Raptor: A Neil Hamel Mystery

Description

A steady law practice, a stash of tequila, a lover she calls the Kid—only a debt of the heart to her dear, dead aunt Joan could compel Neil Hamel to leave Albuquerque for Montana in search of a bird. No ordinary winged creature, the Arctic falcon is a near-mythic figure, a cool killer who likes the meat around the heart. In pursuit of this elusive species, Neil witnesses a sight even more awesome—a body plunging off a cliff. Soon she is swept into a murder case that brings together militant environmentalists and high-stakes poachers, federal investigators, and even an Arabian prince. Suddenly, in a wilderness where she has no shelter and little chance for survival, Neil is the target of human predators.

---

Customer Reviews

Another great writer from Albuquerque
I've read most of Judith's books and find them all very entertaining and well written. Whether the books are set in the South West or Montana, there're well researched on the local lore

2008-12-27 (Albuquerque, NM USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

---

Van Giesen's characters drive the suspense-driven plot
In this Neil Hamel mystery, the death of Neil's distant aunt leaves Neil with a diary and a plane ticket to observe an environmental miracle, the white Arctic falcon. But instead of seeing the glorious falcon, Neil and her birding party see a body flying off a cliff. Little does Neil realize that the trip she decides to take to Montana to see this bird will turn out to be a search for a murderer:

"'It wasn't a falconer, I'm tellin' you. There are plenty of other people around who hated Pederson's guts. The man had it comin' and goin'.' He climbed down from the fence. 'You give my best to March. Goodness is a rough trail, especially where he is. And don't forget to say hello to that girlfriend of his, Kate.' He grinned. 'Now there's a woman with spirit. She can park her boots under my bed anytime she wants to.'"

Van Giesen moves Neil and her mysterious love, the Kid, from Albuquerque: where if the hot sauce isn't burning your throat it has no taste; to the dangerous regions of Montana, where the greatest danger can be anything from a snowstorm that catches the birders unaware; to the horrible traps used on beautiful, unsuspecting, and diminishing animals for profit; to the people themselves, whose motives are hidden by the wide-open skies and mountains. Neil tries to adjust as she sleuths for March, the wrongfully accused ranger. Van Giesen's characters drive the suspense-driven plot; at the same time throwing in quirks of Neil's which make her all the more human. Neil is a lovable neurotic: from her smoking and drinking habits, to her "inappropriate" relationship to the Kid, to her turning her nose up at anything that remotely resembles food. The reader pictures an Ally McBeal galloping around the hillsides with heart and clothes flapping. But somewhere she finds the strength to get the job done, before she resumes her nonconformist lifestyle. Raptor is a delight, and Neil does it her own way.

A very popular mystery writer from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Judith Van Gieson is an author who has a plethora of information on the web, and enough name recognition so that her author bio simply includes the names of some of the catalog of mysteries she has written, including: North Of The Border, Confidence Woman, and Vanishing Point. Van Gieson is

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

2003-02-07 (Oregon, WI USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

---

The Shadow of Venus (Claire Reynier Mysteries)

Description

From the acclaimed author of Land of Burning Heat -the murder of a young woman takes rare book expert Claire Reynier into Albuquerque's dark streets, where she must shed light on the shadows of the past.

---

Customer Reviews

OK, not Great
This is a rather amateur sounding book. I read it through because I had started it, but I will not read other books by this author. In many cases the narrative was redundant. It was slow paced and predictable.

2009-09-25 (NJ) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

---

Compelling, Compassionate Claire is on Another Case
Librarian and rare book expert Claire Reynier is back again. In this one a young homeless woman named Maia body is found dead in the library with a page taken out from a valuable book. Maia apparently died of a heroin overdose, but Claire believes there is more to it.

She researches the illustration from that rare book that had been found with Maia's body. This leads her to artist edward girard who may or may not have been Claire's father, and then on to Taos where she finds that Maia had indeed been sexually abused and this reminds her of when she was almost abused as a child. She'd always felt bad about not turning in her potential abuser, but he was a friend of the family, as is so often the case. Now Claire is on the trail of another abuser and this time she's not going to give up.

