The City Different

Although the focus is on the unsolved murders of a priest and female tourists, THE CITY DIFFERENT, better known as Santa Fe, NM, is a story about the good and the bad of its people, its cultural and social values, its politics, its beauty and its charm. A city is left in a state of chaos after the brutal murder of a priest is followed by the deaths of female tourists. Are these thrill-kills or serial murders? These uncertainties puzzle state police officials, a female homicide detective, and a district attorney. Complexities arise when the detective and the district attorney become lovers. Meanwhile, a power-seeking separatist is vying for the city's mayor's seat. He's supported by a powerful state senator known to sanction illicit deals. A middle-aged businessman and an elder represent the conscience of the city; one does it by his deeds and one by his simple wisdom. Through the elder, a brief history of the area is given. The novel is one of fiction, and many scenes are brutally direct without being gruesome, and others show sensitivity as it handles delicate situations.