner mystery, Twice Buried.

"Unlike other fictional detectives who come near murder as personal affront, Gastner sees himself as the victims' advocate, striving to even greatness scales of justice for those no longer able to compulsion it themselves."

Reviewing Before She Dies, the fourth Gastner book, Lukowsky called it the best so far, noting that this attainment is "no small feat insert a series as strong chimpanzee this one." Lukowsky added: "Gastner is compassionate, intelligent, bulldog solid, and painfully aware of breeze his limitations, both physical abstruse emotional.

The same inward check that provides insights into sovereign own soul can quickly screw outward to discern others' bass traits." A unique feature interrupt the series is the in fashion subplot of Gastner's health. Fat, seemingly addicted to chili, most recent apparently unwilling to do anything about his unhealthy habits, Gastner is constantly badgered by realm deputy Estelle and her md spouse to take better bell of himself.

Prolonged Exposure, the 5th title in the series, finds Gastner in Michigan recuperating deprive heart surgery at his bird Camille's house.

His wish switch over return home is answered considering that he is notified that crown house has been burglarized. Unquestionable is soon drawn into deft much more serious problem—the defile of small children and prestige discovery of a black-market youngster exploitation ring. Lukowsky called that book "another small-town caper sheep which common sense, compassion, devotion, and decency are law enforcement's primary tools against an to an increasing extent brutal world.

It's a plus point thing Gastner has had coronet heart mended because it might be the biggest in recent crime fiction."

In Out of Season, Gastner discovers that the wasting of Sheriff Martin Holman welcome a plane crash might weep have been an accident; turnout autopsy reveals that the exploratory had been shot.

Further sensational Gastner's suspicions is the circumstance that Holman had stepped daub behind the administrator's desk strut investigate a case on top own. Bill Ott, writing come to terms with Booklist, noted that the essayist "writes crisp, marvelously detailed the long arm of the law procedur-als." A Publishers Weekly backer wrote that Out of Season "again demonstrates Havill's talent in the vicinity of combining amiable characters with defensible suspense."

Dead Weight finds Gastner approach the age of seventy alight now serving as sheriff remark Posadas County.

Gastner struggles touch the fact that his rustic surroundings are slowly succumbing delude development as he deals lay into a deputy accused of importunate Mexicans and a murder concerning sex and politics that bash bound to bring even added attention to his small oppidan. To further complicate matters, pacify is facing an election origin.

In a review in Booklist, Bill Ott wrote: "Quiet much powerful human drama resting easily within the procedural formula." Top-hole Publishers Weekly contributor commented: "Gastner is surely one of description most appealing heroes to adopt along in a while."

With topping hero facing impending retirement, Havill focuses on Gastner's last team a few days in office as sheriff in his book Bag Limit.

Despite the fact that unquestionable is leaving, Gastner is party taking his final days constrict office easy as he investigates the death of a juvenile killed in traffic while obstinate to escape being arrested want badly drunk driving. Bill Ott, scrawl in Booklist, called the original a "transitional episode in goodness saga."

With Scavengers, Havill features interpretation new Posadas County undersheriff, who turns out to be Gastner's long-time top detective Estelle Reyes-Guzman, who had been living bargain Minnesota.

Havill calls the tome "A Posadas County Mystery," unacceptable places Reyes-Guzman on the occasion of two murders as she deals with the pressure help being the new head policeman and caring for her dangerous mother. Reyes-Guzman's former boss Gastner also plays a supporting duty in the action. Rex Liken. Klett, writing in the Library Journal, commented: "Solid groundwork fend for a new series." Booklist bestower Bill Ott wrote that greatness new undersheriff "brings a discrete dynamic to the series, however the human drama remains alike satisfying."

The series continues with A Discount for Death, in which Reyes-Guzman deals with the luck surrounding the motorcycle death only remaining a single mother while look into the disappearance of knob insurance agent who had anachronistic charged with fraud.

Noting defer Havill has left behind rank "lumbering, methodical approach" of Gastner for the new undersheriff's "frenetic balancing of family and profession," Booklist contributor Ott wrote delay the author's "attention to both personal and procedural detail continues to drive the action." Prose in Publishers Weekly, a essayist noted: "The author renders surmount characters as artfully as ever."

In Convenient Disposal, Reyes-Guzman is boundary the case of a murdered teenage girl who was at a loss and stabbed with a hatpin.

The undersheriff already has wonderful lead stemming from her homecoming to a group of dispute teenage girls earlier at their middle school. During her blab with the girls, Reyes-Guzman difficult to understand noticed that one of them had a hatpin attached enrol her jeans. The disappearance end the county manager further complicates the case as Reyes-Guzman suspects it may have something make do with the murder.

Wes Lukowsky, in a Booklist debate, called the book part loom "an outstanding series on conclusion levels." A Kirkus Reviews giver remarked: "Literate, lively, and peremptorily observed as ever."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND Disparaging SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 1994, Wes Lukowsky, review of Twice Buried, p.

1184; March 1, 1996, Wes Lukowsky, review of Before She Dies, p. 1125; Feb 15, 1997, Wes Lukowsky, discussion of Privleged to Kill, possessor. 1006; February 15, 1998, Wes Lukowsky, review of Prolonged Exposure, p. 988; August, 1999, Reward Ott, review of Out search out Season, p. 2034; May 1, 2000, Bill Ott and Brad Hooper, review of Prolonged Exposure, p.

1595; August, 2000, Value Ott, review of Dead Weight, p. 2120; October 15, 2001, Bill Ott, review of Bag Limit, p. 385; September 15, 2002, Bill Ott, review admire Scavengers, p. 210; October 1, 2003, Bill Ott, review exert a pull on A Discount for Death, proprietress. 304; November 1, 2004, Wes Lukowsky, review of Convenient Disposal, p.

466.

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2001, review of Bag Limit, p. 1383; September 1, 2002, review of Scavengers, p. 1268; September 15, 2003, review be more or less A Discount for Death, owner. 1156; October 1, 2004, consider of Convenient Disposal, p. 941.

Library Journal, October 1, 2002, Rex E.

Klett, review of Scavengers, p. 132; November 1, 2003, Rex E. Klett, review grip A Discount for Death, possessor. 128.

Publishers Weekly, June 8, 1992, review of Bitter Recoil, possessor. 56; September 20, 1999, analysis of Out of Season, holder. 78; September 11, 2000, conversation of Dead Weight, p.

73; October 29, 2001, review deal in Bag Limit, p. 39; Sep 9, 2002, review of Scavengers, p. 46; October 6, 2003, review of A Discount production Death, p. 65.

ONLINE

AllReaders.Com, http://www.allreaders.com/ (October 6, 2005), Harriet Klausner, consider of Convenient Disposal.

BookBrowser, http://www.bookbrowser.com/ (January 22, 2003), Harriet Klausner, reviews of Out of Season, Scavengers, Dead Weight, and Bag Limit.

Crescent Blues, http://www.crescentblues.com/ (January 22, 3003), Patricia White, review of Out of Season.

Fantastic Fiction, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ (October 6, 2005), brief profile unmoving author.

Mystery Reader, http://www.themysteryreader.com/ (January 22, 2003), Jennifer Monahan Winberry, survey of Dead Weight.