Judith Van Gieson has an excellent character in Claire Reynier. She is compelling, compassionate, smart and believable. I really enjoyed this book and I'll be looking for more about Claire.

2006-12-07 (Horseshoe, North Carolina) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 5

---

Stars shine thru the mystery of Shadows
This unusual mystery touched me because Judith Van Gieson addresses powerful issues that are close to my heart from the power of art, architecture, mythology, books, "library as sanctuary" (the library is where I discovered this book although I have gone on a "Van Gieson shopping spree"), to my daily encounters with people that are homeless and witnessing their struggles here in NYC. The back drop of the stunning visions of New Mexico, Colorado and starry nights that hold clues was a fascinating vacation from my New York landscape and Van Gieson isn't going to leave you down hearted. There is a lot of sadness in this story but I enjoyed the leading character being an intelligent empowered woman who delves deeply into what appears to be a superficial open and shut case that reveals reflections on the universe, human nature, deep dark secrets, guilt or the lack of. The librarian turned sleuth takes the reader on mysteries both internal and outward. As an artist I was deeply moved at how much the author thought out and expressed about artists. When Van Gieson briefly contrasts artists to debate whether there is an on going attachment to one's art, I had a chuckle and a passionate internal response; for me, always. The mystery is about the death of a homeless woman by drug overdose so this is just a hint at disturbing topics addressed. This book surprised me with it's depth yet it did not depress me. I was diverted and interested more than anything on television as I sat and read this book from cover to cover. In fact this would make a good tv movie but I don't imagine any male director for this film. How Van Gieson uses art as a key to the mystery and her finely tuned sensitivity to the passion of "the artist" really was touching. I even had to laugh because I am dealing with a moth infestation here in NYC as does her heroic librarian, Claire, although she takes it all in stride. Bravo for the art homage and the touching tribute to the beautiful humanity of lost souls, sometimes found. Despite the sadness of the story -- this is an entertaining mystery and a quick read.

2006-06-01 | artist/writer/youtube Mayor Bloomberg King of New York (New York City, USA) | Helpful Votes: 6 | Rating: 5

---

Great amateur sleuth tale
Claire, a middle aged librarian works at the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico. At a poetry reading she arranged, a young woman she met once before offers her a seat and admires her looks. When a belligerent homeless woman bursts into the room, the campus police escort her out and Claire closes the door. The young lady who saved her a seat bolts from the room because she is claustrophobic.

Claire is disturbed when the young woman, who saved her a seat, a street person named Maia, is found dead in the basement, the victim of a heroin overdose. Claire feels connected to Maia and starts researching who she is, a journey that takes her to an Anasazi structure known as Special Rocks and to a commune in Taos. She learns that Maia was running from the man who abused her and Claire is determined that Maia's death will be avenged even though it means putting her own life on the line.

The heroine is a warm caring individual who hates to see a crime go unpunished. She starts a bit on her voyage of discovery because Maia could never willing stay in a room that locks from the outside. She also wonders why the victim was on heroin because she was supposedly clean. Judith Van Gieson weaves very ugly social problems into the main storyline yet still manages to entertain her audience with an absolutely enthralling and believable amateur sleuth novel.

Harriet Klausner

2004-02-04 | Helpful Votes: 12 | Rating: 5

---

The Stolen Blue: A Claire Reynier Mystery

Description

For the fifty-year-old, recently divorced Claire Reynier, it's time to start over. But her new direction in life--at a New Mexico university--becomes a detour to murder when an old friend and mentor is found dead.

