HEAD WOUNDS

George Newbern narrates this account of a murder investigation headed by Dona Ana County Sheriff's Deputy Clayton Istee, son of retired police chief Kevin Kerney. Istee's investigation uncovers drug smuggling, a mysterious Kickapoo hit man known as "Bear," and a DEA secret investigation in the borderlands of New Mexico. Newbern's straightforward delivery tones down descriptions of extreme violence that includes scalping, torture, and murder. While his delivery of Spanish place names and terms is inaccurate, he effectively voices New Mexican and Apache characters without accents, using simple shifts in pacing to differentiate the men. Istee takes advantage of his experience, Native intuition, and Kerney's sage advice as he tracks Bear throughout this dangerous multijurisdictional investigation. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2021]