Michael McGarrity

Michael McGarrity in 2009

Michael McGarrity (born 1939) is a New Mexican author and former law enforcement officer. He has written a dozen crime-suspense novels about New Mexico. As deputy sheriff of Santa Fe County he founded their Sex Crimes Unit.^[1]

McGarrity has a bachelor's degree in English and Psychology from the University of New Mexico and a master's degree in clinical social work, from the University of Iowa,^[2] and is a graduate of the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy. In addition to law enforcement work, he has been an investigator and caseworker for the New Mexico Public Defender's Office.^[3] He worked on rehabilitating prison programs after the New Mexico State Penitentiary riot in 1980. McGarrity has taught at several colleges and universities as well as the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy.^[4] As a social worker^[3] he published a number of articles in professional journals on a wide range of topics, ranging from therapy programs for children, to program assessment and evaluation, and drug treatment interventions.

Western novels

McGarrity's western novels written before 2010 take place in modern New Mexico, most with law enforcement officer Kevin Kerney as the protagonist. The settings are vividly evoked^[5] and range from the Tularosa Basin and Lincoln County to Hermit's Peak, although many take place in Santa Fe. "Hard Country," "Backlands," and "The Last Ranch" form a sweeping trilogy tracing the Kerney family's history in New Mexico from 1875 to the present.

• Tularosa (1996) – White Sands Missile Range, Tularosa Basin^[5]
• Mexican Hat (1997) – Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico^[6][7]
• Serpent Gate (1998) – Mountainair^[8][9][10]
• Hermit's Peak (1999) – Hermit's Peak and Las Vegas, New Mexico^[11]
• The Judas Judge (2000) – Jornada del Muerto and central New Mexico^[12][13][14]
• Under the Color of Law (2001) – Santa Fe^[15][16]
• The Big Gamble (2002) – Lincoln and Santa Fe counties^[17][18]
• Everyone Dies (2003) – Santa Fe^[19][20]
• Slow Kill (2004) – California, New Mexico and the East Coast^[21][22][23]
• Nothing But Trouble (2005) – the Bootheel, extreme southwestern New Mexico^[24][25][26]
• Death Song (2007) - in Lincoln County and Santa Fe^[27][28]
• Dead or Alive (2008) – in Lincoln County and Santa Fe
• Hard Country (2012)
• Backlands (2014)
• The Last Ranch (2016)

Awards

McGarrity has been nominated for various awards, including two nominations for the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Western Novel.

• 1980, McGarrity was named a New Mexico Social Worker of the Year^[2]
• 1987, McGarrity was honored as Santa Fe's Police Officer of the Year^[2]
• 2004, McGarrity received the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts — Literature^[2][29]

Notes

1. Cline, Lynn (2 May 1997) "McGarrity steals time to become crime writer: Drawing from true-life experiences" The Santa Fe New Mexican: Pasatiempo page 38
2. Mcguire, Ginger (18 January 2006) "Writing from Experience Works for Mcgarrity" The Santa Fe New Mexican Eldorado Section, page EL-3
3. Fauntleroy, Gussle (1995) "Public Works: State worker hits big time with sale of 2 novels" The Santa Fe New Mexican p. A-6, col. 1
4. Mcguire, Ginger (18 January 2006) "Writing from Experience Works for Mcgarrity" The Santa Fe New Mexican Eldorado Section, page EL-1
5. Hillerman, Anne (11 May 1997) "Books' Settings More Than Background" The Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico), page 3
6. Cline, Lynn (15 June 1997) "'Mexican Hat' provides some exciting moments" Santa Fe New Mexican Focus Section, page E-3
7. Pate, Nancy (18 May 1997) "Hat Trick" The Augusta Chronicle (Georgia), Your Life Section, page E-9
8. Booklist 94(16): (15 April 1998)
9. Library Journal 123(9): (15 May 1998)
10. The New York Times Book Review 103(25) (21 June 1998)
11. England, Terry (13 June1999) "Mystery writer in the spell of the land" The Santa Fe New Mexican Outlook Section, page F-2
12. Booklist 96(17) (1May 2000)
13. Library Journal 125(8): (1 May 2000)
14. The New York Times Book Review 105(28): (9 July 2000)
15. Booklist 97(19-20): (1, 15 June 2001)
16. Library Journal 126(12) (July 2001)
17. Booklist 98(17): (1 May 2002)
18. Library Journal 127(10): (1 June 2002)
19. Helfand, Michael (28 September 2003) "McGarrity's Bad Guys Make Things Interesting for the Good Guys" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania), Arts & Entertainment Section, page B-5
20. Coale, Sam (28 September 2003) "Serial killer manages to stay one step ahead of the law" Providence Journal-Bulletin (Rhode Island), Arts Section, page M-07
21. Schneider, Wolf (22 August 2004) "McGarrity Expands His Turf to California" The Santa Fe New Mexican Books Section, page F-7
22. Booklist 100(22): (Aug. 2004)
23. Publishers Weekly 251(30): (26 July 2004)
24. Booklist 102(7) (1 December 2005)
25. Booklist 102(12) (15 February 2006)
26. Publishers Weekly 252(46): (21 November 2007), p.29
27. Booklist 104(4) (15 October 2007), p.35
28. Publishers Weekly 254(47): (26 November 2007), p.30
29. Pasatiempo Staff (17 September 2004) "Governor's Awards — 2004" The Santa Fe New Mexican: Pasatiempo, page P-4

References

• Duval, Linda (29 July 1998) "Author Michael McGarrity says "perseverance, luck and talent" bring success to writers" The Gazette (Colorado Springs), Entertainment News Section
• Cline, Lynn (2 May 1997) "McGarrity steals time to become crime writer: Drawing from true-life experiences" The Santa Fe New Mexican: Pasatiempo page 38
• Mcguire, Ginger (18 January 2006) "Writing from Experience Works for Mcgarrity" The Santa Fe New Mexican Eldorado Section, page EL-1, EL-3

Further reading

• "McGarrity, Michael". Contemporary Authors 202. Gale Group. 2003. pp. 236–238.

External links

• Michael McGarrity's homepage