The Last Hanging of Ángel Martinez - (Lynn and Lynda Miller Southwest Fiction) by Kate Niles (Paperback)

About the Book

"In Taos County, New Mexico, probation officer Nina Montgomery thinks she knows all about âAngel Martinez, a "frequent flyer" in the judicial system for increasingly sadistic treatment of his ex-partner, Liza Monaghan. When Liza is found dead on her kitchen floor, everyone suspects âAngel--Nina most of all. When âAngel's aunt Loretta, Nina's neighbor and friend, asks her to look into Liza's murder, Nina reaches out to friend and sheriff's deputy Larry Baca and becomes embroiled in the case. As Nina delves into âAngel's and Liza's lives, she is surprised to learn that âAngel is a santero artist on the rise. A talented but struggling ceramic artist herself, Nina finds her worlds colliding when a Hollywood celebrity wants her art just as the entanglements of âAngel's family history begin to suggest the source of Liza's death. Amid the cultural and natural beauty of the Northern Rio Grande Valley, Nina finds herself steeped in the drama of a family gone terribly and violently wrong"--

Book Synopsis

Winner of the 2025 Zia Book Award from New Mexico Press Women

2024 Foreword INDIES Silver Winner for Mystery

In Taos County, New Mexico, probation officer Nina Montgomery thinks she knows all about Ángel Martinez, a "frequent flyer" in the judicial system for increasingly sadistic treatment of his ex-partner, Liza Monaghan. When Liza is found dead on her kitchen floor, everyone suspects Ángel--Nina most of all.

When Ángel's aunt Loretta, Nina's neighbor and friend, asks her to look into Liza's murder, Nina reaches out to friend and sheriff's deputy Larry Baca and becomes embroiled in the case. As Nina delves into Ángel's and Liza's lives, she is surprised to learn that Ángel is a santero artist on the rise. A talented but struggling ceramic artist herself, Nina finds her worlds colliding when a Hollywood celebrity wants her art just as the entanglements of Ángel's family history begin to suggest the source of Liza's death. Amid the cultural and natural beauty of the Northern Rio Grande Valley, Nina finds herself steeped in the drama of a family gone terribly and violently wrong.

Review Quotes

"Riveting and powerfully told, The Last Hanging of Ángel Martinez by Kate Niles adds another strong, charismatic female detective to the landscape of contemporary mystery fiction."--Lynn C. Miller, author of The Unmasking: A Novel

The Last Hanging of Angel Martinez channels Taos, New Mexico as a compelling character in each event. The action is complex and satisfying, with neighbors reaching out and actually caring for one another.
The characters themselves are strong, weak, human and inhumane--a fascinating mix where good is not always good and evil demonstrates surprising flashes of compassion.
I loved this book!--Judith Scheiss Avila, co-author of Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII

"Kate Niles delivers a true photographer's lens of New Mexico alongside a fast-paced and hard-boiled mystery. Nina Montgomery is the tough but compassionate probation officer who guides the reader through the many trials and tribulations she faces in order to bring this puzzle to its final solution."--Phyllis M. Skoy, author of A Coup

About the Author

Kate Niles is also the author of the novels The Book of John and The Basket Maker and the poetry collection Geographies of the Heart.