Midnight at the Camposanto
and
Carreta de la Muerte
(Cart of Death)
The Taos News
Reviewer: Phaedra Greenwood
In Taos there are mysteries that may never be solved. Like who killed Arthur Manby and who burned down Tom Worrell’s house.
But in the world of the mystery writer we have every confidence that the man who murdered the fictional Hermano and burned down the morada during Easter week will be exposed and apprehended by the end of the story. That’s the basic plot of “Midnight at the Camposanto: A Taos Mystery Festival” by Mari Ulmer.
The setting will be familiar to those of us who live in the area. The Hermanos referred to in the story are members of the Penitente Brotherhood, a Catholic religious group who conduct some of their ceremonials in small chapels called moradas.
In Ulmer’s story, as the Hermanos are processing to the morada chanting their alabados, the killer flits from gravestone to gravestone, stalking the last Hermano. But is he flesh and blood, or a ghost from a grave that has given up its dead?
Christina Garcia y Grant, a retired lawyer who now runs a bed and breakfast, becomes involved partly at her mother’s insistence that she defend the reputation of the Hermanos from false accusations. Her mother believes the Devil did it.
The author, who said she has lived and worshiped with the Hispanic people in Taos for 20 years, uses the vehicle of the mystery to bring in lots of local color like the Taos Hum, which is attributed to “some secret military project.”
...Ulmer has a knack for introducing her characters and making them immediately vivid and real, and for capturing the many authentic details of our area from the “Taos Shuffle” to “mating,” when two pickups pause nose to nose while the drivers hang out the window talking.
She does just as well with describing the apple blossoms of Velarde or the beauty she sees in the hands and faces of her Hispanic relatives and neighbors. She captures their accents and mannerism with humor and compassion and takes cultural risks in an open and disarming style.
It’s an interesting read, especially for those of us who recognize a reflection of ourselves.
Special Note: Although written in English for the most part (and any Spanish explained), Midnight garnered wide praise from the Spanish communities.
El Hispano News
Reviewer: Lizette Collado
Un festival de misterio en Taos
En una obscuro noche de primavera, un jueves santo, un grupo de penitentes, se reune para hacer una procesión cantando, hacia sus moradas donde tendrán una vigilia. Uno de ellos, irá más lejos pues será asesindao por otro.
Este asesinato no se notará hasta la próxima mañana. El difunto fue el último en entrar a la morada y pensaban que se había quedado dormido. El dolor fue más grande cuando las sospechas cayeron sobre un penitente, primo del difunto que había dormido al lado de él.
Este libro tiene muchas intrigas y se desarrolla en una comunidad de habla hispana cerca de Taos, Nuevo México - Un Taos bien diferente al que ven los turistas. Un miembro de una sociedad religiosa ha sido asesinado el viernes santo y un ex-abogado sale de su retiro para defender al acusado.
Diferentes temas envuelven misteriosos secretos en las facilidades de investigaciones nucleares en Los Alamos, incendios de una violenta secta satánica, las relaciones del abogado con su tradicional madre y ostas revueltas y viajes.
El libro es rico en detalles sobre costumbres de feriados y fiestas, lleno de paisajes del desierto, el libro se lee como un poema de prosa de 258 páginas, una canción de amor de una cultura antigua e invisible.
"Midnight at the Camposanto" es el primero de un ciclo de libros de Mari Ulmer. Ella nació y estudió en Kansas City, Missouri, Estudió abogacia y luego se convirtió en autora y escrtiora a tiempo completo. Ella vive en el pueblo de Taos, Nuevo Mexico 1979. Mari es una muy querida miembra de la comunidad de Taos donde ella está envuelta en la vida hispana incluyendo la iglesia y las cermonias antiguas.
Reviewer: Harriet Klausner
The Catholic Church sanctions Los Hermanos, the Brotherhood of Our Lord Jesus, as a lay religious society in many New Mexico communities. Their practices have roots in the Mexican community and are typically misunderstood by Anglos, who see the rituals as being too mystical to accept. However, many locals such as semi-retired lawyer Christina Garcia y Grant (owner of a bed and breakfast) revere the group.
On Good Friday, the police arrest a Hermano for killing another Hermano, his cousin. Christy knows the cousin could never commit such an evil act especially on a holy day. Christy, her former mentor, a public defender, and a retired physician try to prove that Pat Salazaar is innocent of the murder of Eusebio. Their investigation follows many threads with someone trying to kill Christy before she and her cohorts uncover the pattern.
Though the Land of Enchantment has had many tourists, few if any have seen this side of New Mexico that is eloquently and reverently described by Mari Ulmer. The well-crafted mystery includes many viable suspects from all walks of life and leaves readers wondering who did it. The lead character and her partners are fully developed, gaining audience support from the beginning of the story line. Midnight at the Camposanto is the first novel in the "Taos Festival Mysteries" and if the subsequent tales are half as colorful, mystical, and alive as this debut is, fans will have a treat for years to come.
