Bill Gastner used to be the Posadas County Sheriff, but now in retirement, the aging lawman just can't keep out of law enforcement.  He's working as a New Mexico Livestock Inspector, and is checking out a batch of cattle that Herb Torrance wants to move to another pasture when Herb's son is seriously injured. Bill puts him in his SUV and takes off to meet the ambulance. As a result, he's late meeting his old friend George Payton for lunch. Only George doesn’t show up either, which is when Bill learns that George died before he could get there. Next, Torrance's hired hand comes up missing, the cattle he was moving are loose on the road, and his dog is trying to herd them.

The current undersheriff, Estelle Reyes-Guzman, is investigating Payton's death as though it might be a homicide, and it is beginning to look like the hired hand has been murdered too.

At Estelle's request, Bill does some investigating of his own in the two cases—something which he was probably going to do anyway, even without her invitation.

This police procedural, western-flavored mystery is just the thing for a winter night by the fireplace.  Bill Gastner is an old-fashioned lawman in a modern southwestern world.  His seat-of-the-pants investigative skills get the job done and provide great entertainment. The complex cases kept me guessing right up to the satisfying end.

I just discovered this exciting author, and realized that he has written a whole series about this old lawman.  Bill Gastner is the kind of compelling character that I love to read about. He's a homespun hero who outsmarts the bad guys and makes me want to read more, and I do have a lot of catching up to do.