Synopsis:

Deputy state police chief Kevin Kerney is weeks away from trading in his badge for a rancher's hat, when six murders are committed late one night at remote campgrounds in south central New Mexico.  Most of the evidence points to the work of a spree killer, but peculiarities at one crime scene suggest another grisly possibility, that five random people have been shot to death to cover the premeditated murder of the sixth victim, Vernon Langsford, a retired judge and wealthy businessman.

Ruling out neither scenario, Kerney uses all the available resources of the New Mexico State Police to mount a high-profile search for a possible spree killer and conduct a deep probe into the life of Vernon Langsford.  Quickly, the investigation reveals a number of motives for Langsford's  murder, including money, revenge, sexual indiscretions, and the six-year-old unsolved killing of Langsford's wife by a letter bomb meant for the judge.  But Kerney has no clear suspects, nor does he know why Langsford's son scornfully refers to his murdered father as "the Judas judge".

Under pressure to make an arrest, Kerney struggles to keep a team of investigators moving forward.  As he pieces together a shocking history of family betrayal, he is harassed by a stalker with an unknown agenda, forced into a gunfight with a crooked cop that may taint his entire career, and shaken by new doubts about his plan to give up police work.  Most troubling of all, he is reacquainted with a proud Apace woman from his past. who discloses a secret of her own which could easily disrupt his recent marriage to a wife he rarely sees, career army officer Sara Brannon.

Challenged by the most sensational case of his career, Kerney must use all his skill to track down and bring to justice a brilliant and ruthless killer

... Kerney raised his eyes to the sweep of mountains, his gaze settling on Joplin Ridge, high above Dog Canyon.  Long before the park existed, he'd come here as a boy on camping trips with his father to explore the freshwater springs and seeps that enabled lush plants and trees to thrive at the edge of a desert filled with yucca and mesquite... 

Now Dog Canyon was part of  the Oliver Lee Memorial State Park.  Kerney had grown up hearing stories of Oliver Lee from his grandfather ... back when Lee controlled the water in Dog Canyon and a million acres of   free range."

"... to the Jornada del Muerto - the journey of death - a waterless, desolate savanna of cactus, creosote, and mesquite.  Once part of El Camino Real that ran from Mexico City of Santa Fe, the Jornada earned its name because of the scores of lives it claimed during the early days of Spanish settlement."

"The Judas Judge" 2000

Read an excerpt

Mescalero Apaches in the Guadalupes

Though numerous archaeological sites and fragments of artifacts are scattered throughout the Guadalupe Mountains, it is difficult to link these findings directly to Mescalero Apache occupation in this area prior to the 1500s. These people were dependent on hunting and gathering for their subsistence and their survival; their mobile and dispersed populations left little behind. Without radiocarbon dating, distinctive rock art or tools, and metal artifacts, Apache sites are not easily distinguished from earlier archaeological evidence. There is physical evidence to place the Mescalero Apache people in the Guadalupe Mountains around 1541, though the details of their lives from that time until the 1700s remains sketchy.

Lack of archaeological evidence aside, the Mescalero Apache oral history tradition reveals the Guadalupe Mountains as a central focus in creation stories, curing practices and as homelands. The Mescalero are as tied to these mountains presently as they were in the past; the resources managed by the National Park Service in Guadalupe Mountains National Park play a central role for the elders as they pass on tradition, belief, practices, and history to the younger generations.

While many historical documents are vague and nonspecific, and refer to occupation in the Guadalupes only with reference to "Apaches", there are a significant amount of references to the Guadalupe Mountains as Mescalero homelands in the 1700s and 1800s. The United States Army engaged in many skirmishes; there are documented confrontations between Mescalero Apaches and units of the Tenth Cavalry-the Buffalo Soldiers-within the present day boundaries of the park.

Prior to their arrival in the Guadalupes, Apaches were competing on the plains with Comanches, who held an advantage by virtue of their travel on horseback. As a result, Apaches were forced to retreat to mountainous areas. This fact may hold the key to why these seemingly inhospitable areas became their preference. Early records kept by Spanish noted that Apache settlements were found in the mountains, with the rancherias always occupying the steepest canyons and were surrounded by difficult passes. The sites were adjacent to steep but reachable heights, a necessary strategic advantage.

Their cultural lifestyle and the resources within the area held the Mescaleros close to the Guadalupe Mountains. They survived in this land by applying their knowledge of the terrain and their superior ability to utilize the native plants. As hunters, they were dependent on mule deer, elk, and bighorn sheep. As gatherers, they harvested agave, sotol, and bear grass, which they used for both food and fibers. Nearly all parts of the agave could be eaten, including the leaves, flower stalks, blossoms and seeds. Agave leaves were collected by prying the entire plant from the ground. Then the leaves and stalks were roasted in large cooking pits and eaten or pounded into cakes and dried in the sun for later consumption. Agave fibers were used to make bowstrings, brushes, and sandals and rope. The leaves were soaked and pounded to release the fibers, which were dried and then separated by combing.