Reviewer: Renie Dugwyler
Are you wondering what is a Camponsanto, anyway? Well, query no longer, it is a graveyard. Midnight at the graveyard – sounds scary. But I found out that really Midnight at the Camposanto is suspenseful, fun, mysterious and intriguing.
A mystery set in Taos, you feel the locale and color of the people right away. The story does start at midnight at the Camposanto where a killer is waiting to kill one of the penitentes, a member of an ancient Catholic brotherhood, as they marched to their morada, prayer hall.
The rest of the mysterious tale unfolds not only in the beautifully depicted locale of Taos, but during the rich celebrations of ancient Spanish culture that surround the observance of Easter.
You will also become acquainted with a very interesting posse that takes on the challenge to discover the truth. Christina Garcia y Grant, a lawyer turned novelist, who now runs a hacienda Bed & Breakfast, is the unsuspecting heroine in this southwestern murder mystery.
She along with a Max, a retired surgeon from Florida, run her historic B&B. Iggy is her large, pony-tailed, public defender friend. And La Dona, Christy’s seventy-five year old mentor, who still carries a battered bulging briefcase, round out this odd mix of hometown sleuths.
And of course, Mamacita, Christy’s momma, has the rumor weed by its roots in this passive town. As rumor’s grow and elusive characters check into Christy’s B&B, the story twists through several trails of drugs, religion and government involvement. The conspiracy intensifies when the homespun vigilantes find themselves no longer the hunter but the hunted.
Will they find out the truth before it is too late? You will have to pick up Midnight at the Camposanto and see. A satisfying and hair raising mystery that will make you want to visit a very history rich Taos before you are through reading it.
Reviewer: Iris Chung
…Ulmer brings you into Christy's world which faces the expected clashes between Spanish tradition and the emerging Anglo society.
Although the reader is always aware of the desert beauty and the legends of this Northern New Mexico area, this is a mystery novel and Ulmer never loses sight of that. This is Ulmer's first mystery novel, but it is not her first book. She has authored children's books and non-fiction works about the law. Like Christy, Ulmer is a retired lawyer residing in New Mexico and she is thoroughly involved in her community. She is an excellent writer and a welcome addition to the fine group of women authors we now enjoy.
Midnight at the Camposanto is the beginning of a series which will follow the sacred and secular calendar. I look forward to the next novel. What a treat to read an exciting mystery in the warmth of Christy's adobe hacienda!
Reviewer: Carolyn Appelman
Take northern New Mexico during the Good Friday pilgrimage. Throw in a murder. Spice it up with witchcraft and satanism. Add genuine characters and you have a near perfect New Mexico mystery.
Taos author Mari Ulmer takes the reader on a journey of intrigue through the Spanish-speaking communities near Taos. This is not the northern New Mexico tourists see.
Ulmer hooks the reader immediately by venturing into the secret world of the religious brotherhood of the penitentes…
Ulmer writes with a lyrical voice describing the beauties of northern New Mexico and of the Hispanic and Anglo cultures in such rich detail, you actually feel you are there. She uses humor and compassion in recounting local legends.
Reviewer: Wolf Schneider
It’s getting pretty crowded. Albuquerque has Judith Van Gieson’s Neal Hamel, Santa Fe has Walter Satterthwait’s Joshua Craft, … and now Taos has Mari Ulmer’s Christy Garcia y Grant. There are certainly enough mystery writers to go around in the colorful Southwest. But New Mexico has got mysteries aplenty stirring just in daily life, and artistic Taos, perched up there in the mountains, so removed from the rest of the world, has got more that its share.
…the author clearly knows her terrain and delights in its traditions. Whether sorting through Satanism or Los Alamos’ secrets, she shows good-natured powers of observation. And she’s brimming with folkloric legends – like why Taos Blue keeps out the evil spirits, and how a flock of witches got banned from a Taos suburb. Most of all, she shows an appreciation for the setting – eloquently describing the paintbrush vistas while you are reading. Ah, what a place.
* “Mari Ulmer’s Midnight at the Camposanto has the sights and sounds of the real Southwest, along with engaging characters and intriguing mystery. This entertaining debut will leave readers looking forward to the sequel.” - Bill Crider
* “Ulmer draws on the rich Hispanic culture of northern New Mexico for her first novel, launching a series that will follow the church calendar through its yearly cycle. …natural prose style and vivid descriptions of the striking desert landscape. Ulmer offers a notable literary mystery that will intrigue and amuse in equal measure.” - Publishers Weekly
* “Though the Land of Enchantment has had many tourist, few if any have seen this side of New Mexico that is eloquently and reverently described by Mari Ulmer.” - Midwest Book Review
* “A solid choice for fiction collections anywhere in the country.” - Today’s Librarian
MyShelf.com
Reviewer: Sue Bartroff
This is a fascinating book filled with the atmospheric mystery of Taos in Northern New Mexico. It is an amalgam of the religious, cultural, family and community dynamics involving the change from a small inwardly turned community to a thriving tourist based economy. The mystery set against this evolutionary process is well thought out, intriguing and wonderfully intricate. Christina Garcia Y Grant is a widowed, retired attorney now running a bed and breakfast. Mac is a retired surgeon living permanently at the bed and breakfast. Together they sort out the theft of ancient treasures being stolen from chapels and churches along the Santa Fe Trail and the subsequent murders. The sense of family, the richness of customs dating back to the time of the Conquistadors and the sheer beauty of the area come through with every word written. I definitely recommend this book and look forward with great anticipation to the next in the series.
