Santa Fe Crime Chronicles

In the heart of the Southwest, nestled amidst the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, lies Santa Fe - the oldest and highest capital city in the United States, founded in 1610. This enchanting city has been the backdrop for a plethora of intriguing mysteries, captivating readers worldwide.

One such series is Stuart Woods' Ed Eagle four-book collection, featuring six-foot-seven Santa Fe criminal attorney Ed Eagle. In "Santa Fe Rules" (2009), Eagle helps a movie producer who is accused of a triple homicide. The series continues with "Murder at the Hacienda" (2024), where Eagle finds himself trapped in a hacienda with a killer at Christmas.

Another captivating series is the Lizard Tales, penned by Constance Zeigler and Pamela Christie. "The King's Lizard: A Tale of Murder and Deception in Old Santa Fe" (2012) is the first book in the series, set in 1782 New Mexico, featuring Nando, a mixed-race man embedded in Governor Anza's network of spies. The series continues with "Lizard's Kill" (2015), set in 1788, about plundering New Mexico's treasure and murder. "Dead Lizard's Dance" (2012) finds Nando hunting down suspected witches in Santa Fe.

Myron Berd's "Santa Fe Deception" (2022) introduces psychologist Scott Hunter, who returns to Santa Fe to help solve the murder of his second ex-wife's subsequent husband. Meanwhile, in Amanda Allen's Santa Fe Revival Mysteries series, "Peyote Wolf" (2020) involves a murder during a peyote ceremony at a teepee on the Santa Fe Plaza.

The city of Santa Fe has also been the setting for standalone mysteries. In "A Moment in Crime" (2018), movie fever sweeps over Santa Fe, New Mexico, only to be marred by a murder during filming. "Santa Fe Mourning" (2018), a historical mystery set in Santa Fe, is part of Allen's series.

In Dorothy B Hughes' lesser-known novel "The Blackbirder" (1943), Julie Guilles finds herself in trouble, with the Gestapo, the FBI, and her shady uncle on her tail. Zizi Hart's "Santa Fe Seduction" (2024) is the first book in the Sizzling Cities series, featuring Mari Miller seeking answers to her brother's death and Cruz Diaz, the sexy bartender of Club Cuervo.

Lastly, Al Arthur's "The Santa Fe Sleuths" (2024) is a YA novel about brothers Max and Theo Delgado, budding detectives in Santa Fe, investigating the disappearance of a mural. James C Wilson's Fernando Lopez Santa Fe Mysteries is an eleven-book series featuring Detective Fernando Lopez.

Whether you're a fan of historical mysteries, standalone thrillers, or series, Santa Fe offers a diverse and captivating landscape for crime fiction enthusiasts. So, grab a book, settle into a comfortable chair, and get ready to unravel the mysteries that lie within the Land of Enchantment.