Havill, Steven 1945–

PERSONAL: Born June 22, 1945, in Penn Yan, NY; son of Edward (a writer) and Margaret (Nasset) Havill; married Kathleen Murphey (a writer and artist), February 4, 1969. Education: University of New Mexico, B.A., 1969, M.A., 1982.

ADDRESSES: Home—Albuquerque, NM. Agent—St. Martin's Press, Attn: Publicity Dept., 175 5th Ave., New York, NY 10010.

CAREER: Writer and educator. Greenhow Newspapers, Inc., Penn Yan, NY, reporter and editor, 1973–76; Grants High School, Grants, NM, teacher of biology and English, 1979–.

WRITINGS:

WESTERN NOVELS

The Killer, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1981.

The Worst Enemy, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1982.

Leadfire, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1984.

Timber Blood, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1986.

"BILL GASTNER" DETECTIVE NOVELS

Heartshot, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1991.

Bitter Recoil, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1992.

Twice Buried, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1994.

Before She Dies, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1996.

Privileged to Kill, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1997.

Prolonged Exposure, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Out of Season, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Dead Weight, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Bag Limit, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2001.

"POSADAS COUNTY" MYSTERIES

Scavengers, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2002.

A Discount for Death, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Convenient Disposal, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Statute of Limitations, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS: Steven Havill began his fiction career with such unconventional westerns as The Killer and Leadfire. Havill once commented to CA: "I believe there must be a market for slightly off-genre westerns, where characters use their heads, and not every hero is flinty-eyed and steely-nerved, with speed-of-light reflexes. I enjoy writing stories where physicians are dominant characters. Medicine played a critical part on the frontier. The Killer was prompted by my love of writing for storytelling's sake. The main character is a basically good person who must face the consequences of a grave mistake—a mistake prompted more by immaturity than anything else."

The author cemented his success with his "Bill Gastner" mystery series. Gastner is a portly insomniac who serves as undersheriff of Posadas County, New Mexico. Booklist contributor Wes Lukowsky found that the first Gastner novel set a "high standard," which was successfully met in later books. "Gastner is an incisive investigator," wrote Lukowsky in a review of Havill's second Gastner mystery, Twice Buried. "Unlike other fictional detectives who approach murder as personal affront, Gastner sees himself as the victims' advocate, striving to even the scales of justice for those no longer able to do it themselves."

Reviewing Before She Dies, the fourth Gastner book, Lukowsky called it the best thus far, noting that this accomplishment is "no small feat in a series as strong as this one." Lukowsky added: "Gastner is compassionate, intelligent, bulldog tough, and painfully aware of all his limitations, both physical and emotional. The same inward eye that provides insights into his own soul can quickly swivel outward to discern others' hidden traits." A unique feature of the series is the ongoing subplot of Gastner's health. Overweight, seemingly addicted to chili, and apparently unwilling to do anything about his unhealthy habits, Gastner is constantly badgered by his deputy Estelle and her physician spouse to take better care of himself.

Prolonged Exposure, the fifth title in the series, finds Gastner in Michigan recuperating from heart surgery at his daughter Camille's house. His wish to return home is answered when he is notified that his house has been burglarized. He is soon drawn into a much more serious problem—the kidnapping of small children and the discovery of a black-market child exploitation ring. Lukowsky called this book "another small-town caper in which common sense, compassion, loyalty, and decency are law enforcement's primary tools against an increasingly brutal world. It's a good thing Gastner has had his heart mended because it may be the biggest in contemporary crime fiction."

In Out of Season, Gastner discovers that the death of Sheriff Martin Holman in a plane crash might not have been an accident; an autopsy reveals that the pilot had been shot. Further rousing Gastner's suspicions is the fact that Holman had stepped out behind the administrator's desk to investigate a case on his own. Bill Ott, writing in Booklist, noted that the author "writes crisp, marvelously detailed police procedur-als." A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that Out of Season "again demonstrates Havill's talent for combining amiable characters with believable suspense."

Dead Weight finds Gastner nearing the age of seventy and now serving as sheriff of Posadas County. Gastner struggles with the fact that his rural surroundings are slowly succumbing to development as he deals with a deputy accused of harassing Mexicans and a murder involving sex and politics that is bound to bring even more attention to his small town. To further complicate matters, he is facing an election year. In a review in Booklist, Bill Ott wrote: "Quiet yet powerful human drama resting comfortably within the procedural formula." A Publishers Weekly contributor commented: "Gastner is surely one of the most appealing heroes to come along in a while."