Though they had learned to survive in the conditions of the rugged Guadalupe Mountains, their way of life would not survive the coming civilization of this part of the west. Settlers, stage lines, and cattle drovers brought in a constant siege of the land that once was the unchallenged sanctuary of the Mescalero Apaches. The Army was intent on removing the Mescalero from the Guadalupes in order to protect travelers and protect the mail route to and from El Paso. Constant military patrols and raids on Apache rancherias stressed their resources, and all to soon they were forced to give up and give in to treaties that meant the end of their stay. By the late 1800s nearly all of the surviving Mescalero were on reservations. This however, was not before several final heroic attempts by various Apache chiefs to keep their people free.

Oliver Lee Memorial Park

The park's namesake, Oliver Milton Lee (1865-1941) was one of the most colorful careers in New Mexico history. Life of late 19th century settlers can be experienced through the guided tours of Oliver Lee's ranch headquarters. The ranch has been restored and authentically furnished, providing visitors with a taste of Lee's residency at the ranch.

Three Rivers Petroglyph National Monument

One of the newest US national monuments is just west of Albuquerque.   Petroglyph National Monument is the first national park system area specifically established to protect and interpret petroglyphs and their setting for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.

More than 15,000 prehistoric and historic Native American and Hispanic petroglyphs (images carved in rock) stretch 17-miles along Albuquerque's West Mesa escarpment.    Associated archeological sites provide important chapters in a 12,000 year-long story of human life in the Albuquerque area. Authorized June 27, 1990, the monument includes 1749 Federal acres, 4,517 non-federal acres. 

CLOUDCROFT

One hundred years ago, the railroad was completed between Alamogordo, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. The railroad's owners were intrigued by the majestic mountains to the East of Alamogordo and soon sent a survey party to the summit. They discovered untouched wilderness -- a wonderland of wildlife, plants, and trees. They were also impressed with the way the clouds blanketed the ground because at 9,000 feet above sea-level, Cloudcroft was literally in the clouds. The name Cloudcroft is a term related to an English description of a clearing covered in clouds.

Soon after, an excursion train was established to the top of the mountain and the village of Cloudcroft was born.

For the first half of Cloudcroft's existence, the train was the only means of travel to the village (except possibly by pack mule). In the mid-1940s, the first highway to the village was opened -- taking away much of the train's logging and excursion business. The train discontinued service to the village in 1948.

© Cloudcroft Information

Reviews:

New York Times

There are some devious minds at work in THE JUDAS JUDGE (Dutton, $23.95), the fifth police procedural in Michael McGarrity's robust regional series set in New Mexico's Tularosa Basin. One twisted brain belongs to the coldblooded monster who murders six people in six hours to give the false impression that a spree killer is on the loose in local campgrounds.

Another shrewd thinker is Kevin Kerney, a deputy chief with the state police who sees through this cruel ruse and identifies the killer's real target as his final victum, a retired judge whose wife and son also died violently. It's a thrill to watch these subtle brains negotiate this convoluted plot, which loops with serpentine grace through the ranches, railroad towns, Indian reservations and open spaces of the territory.

McGarrity is no nature writer, and his sketches of dusty desert towns like Alamogordo and Ruidoso are as blunt as his unsentimental character studies. Still, his portrait of the region is a strong one, built on meticulously detailed intelligence gathered, sifted and analyzed for unspoken secrets and lies by the author's own deeply cunning mind.

Copyright© 2000, New York Times, July 9,2000. All rights reserved

Judi Clark, Mostly Fiction

This time a six-murder shooting spree takes Deputy Chief Kevin Kerney to south central New Mexico, near Tularosa where he grew up and near where he met his wife. The shooting spree started sometime after midnight, the killer randomly selected victims at campgrounds along a stretch of highway, ending the spree with Judge Langsford in the Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. Kerney notes that the MO for the Judge doesn't quite match the other crime scenes - whereas everyone else was shot once, Langsford was shot twice and with a silencer. Plus his motor home was away from the access road, a less likely target for a spree killer. Kerney speculates that the shooting spree was just a cover-up for an intentional murder. But to prove this, is going to take a lot of manpower and require an in depth probe into the life and family of Judge Langsford. And will once again take us through some very scenic parts of New Mexico, including the Apache reservation, all the way to the Mexican border in Texas.

