High Desert Malice

Edgar Award finalist in 1996. Dee Laguerre, a ranger with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, has returned to work near her childhood home in Nevada sagebrush country, where old feuds between Basque sheep herders and cattlemen still rage. Added to this deadly mix are Green eco-terrorists and government efforts to limit any grazing and declare the land a protected wilderness. All sides in this ecological suspense/mystery are presented with understanding and compassion by a starred-review writer and a veteran Southwest law enforcement officer in both desert and urban counties of California.

“If Mr. Mitchell was as good a policeman as he is a writer, there must not have been a criminal standing when he retired.”
- The Washington Times

“If you like Hillerman, you’ll probably like Mitchell… Mitchell satisfies in a different way; more intense, darker, yes, more visceral.”
- The New Mexican

“Mitchell builds character as deftly as an expert shaman.
- Las Vegas Magazine

“Mitchell’s got a witty and intense style.”
- The Drood Review of Mystery

"In his two electrifying mysteries, HIGH DESERT MALICE and DEEP VALLEY MALICE, Kirk Mitchell introduces us to a range heroine for our times... And like any good mystery writer, he holds up a mirror and illuminates the region's dark shadows."
- Great Basin News

“This very likable semi-cop will appeal to fans of Nevada Barr's NPS ranger Anna Pigeon…. A very enjoyable debut."
- MLB News

“After you've squinted with Dee in the Nevada sunshine, rinsed the alkalai dust out of your mouth with a drink at the Pyrenees Hotel, and stayed up late finding out who-done-it, take a moment to reflect on how well this book captures the tenor of the current debate over management of public lands in the west…”
- Watershed