A Death on Halconido

When famed ornithologist Brandt Holme is found dead on his property beneath a stand of pines, the death looks like an accident. But five minutes at the scene tells Detective Will Aguayo this was no accident.

Halconido is the kind of mountain community where everyone knows everyone, and almost no one says what they mean. As Aguayo works his way through its tight circle of residents — and the long-buried grievances a violent death brings to the surface — he finds that the people closest to Brandt have the most to hide. Drawing on his knowledge of the land and the people who have lived on it for generations, Aguayo follows a trail that winds through old loyalties, a community divided over the future of the mountain itself, and a truth that has been hiding all along in plain sight.

A literary mystery rooted in the landscape and cultures of Southern California, A Death on Halconido is for readers who love a deliberate, atmospheric whodunit and a detective who solves crimes by understanding people and place.