Back to Santa Fe

Mystery & Thrillers, General Fiction

By Richard Sutton

Publisher : Saille Tales Books

ABOUT Richard Sutton

Richard Sutton
Former ski mechanic, tree planter, sailboat rigger and adman/designer turned Indian Trader. Originally from San Rafael, CA, Sutton has made his home in NY and in NM for the past 40-some-odd years. He's released four novels so far in his own name, and just released a new one written as W.T. More...

Description

Sullivan Ortega has just returned to his empty childhood home in Santa Fe to pay his respects to the last of his family, his sister Maggie, killed in a single-car crash. He’s trying to put his life back together, but along with a bad temper, he's got few prospects or real friends. Learning what happened is taking him somewhere he doesn't want to go back to . Second chances can get messy.

"I've always been some kind of fish out of water, so naturally, getting used to any home takes me some time." After founding our trading business in American Indian Art in 1985, we got to know Santa Fe and almost all the Four Corners country really intimately. Finally, when we made our home just forty minutes south of Santa Fe, we began learning just what it means to be a New Mexican. Sullivan Ortega, the Main Character in Back to Santa Fe, has just come "home" but he's not comfortable settling in, and even worse, his ex-girlfriend has given him a second chance. I identify with Sullivan on almost every level. He's got a lot of settling in to do, and the truths he's buried are already pushing to get out.

Five Stars for Back To Santa Fe on Barnes & Noble & Goodreads!

W.T. Durand's latest mystery novel Back to Santa Fe may yet be his best. Sullivan Ortega has moved from San Diego back to Santa Fe following the untimely death of his sister, who was killed in a car accident. "Sully" has only suspicions surrounding his sister's death, but his hunches are strong enough that he begins to act upon them. Sully is filled with rage over the loss of both of his parents and now his sister Maggie. Thus far, his rage has been directed in non-productive ways. Now, Sully is ready to solicit the help of his adopted "cousin" Ben, a police officer with more investment in Sully than might be thought healthy. Both men begin to take risks and, when pieces of the puzzle begin to unfold, the pursuit of the truth is relentless, taking Sully to places in his mind that were meant to remain dormant.

Durand's characters are memorable and the reader will want to choose sides and get into the fray. Sully is a warm and yet impulsive guy who only wants a piece of the life he sees others getting. Ben is a well settled man who is comfortable with his life, yet he faces being sanctioned for the risks he is willing to take. Back to Santa Fe has family life, love life, sexual history and a wealth of mystery to keep anyone going from one chapter to the next. Durand appears to be growing in talent as a mystery writer and it's well worth taking a chance on the book. Second chances do not always present in life and, when they do, the reader will need to decide whether to dig down and do the work or whether to take the safe fork in the road. Sully took the chance and you'll love his choices!

Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite Reviews