Under the color of law : a Kevin Kerney novel

“One of the most chilling and satisfying thrillers of the year.” --Los Angeles TimesNewly-installed Santa Fe police chief Kevin Kerney receives a deadly welcome when a U.S. ambassador's ex-wife is brutally stabbed to death in her home. But before Kerney can begin to investigate, the FBI closes the case with trumped-up evidence. And the harder Kerney hunts for the truth, the more he knows that he may not survive the chase.

He's returned to Santa Fe, newly installed as police chief, when a U.S. ambassador's estranged wife is found murdered in her multimillion-dollar home. Before he can mount a proper investigation, an FBI anti-terrorism team arrives, takes control of the inquiry, and forces Kerney to watch from the sidelines as the crime scene is sanitized, potential witnesses disappear, and the case is cleared with trumped-up evidence.

Warned off, put under surveillance, and threatened with reprisals under the rubric of national security, Kerney balks at accepting the whitewash and begins a soft probe that points to a covert intelligence cover-up with tendrils stretching from every known government spy shop and running deep into the South American jungles.

Convinced that unscrupulous government agents are acting outside the law, Kerney begins his own clandestine hunt for a hard target that will lead him to the truth about the Terrell homicide, knowing full well he might not survive the chase.

Under the Color of Law delivers another one-two, know-out punch that firmly establishes Michael McGarrity's place in contemporary investigative fiction.

Library Journal

This entry in McGarrity's well-realized Kevin Kerney series (following Judas Judge) features a strong, likable protagonist who is now, after holding a variety of law enforcement assignments, Santa Fe's new police chief. As in all of McGarrity's books, the New Mexico setting, this time primarily within the city of Santa Fe, is as much a presence as the supporting characters, who are all intriguing and believable. It all begins with the murder of the estranged wife of an ambassador-at-large, a crime that brings in federal operatives concerned about national security issues. A second, seemingly unconnected murder of a visiting priest-scholar eventually reveals to Kerney and his detectives that there is far more to both killings than the feds are letting on. Deftly weaving the hunt for the solution to these murders with Kerney's adjustment to his new position and his long-distance relationship with his pregnant wife, McGarrity has written a good, stand-alone mystery and added another solid chapter to a wonderful mystery series. Highly recommended. Ann Forister, Roseville P.L., CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

One of the most chilling and satisfying thrillers of the year. --Los Angeles Times Newly-installed Santa Fe police chief Kevin Kerney receives a deadly welcome when a U.S. ambassadors ex-wife is brutally stabbed to death in her home. But before Kerney can begin to investigate, the FBI closes the case with trumped-up evidence. And the harder Kerney hunts for the truth, the more he knows that he may not survive the chase. When Kevin Kerney is installed as Santa Fe's new police chief, he's welcomed with the brutal stabbing of the wife of a U.S. ambassador. Before Kerney can investigate, an FBI antiterrorism team takes over the case--forcing Kerney to watch from the sidelines as the case is closed with trumped-up evidence. Refusing to accept the FBI's whitewash, Kerney's hunt for the truth becomes more sinister Before newly installed police chief Kevin Kerney can discover who murdered a U.S. ambassador's estranged wife, the FBI takes over the investigation, and soon witnesses vanish and the case is neatly solved, but Kerney is convinced that he is in the midst of an intelligence cover-up riddled with devious government agents and must race against time to uncover the truth. Reprint. Kevin Kerney, the new police chief of Santa Fe, watches as the FBI whitewashes the murder of an ambassador's estranged wife