Mysteries from ABQ Press

Most of us weave the fabric of our lives with strands selected from the seven virtues and the seven deadly sins. Jennifer Murphy found another thread, and when it began to unravel, she left a man with a knife in his chest on her kitchen floor in New Mexico and a cry for help on Rainbow Porter's door.

Porter loved Jenny—in a way. At the very least, he had an affection and they had an accommodation, but the more he pursues the running woman, the deeper he digs into her past, the less he understands her as a woman or an artist, and the less he understands his attraction to her.

The cops want Jenny, Porter wants her, two ex-husbands want her, a killer is stalking her, and then two dubious figures from the intelligence community muscle into the chase. When Rainbow recruits Sharon Coulter, an attractive ex-cop and detective from LA, to join the hunt, they begin to close in on the central mystery of Jenny's past. But as Rainbow begins to understand Jennifer, he begins to understand Sharon too, and Sharon is damaged in some of the same ways he is.

Tomato Boy is the first book in the Bob McGregor series set in Calvin County, Tennessee. McGregor, a lawyer, plans to kickback in this farmers' paradise known for its delicious tomatoes. His goal is to write an historical novel while managing the affairs of the wealthy Roland Poteet, a former professor, friend and mentor. McGregor thinks he has settled into lawyer's heaven, free from the stresses of urban practice and free from entanglement in local affairs, but he soon learns that an upcoming election is taken very seriously in Calvin County. First McGregor is threatened; then a prominent citizen is murdered. McGregor's lawyer skills pull him into the action as he tries to solve one murder and prevent another.

In the first Claire Reynier mystery the librarian/sleuth investigates the theft of a rare book collection. Her investigation takes her into a remote and beautiful area known as The Blue.

A Romantic Times Top Pick

Nominated for Reviewers Choice Award

Southwest Book of the Year

One of IMBA (Independent Mystery Booksellers Association) best selling paperbacks for 2000

“Van Gieson’s back and better than ever.  Don’t miss The Stolen Blue.” 
Tony Hillerman

“A captivating and absorbing, highly readable, stay-with-it-till-you’re-done mystery.” 
Fred Harris

“Masterly work . . . A fascinating heroine.” 
Library Journal

A Claire Reynier mystery inspired by the story of Everett Ruess, a talented artist and writer who disappeared in the Canyonlands of Utah in the ‘30s. His disappearance was one of the West’s great unsolved mysteries until it was (or was not depending on which DNA expert you believe) solved in the spring of 2009.

A Romantic Times Top Pick

“A classy new mystery series . . . Moves confidently from one reasonable plot development to the next, incorporating in the action a nice sense of place.”
Arizona Daily Star

“Van Gieson invokes the desert beauty of New Mexico with meticulous care.”
Publisher’s Weekly

Claire becomes a victim of identity theft.

Bravos Award for literary excellence

“Van Gieson combines solid character development with a fascinating plot, ambient New Mexico atmosphere, and a surprise ending.  This series deserves a wider audience.” 
Booklist

“Van Gieson has created a heroine that most women will want to emulate because she is so bright, honest and likable . . . Multi-layered and complex . . . Entertaining and informative, a real treat.” 
Midwest Book Review

Inspired by the story of the Crypto-Jews in New Mexico. Claire’s investigation takes her back to the time the Inquisition was practiced in the New World.

Mystery Guild selection

“The whodunit is fascinating, but it is the mystery of the past that holds the reader’s attention.” 
Midwest Book Review

“A shimmering showcase of Southwestern mystique.”  Santa Fe New Mexican

A homeless woman is found dead in the basement of Zimmerman Library with an illustration stolen from the rare book room.

Finalist for the Barry Award for best paperback original

Winner of the Zia Award for best work of fiction by a New Mexico woman

“A gripping crime novel . . . A likeable heroine, compelling story line and vivid descriptions make this book a winner.”  Albuquerque Journal

“An involving read at an irresistible price . . . Superb.”  Santa Fe New Mexican 

It's a 104-degree day in Albuquerque when attorney/sleuth Neil Hamel gets a call asking her to go to southern New Mexico to help a wolf advocate who calls himself Juan Sololobo. Juan, who attracts trouble wherever he goes, is visiting the town of Soledad to give an educational program featuring his wolf, Sirius.

After someone lets Sirius out of his pen, a federal official is murdered and Juan becomes the prime suspect. As Neil defends him she finds herself immersed in a deadly conflict between ranchers and environmentalists over wolf reintroduction.

“Crisp, taut and utterly compelling.” Entertainment Weekly

Imagine growing up in a place where people around you die on a regular basis, some from known and others from more mysterious causes. Such is the case for Anthony "Tony" Ervin, a young man with mental retardation who lives at the Oak Valley State Training Shcool and Hospital in East Tennessee. In 1978, when murders begin happening back to back and innocent victims experience no reprieve from the brutality that pervades their lives, Tony finds himself thrust into the role of amateur sleuth. Uncertain of whom to trust, with violence and deception escalating, and viewed by those who run the institution as incompetent, Tony nonetheless discovers clues that lead to multiple suspects and motives. As Tony plunges into a week that will change his life, his movements as the mail boy for Oak Valley begin to have a profound impact on all whose path he crosses.

"Protagonist Tony Ervin, a resident at Oak Valley State Training School, is a highly unconventional, yet deeply moving and believable sleuth, who manages to remain aware and kind in the worst of circumstances. You can't help but root for him as he defies the expectations of those in power while struggling to solve the crimes taking place at Oak Valley and attempting to restore order to the only world he's known..."
-- Judith Van Gieson, author of the Claire Reynier and Neil Hamel mysteries.

"As Beckwith pulls aside the veil that shrouds Oak Valley, we are threaded through all the intrigue and politics of this labyrinthine place in our search for a killer. She leads us through the many rooms, halls and grounds and allows us to listen to both the caretakers and residents -- each with their own brand of human frailties -- one can become strangely enlightened and satisfied at the same time."
-- Robert Perske, Author of Circles of Friends, Unequal Justice and Deadly Innocence.

Nick Cowan lost his innocence and his wife in the Sea of Cortez. A small town in west Texas took a gamble on the future and lost everything. Paula Stafford lost her brother to Helen Daws, who never lost a thing in her life, and all of them are heading for a bloody rendezvous on the shores of the Sea of Deception.

When the Reverend Richard Catesby’s younger brother Willy disappears in his yellow Volkswagen convertible, the local sheriff does not believe there is enough evidence to warrant an investigation. But Catesby, convinced his brother has been murdered, puts aside his vows as an Episcopal priest and prepares to avenge Willy himself. His friend Stan, worried not only for Richard’s safety, but also bout the morality of his crusade, tries to reason with him. Richard however, finds himself growing fond of his role as a samurai. He devises an intriguing revenge, and Stan reluctantly finds himself caught up in its web.