Praise for The Stolen Blue:
"Van Gieson's back--and better than ever. Don't Miss The Stolen Blue."--Tony Hillerman

"Van Gieson was always a terrific writer, but now she's outdone herself with The Stolen Blue. A captivating and absorbing, highly readable, stay-with-it-till-you're-done mystery."--Fred Harris, author of Coyote Revenge

---

Customer Reviews

Somewhat disappointing
This who-dun-it kept me engrossed about half way through, but disappointed me at the end because the suspect was too predictable. A weak point of the plot: how could the thief know if and when Claire Reynier would leave her truck with the valuable books unattended (a dumb thing to do for such an intelligent heroine). Claire is an interesting character, but the repetitive descriptions of her daily routines get tiresome. Who cares if she lets the cat out every time she comes home from work, or eats another frozen pasta dinner (it's a wonder she can stay healthy on a diet like that!) And one gets bogged down by all those lengthy paragraphs describing traffic and road conditions every time she sets out to drive somewhere. On the positive side, the plot is refreshingly unusual and the descriptions of New Mexico and its culture are vivid.

2004-04-26 | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

---

What a great book for book lovers!
Author Judith Van Gieson took time out from her mystery series starring Neil Hamel, to create a second series. This is the first book in what I believe is a superior series to Hamel.

The book's a gift to booklovers (much like John Dunning's work), in that, as a rare-books librarian at a University campus, heroine Claire takes us into the world of collectors, readers, what makes value, and just the love of all things "bookish". She's an interesting heroine, with grown children, newly divorced from a marriage that makes you wonder (why did she stay?)and a new job in the often cutthroat world of academia.

A wealthy mentor has died, leaving his books collection to the University where Claire is employed. It's a feather in her cap, but she also finds herself needing to agree to be the executor of his estate. His odd family and his ranch, in a rancher vs. naturalist part of New Mexico have you saying silently to her..."What, are you nuts?"

From both the donation and the need to be the executor come the mysteries. I must say, I thought the culprit in each would be different, but I was proven wrong. The mystery line is gentle, probably a good way to introduce a librarian into the world of crime solving.

The real star in this book, however, is Gieson's imagery and depth of feeling for the New Mexico landscape. Both the raw power and beauty of the area are on display for all to see and enjoy. She's really given the reader something solid here, as I found myself homesick, and wishing I had a Southwestern desert vacation planned. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

2004-02-02 | quidrock (Tampa, FL United States) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 5

---

Now, this was a good book..
As a lover of the Southwest, I found Stolen Blue was very satisfying. I found myself underlining all sorts of places, books, etc. mentioned in the text to follow up. The "atmosphere" was terrific..

The negative was that the "mystery" aspects of the book were transparent. You KNEW the books would be stolen from her car, you KNEW the "History of the Blue" would be the important stolen book (the title alone gave it away!)so there weren't so many "surprises" that mysteries often have. And the eventual "killer" seemed somewhat arbitrary.

Still, the the writing drew you in, the atmosphere held you there, and the "mystery" pulled you through! The quasi-intellectual aspects were also a plus.

More!!

2001-03-29 | Helpful Votes: 5 | Rating: 4

---

Book Lover's Mystery - Slow but Steady
This is the first in this series featuring Claire Reynier, Acquisitions Librarian for New Mexico's Center for Southwest Research. Her mentor summons her to his house to witness his will in which he gives her Center his extensive book collection and his house to his daughter. When a portion of the collection is stolen from her truck, Claire sets out to recover the books, find out who stole the books since only a handful of people knew she had them, and why anyone would want to steal them in the first place. There isn't much mystery here, but there is tons of atmosphere. Van Gieson's New Mexico comes alive with her skillful pen - you can almost smell the creosote smoke in the air. However, this slim book moves along at a very leisurely pace so if you like the kind of mysteries with lots of twists and turns and a mad dash to the denouement, this is not the book for you. If you like your mysteries in the cozy genre, grab this book up.

2001-01-06 (St. Louis, MO) | Helpful Votes: 7 | Rating: 4

---

irishcowboy
mystery/murder books have always been overlooked by me. plots and themes are too predictable.

i ordered this from University of New Mexico Press. since i live in the Southwest, i was naturally 'drawn' to this book. the main setting is Albuquerque. i've lived there and will always love that city.

five pages into the reading; i could not put it down. sure, i'm biased towards the Southwest.

This particular book can appeal to anyone. (like Tony Hillerman appeals to just about anyone).

i 'sailed' through it the first time. took a few days off reading other books. then, i found myself re-reading: THE STOLEN BLUE.

i seldom,if ever, recommend a book. but this time, i WOULD recommend it to anyone.