But first, Kerney needs to close an Internal Investigation case against Officer Shockley. In trying to carry out a search warrant, Kerney ends up putting the cop down. Chief Baca makes a deal to let Ante Hutchinson step in as Acting Deputy Chief while Kerney focuses solely on the shooting spree. For Kerney, this is a good deal since he's really ready to retire and is happy to see "Hutch" promoted to his job. Basically he's waiting for the money from the sale of the land he inherited and to find the right land to get his own ranch started. Moreover, he hopes retiring will give him more time with his long-distance bride, Sara, who lives in Texas managing her own military career.

Before I received this book, I was told by McGarrity's webmaster that she thinks his novels keep getting better and better. I really liked Hermit's Peak, but I have to say this one is pretty good too. From the moment it arrived, I was caught up and did not put this book down until I was finished. Like the long distances that Kerney and his team cover during the investigations, McGarrity drives a lot of material, characters and surprises into this novel. Through Shockley he explores the crooked cop. Although this is a minor sub-plot, it ties into the the overall theme of betrayal by those whom we are supposed to trust most. And secrets. Seems that even Kerney finds out some secrets about his own life along the way.

To solve this mystery, Kerney learns more than anyone would care to know about any family. One of the emotions that McGarrity brings out in Kerney is how parts of his job are disheartening. You get a real sense that Kerney knows he's good at what he does, but sometimes he's not real pleased with how he has to do it. And this turns out to be one ugly case. As Baca says at the end, "It was a case to turn anyone's stomach, no matter how hardened. Kerney had been right in the middle of a dung heap of a family..." Between the case and putting a cop down, Kerney is definitely ready to retire. (7-17-00)

Amazon reader rating: from 5 reviews

Copyright© 2000, Judi Clark, July 17 2000. All rights reserved

Library Journal

The fifth in McGarrity's "Kevin Kerney" series (Hermit's Peak, LJ 5/1/99) is solid evidence that a good series, rather than inevitably heading toward stasis, can actually ripen and become even more satisfying. 

On the verge of becoming a millionaire landowner thanks to a family friend's generous bequest, Santa Fe chief of detectives Kerney is thrust into the investigation of a murder spree across southern New Mexico's campgrounds.  Assuming that there's a pattern, Kerney and his men probe the inclusion of wealthy, respected Judge Vernon Langsford among the six apparently random shootings.   When the Langsford family skeletons begin jumping out of closets, their leers are frighteningly surreal.  Kerney repeatedly locks horns with Langsford's cold daughter, brilliant screw-up of a son, and several cloying mistresses. 

As a newlywed, Kerney had his hands full with an army wife he rarely sees and a nurse from the rez with secrets of her own.  Quite a page-turner!  Recommended for all public libraries.

Copyright© 2000, Library Journal, May 1 2000. All rights reserved

From Kirkus Reviews
In south-central New Mexico, six people—all campers—are shot to death within the space of a few hours. A maniac on a killing spree seems the obvious conclusion, and the local cops leap to it. A little too eagerly, Kevin Kerney, chief deputy of the New Mexico State Police, decides. The sixth murder appears different to him. To begin with, why two shots instead of the one sufficient in the previous cases? In addition, the victim is retired Judge Vernon Langford, who has the kind of history conducive to the casting of a wider net. It just might be, Kerney thinks, that they're dealing with some macabre razzle-dazzle, that a clever and ruthless killer has perpetrated multiple murders for the sake of covering up one. But what a desperately difficult thing that would be to prove. Moreover, Kerney has other thorny issues to deal with. There's his recent marriage to Lt. Col. Sara Brannon—under strain because separate careers keep them so often apart. There's the ugly incident involving a fellow police officer and the violent end to it that leaves Kerney shaky, uncertain of his future, uncertain of himself. Maybe his razzle-dazzle idea is nothing but blue sky, a theory without substance. But Kerney can't help being relentless, and as his investigation brings him into closer contact with Judge Langford’s highly dysfunctional family, he begins to realize that no conjecture about them is too far-fetched.Chief Kerney is, as always, attractively stalwart (Hermit's Peak, 1999, etc.): solid work from one of crime fiction's trustier hands -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
This fifth entry in the Kevin Kerney series solidifies McGarrity's place atop the growing list of New Mexico mystery writers who have emerged since Tony Hillerman put the region on the genre map (see our "Hard-Boiled Gazetteer to the Southwest," p.1592). This time Kerney returns to his childhood home near Tularosa to investigate the murder of six people found at various campgrounds along one stretch of road in southern New Mexico. The trail leads to a retired judge and his disaffected children, all of whom have skeletons aplenty in their dysfunctional closets. Meanwhile, Kerney contemplates retirement from the New Mexico State Police, struggles with his long-distance marriage, and faces some startling news from a woman in his past. McGarrity manages to keep his series fresh by building on the ongoing drama of Kerney's personal life while grounding his stories in the New Mexico landscape and in the melding of western and mystery genres. Kerney may be a cowboy manque, but he is also a modern man with bad knees, a new wife, and too much responsibilty.
Bill Ott Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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