Tough, sensitive, and funny as ever, Neil

Hamel--whom Tony HiUerman called "the

best thing to happen to criminal investigation

since Father Brown"--is back in her native New

Mexico for her third adventure This time the lawyer-

cure-sleuth is out to prove that a friend s seemingly

peaceful death in cave ruins outside Santa Fe was

really murder.

Spring is just making its way north through New

Mexico--it s hit Albuquerque but hasn t yet made

Santa Fe--when NeJl drives from the former to the

latter for a St. Patrick s Day party with friends from

her younger days in Mexico. Just about everybody

seems to have made some move from hippie to main-

stream except Lonnie Darmer, who--as in the old

days- gets too drunk to drive home Neil drives them

both home to Lonnie s little house in Santa Fe and

wakes the next morning to discover her missing.

Lonnie is found dead in an Anasazi ruin in the moun-

tains near SantaFE,her body unscathed. The police

immediately conclude that Lonnie killed herself, and

her friends seem almost relieved to concur-all except

NeiL As she investigates her friend s demise, suspects

suddenly abound--Rick First, Lonnie s ex-husband

and an architect whose latest building she vehe-

mently opposed; Marci Coyle, Rick s wealthy, jealous

new lover; Ci, a psychic with a dangerous way ol

seeing the future; and Tim Malone, whose advances

Lonnie has persistently spurned. Even Neil herselt

comes under suspicion, as the real killer draws ever

closer, eager to satisfy a newfound appetite for killing.

Spectacular portrayals of Southwestern landscape

and culture, vividly evoked characters, and ingenious,

tightly woven plotting make The Other Side of Death

a compelling read.