...like Tony Hillerman's writings are popular EVEYWHERE, Judith Van Gieson has bestselling potential here.

rarely do i find myself re-reading a book so soon. THE STOLEN BLUE was one of those books.

'nuff said?

2000-10-23 | irishcowboy (Southwest U.S.A.) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 5

---

The Wolf Path

Description

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 timber 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. The Wolf Path is Judith Van Gieson's fourth Neil Hamel mystery. Since it was first published to critical acclaim in 1992, Mexican gray wolves have been reintroduced to the Southwest, and there are now several packs free-ranging in Arizona and New Mexico. Wolf advocate Bobbie Holaday, the founder of Preserve Arizona's Wolves (PAWS), updates this edition with an introduction summarizing the progress that has been made. Van Gieson has published eight mysteries featuring Neil Hamel and five with University of New Mexico librarian Claire Reynier.

---

Customer Reviews

Great Female Sleuth
This book contains one of my favorite quotes - a commentary on female sleuths.

"Jayne runs every morning," Juan said, shaking his head in a mixture of admiration and disbelief.
"Care to join me Neil?" she asked, bending over and looking up at
me through her hair while her palm lay flat on the floor.

"No thanks." I was already pondering my next cigarette.

"I thought women lawyers ran," Jayne said, standing up, flinging her hair over her shoulders and bending backwards.

"That's women detectives," I said.
"Women lawyers drink."

FYI Judith also has a series featuring Claire Reynier and has started her own publishing company ABQ Press.
For more of my comments see [...]

2009-12-12 | CluesSister (Half Moon Bay, CA USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

---

Neil Hamel is at her most heroic and intelligent, and the plot completely satisfies
Judith Van Gieson is a multi-faceted personality, having started her own publishing company; authored a children's book; a collection of poetry and short stories; and thirteen mysteries. Her first series of eight mysteries features Neil Hamel, an Albuquerque lawyer, and the second series centers around Claire Reynier, an archivist and librarian at the University of Mexico. Van Gieson's mysteries revolve around environmental issues and artifacts. Her books have garnered high praise and awards, including the Zia Award for Best Work of Fiction by a New Mexico woman.

THE WOLF PATH, published in 2006, is the fourth Neil Hamel mystery. As the name implies, it centers on the plight of the Mexican gray wolf. As usual, man is its worst predator, and ranchers in particular want this beautiful creature banished from their lands because it feeds on cattle. Neil is entrusted with a legal case by a friend. An ex-con with bad judgment and a gullible heart is taking his gray wolf around to communities in an effort to educate a skeptical public. He isn't welcome, and every attempt is made to stymie his efforts, including falsely accusing him of a murder. Neil sees no alternative but to swing into action to save her client from an unforgiving New Mexican culture:

"There are some pervasive fantasies in this country. One, that wars win something. Two, that guns don't kill people. Three, that everyone deserves his or her day in court and when that day comes the case will be presented by a brilliant, committed lawyer, that a lifetime of wrongs will be vindicated by a wise judge and a sympathetic jury. The truth is litigation is largely a boring, time-consuming, expensive crapshoot. Juan had been through the process and had already lost once. What made him think he would win this time? The quality of his legal representation? His belief in his innocence? Ego? Romance?"

Van Gieson scores another hit with this psychological and poetic mystery. Not only does she manage to educate the masses regarding the possible extinction of the Mexican gray wolf, but she creates the beautiful New Mexican landscape in every page. Neil Hamel is at her most heroic and intelligent, and the plot completely satisfies.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

2009-10-19 (Oregon, WI USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

---

The wolves return
This is a fascinating book written in Van Gieson's unique and poetic style. Like a number of books in the Neil Hamel series it deals with an environmental issue - in this case the attempt to reintroduce the Mexican gray wolf to the Southwest. Since the book was first published wolves have been reintroduced with mixed results. This edition has an update on the reintroduction effort by wolf activist Bobbie Holaday who founded PAWS (Preserve Arizona's Wolves) and was instrumental in bringing wolves back. The striking cover illustration is by the Navajo activist Ernie Franklin. Highly recommended.

