DEBORAH J. LEDFORD’S second novel featuring tribal police officer Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran is a thrilling exploration of life, death, and cultural tensions on Taos Pueblo. Havoc (Thomas & Mercer, 2024) starts with a botched bank robbery in Taos, but Duran’s focus quickly shifts to solving the murder of a Pueblo youth killed with an untraceable 3D-printed gun—the same kind involved in the robbery. Ledford, an award-winning author of Cherokee descent based in Phoenix, tells a gripping mystery set in a seductive but haunting northern New Mexico landscape. The story captures both the region’s beauty and its challenges—complete with plenty of fun local Easter eggs (lunch at Orlando’s!).

Read more: In Fountain Creek: Big Lessons from a Little River, Jim O’Donnell highlights the importance of his hometown watershed and advocates for better stewardship of water resources.