With a hero facing impending retirement, Havill focuses on Gastner's last two days in office as sheriff in his book Bag Limit. Despite the fact that he is leaving, Gastner is not taking his final days in office easy as he investigates the death of a teenager killed in traffic while trying to escape being arrested for drunk driving. Bill Ott, writing in Booklist, called the novel a "transitional episode in the saga."

With Scavengers, Havill features the new Posadas County undersheriff, who turns out to be Gastner's long-time top detective Estelle Reyes-Guzman, who had been living in Minnesota. Havill calls the book "A Posadas County Mystery," and places Reyes-Guzman on the case of two murders as she deals with the pressure of being the new head cop and caring for her aging mother. Reyes-Guzman's former boss Gastner also plays a supporting role in the action. Rex E. Klett, writing in the Library Journal, commented: "Solid groundwork for a new series." Booklist contributor Bill Ott wrote that the new undersheriff "brings a different dynamic to the series, but the human drama remains equally satisfying."

The series continues with A Discount for Death, in which Reyes-Guzman deals with the circumstances surrounding the motorcycle death of a single mother while looking into the disappearance of an insurance agent who had been charged with fraud. Noting that Havill has left behind the "lumbering, methodical approach" of Gastner for the new undersheriff's "frenetic balancing of family and profession," Booklist contributor Ott wrote that the author's "attention to both personal and procedural detail continues to drive the action." Writing in Publishers Weekly, a reviewer noted: "The author renders his characters as artfully as ever."

In Convenient Disposal, Reyes-Guzman is on the case of a murdered teenage girl who was beaten and stabbed with a hatpin. The undersheriff already has a lead stemming from her visit to a group of feuding teenage girls earlier at their middle school. During her talk with the girls, Reyes-Guzman had noticed that one of them had a hatpin attached to her jeans. The disappearance of the county manager further complicates the case as Reyes-Guzman suspects it may have something to do with the murder. Wes Lukowsky, in a Booklist review, called the book part of "an outstanding series on all levels." A Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked: "Literate, lively, and sharply observed as ever."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 1994, Wes Lukowsky, review of Twice Buried, p. 1184; March 1, 1996, Wes Lukowsky, review of Before She Dies, p. 1125; February 15, 1997, Wes Lukowsky, review of Privleged to Kill, p. 1006; February 15, 1998, Wes Lukowsky, review of Prolonged Exposure, p. 988; August, 1999, Bill Ott, review of Out of Season, p. 2034; May 1, 2000, Bill Ott and Brad Hooper, review of Prolonged Exposure, p. 1595; August, 2000, Bill Ott, review of Dead Weight, p. 2120; October 15, 2001, Bill Ott, review of Bag Limit, p. 385; September 15, 2002, Bill Ott, review of Scavengers, p. 210; October 1, 2003, Bill Ott, review of A Discount for Death, p. 304; November 1, 2004, Wes Lukowsky, review of Convenient Disposal, p. 466.

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2001, review of Bag Limit, p. 1383; September 1, 2002, review of Scavengers, p. 1268; September 15, 2003, review of A Discount for Death, p. 1156; October 1, 2004, review of Convenient Disposal, p. 941.

Library Journal, October 1, 2002, Rex E. Klett, review of Scavengers, p. 132; November 1, 2003, Rex E. Klett, review of A Discount for Death, p. 128.

Publishers Weekly, June 8, 1992, review of Bitter Recoil, p. 56; September 20, 1999, review of Out of Season, p. 78; September 11, 2000, review of Dead Weight, p. 73; October 29, 2001, review of Bag Limit, p. 39; September 9, 2002, review of Scavengers, p. 46; October 6, 2003, review of A Discount for Death, p. 65.

ONLINE

AllReaders.Com, http://www.allreaders.com/ (October 6, 2005), Harriet Klausner, review of Convenient Disposal.

BookBrowser, http://www.bookbrowser.com/ (January 22, 2003), Harriet Klausner, reviews of Out of Season, Scavengers, Dead Weight, and Bag Limit.

Crescent Blues, http://www.crescentblues.com/ (January 22, 3003), Patricia White, review of Out of Season.

Fantastic Fiction, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ (October 6, 2005), brief profile of author.

Mystery Reader, http://www.themysteryreader.com/ (January 22, 2003), Jennifer Monahan Winberry, review of Dead Weight.