2007-01-16 (New Mexico, USA) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 5

---

The best of the Neil Hamel mysteries
It is a shame this book is out of print. This is by far Van Gieson's best novel featuring her magnetic lawyer-sleuth, Neil Hamel. Whereas the earlier books had not yet developed Hamel's character into full bloom, and the most recent one is a bit contrived, this volume is like a comfortable old sweater. If you can get your hands on a copy, relish it!

1999-09-05 | Helpful Votes: 7 | Rating: 4

---

Confidence Woman: A Claire Reynier Mystery

Description

New Mexico rare book expert Claire Reynier is the victim of identity fraud-and the chief suspect in the con woman's murder-in this new mystery from a writer whose work has been praised as "crisp, taut, and utterly compelling" (Entertainment Weekly).

---

Customer Reviews

Good Show, Judith
I loved the book. An entertaining book should take you away from your troubles during the course of the reading.....This one does....and does it well. Being from Santa Fe, I especially enjoyed the insights on Santa Fe women and the insights on women in general. The characters were very true to life and I know each one of them exists in my own world......By the way, Judith, we are passing the book around Santa Fe, pretty soon everyone in yoga class will have read it....!!!! Cheers to you !!

2002-10-14 (The Land of Enchantment) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

---

I LIKED IT!
I GRABBED THIS BOOK ON IMPULSE AND WASN'T SURE AT FIRST IF I WAS GOING TO READ PAST THE FIRST COUPLE OF CHAPTERS OR NOT, BUT I STUCK WITH IT AND REALLY GOT INTO IT. I ENJOYED CLAIRE, BUT WOULD HAVE LIKED TO SEE SOME CLOSER FAMILY AND SOCIAL INTERACTION.

2002-08-22 | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

---

That's the way I like it
I feel I owe Judith Van Gieson a special thank you for giving her readers consistently excellent novels. Ever since the Neil Hamel, and now with the Claire Reynier series, I've enjoyed her well defined, genuine characters, no nonsense plotlines as well as her remarkable ambience-rendering of the Southwest. The author sense of time and places proves once again right here. As a woman in her fifties, Claire Reynier has already had a share of ups and downs. She has settled for the best as a rare book expert at the Univesity of New Mexico and a life of her own spent between books, Tai-chi, a potential lover and a cat. When she becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a former classmate, she has to dig into a long-forgotten past and go through some sobering discoveries. With her sharp reflexion about what people really are about behind the scene, precise but thoughtful writing, Judith Van Gieson brings a definite plus to the mystery genre.

2002-08-21 (france) | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 5

---

Good Sense of Place, Not So Good Sense of Plot
Claire Reynier is a fifty-something rare book expert who is thinking about aging. She compares and competes with her old college friends--who looks better, has a better husband, better job, better divorce etc. A former sorority sister cons Claire and others from the old college group, then turns up murdered. Claire is a suspect. She then investigates all the old friends to clear herself. Author, Judith Van Gieson, does a great job with atmosphere and her writing is very readable. She has some big plot and plausibility problems though.

2002-07-15 (Seattle, Wa United States) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 3

---

The Other Side of Death: A Neil Hamel Mystery

Description

The "annual" Saint Patrick’s Day party hosted by Tim and Jamie Malone in their small northern New Mexico community is their first in many years. But it also marks their last as they prepare to move to the Midwest. For Albuquerque attorney Neil Hamel, going to the party is a reunion of sorts with various old friends she spent a year carousing with in a small town in Mexico in the late 1960s. Just about everyone seems to have made some move from hippie to mainstream except Lonnie Darmer, who—as in the old days—gets too drunk to drive home. Neil drives them both 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 mountains near Santa Fe, her body unscathed.

The police immediately conclude Lonnie committed suicide, and her friends seem almost relieved to concur—all except Neil. As she investigates her friend’s death, suspects suddenly abound. Even Neil herself comes under suspicion, as the real killer draws ever closer, eager to satisfy a newfound appetite for killing.

---