Reviewer: Harriet Klausner
After her husband died, attorney Christina Garcia y Grant returns to her hometown of Talpa, New Mexico just south of Taos. Talpa is a small community where crime rarely happens and Catholicism is firmly rooted. At times there is a feeling of the mystical in the air. Christy, tired of the law, turns her grandmother's hacienda into a bed and breakfast inn that is gaining in popularity.
While the townsfolk prepare for Las Fiestas holiday, a clever thief systematically steals valuable artifacts from the local churches. Further complicating matters, someone burglarizes a gallery killing an employ with another missing, the girlfriend of Christy's protégé. The B&B owner and her close friends begin their brand of sleuthing in hopes of stopping a crime spree but mostly saving the life of an innocent.
Mari Ulmer creates a story line that often reads like a ballad even though the tale is a regional mystery. The culture of an old fashioned town vividly comes to life in Carreta de la Muerte. Readers will admire the characters that star in this fresh and unusual series. There are some books that are so memorable they are unforgettable and this is one of them.
…Exuberant descriptions of the changing indigenous culture, local characters, and New Mexico surroundings pervade an exciting plot. Recommended where Southwestern mysteries are popular.
Reviewer: Maria Y. Lima
…Mari Ulmer’s debut mystery, Midnight at the Camposanto, introduced the mystery-reading public to a fresh new protagonist whose life is defined by family, her ties to her people and her love for the region. Christy Grant embodies many of the qualities most readers like to see in a female amateur sleuth – determination, strength, and above all, believability. Her strong ties to the Talpa community show up in various ways, always tying her to the strong religious beliefs, a mixture of Catholicism and an almost pagan reverence for the land and the people. This theme, as well as the themes of family and friendship, continue from book one and woven throughout the storyline of Carreta de la Muerte, firmly planting the character in a realistic setting. Ulmer’s narrative beautifully sets each scene, giving readers a local’s-eye-view of the town, allowing each reader to peek in and feel as if he or she were truly a part of the action…
Ulmer’s writing strength is most definitely her ability to create a true fictional world, peopled by real characters, with the same actions, passions and faults as real human beings. She completely captures the dichotomy of being an educated Latina in the Southwest, with the commitments of family and tradition often warring with the realities of the 21st century… Mark down this author’s name – she’s definitely worth a few more reads.
Reviewer: Wolf Schneider
…an endearing tome that makes you feel like a Taos local just by reading it. …if you've got a predilection for soft Southwestern mystery fiction set where pickups rumble down dirt roads, then Mari Ulmer should join your shelves of Judith Van Gierson, Sinclair Browning, Walter Satterthwait, Michael McGarrity and Tony Hillerman.
Reviewer: Cathy Stevens
Christina Garcia y Grant, semi-retired lawyer, returns to her hometown after her husband's death. Having converted her grandmother's hacienda into a busy bed and breakfast, Christy expects to finish writing her novel, but life and death in the tiny town of Talpa, New Mexico interfere with her plans.
The first night of the Spanish Festival of Saints, a young man is murdered in the back room of an art gallery, and a female employee is missing. Police Chief Barnabe Garcia believes it's a case of robbery-gone-bad and suspects the missing girl, Cindy, skipped town; but Christy refuses to believe it.
While local police launch a manhunt for the missing girl, Christy enlists help from her friend, Dr. Mac McCloud, to uncover the truth about her friend's disappearance. Their investigation starts a chain of events neither could foresee. When they uncover information about a ring of thieves planning to steal ancient religious artifacts from area museums and galleries, more deaths occur.
A body partially wrapped in black plastic, surfaces along the banks of the Rio Grande... (Another) death, deemed accidental, convinces Mac and Christy they may be next if they don't uncover who's behind the thefts.
From first chapter to last, Mari Ulmer develops a complex plot full of intrigue, suspense and a touch of romance in CARRETA DE LA MUERTE. The pace is quick and Ulmer keeps the reader guessing until the end.
Ulmer, a resident of Talpa, New Mexico, tells a believable story in the tradition of what she refers to as "living histories". Her passions for the people, culture and customs of New Mexico are so well done readers will vicariously experience her rich heritage.
If you're after an unpredictable mystery, put this on your list.You won't be disappointed.
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Front cover painting for Carreta de la Muerte (Cart of Death) by Ed Sandoval.