Walter Satterthwait: The Hanged Man (USA 2012)

From the Publisher:
Croft looks for evidence to free a tarot reader accused of killing a satanist
Strong cosmic energy and stunning scenery have long made Santa Fe a destination for New Age enthusiasts. At a gathering of New Mexico's most renowned mystics, known satanist Quentin Bouvier flaunts a priceless tarot card; a few hours later, he is found hanged from a rafter, head bashed in, the card missing. Suspicion falls on Giacomo Bernardi, a tarot reader and owner of the scarf with which Bouvier was strung up. To crack the state's airtight case, Bernardi's lawyer hires Joshua Croft, a private investigator with no patience for the supernatural but a strong understanding of earthly vice.

To prove Bernardi's innocence, Croft reconstructs the events of that strange, deadly dinner party, interviewing all the participants and finding that even the spiritually minded are capable of murder.

Walter Satterthwait: The Hanged Man. A Joshua Croft Mystery. mysteriouspress.com, ISBN: 9781453251294 (April, 2012), 870 KB, ca. 262 p., $.9.99.

Walter Satterthwait: The Hanged Man (USA 2003)

From the Publisher:
At a meeting of thirteen of Santa Fe's leading New Age healers, Quentin Bouvier, a magician and possibly a reincarnated Egyptian pharaoh, has been hanged from the rafters. He outbid Leonard Quarry for astrologer Eliza Remington's antique tarot card and now he's dead and the tarot card is missing. The police quickly arrest Giacamo Bernardi, a tarot reader, and charge him with the murder and theft. Bernardi's court-appointed attorney hires private investigator Joshua Croft to prove Bernardi's innocence. Suspects from the meeting and the community abound, including astrologers and psychics, a young hermit immersed in "Spiritual Alchemy," an aging movie star who acts as a medium for an entity from Alpha Centauri, a Native American shaman who gets accountants in touch with their warrior within, and a mysterious Asian woman whose equally mysterious brother displays a near-lethal familiarity with martial arts.

"Satterthwait thrills our eyes with the wonders of the Southwest."-- The New York

Walter Satterthwait: The Hanged Man. A Joshua Croft Mystery. University of New Mexico Press, ISBN: 0826333656 (August, 2003), 268 p., $9.95.

Walter Satterthwait: The Hanged Man (USA 1995)

From the Publisher:
BAD KARMA
At a dinner party for Santa Fe's leading New Age healers, Quentin Bouvier, a magician and possibly a reincarnated Egyptian pharaoh, is murdered. The cops have a good case against Giacomo Bernardi, a Tarot card reader believed to have killed for a valuable fifteenth-century card.

And while private investigator Joshua Croft doesn't think any of these folks are playing with a full deck, he's been hired to get Bernardi off the hook.

Croft quickly discovers some very down-to-earth motives, but the price may be his own trip to the great beyond.

"Walter Satterthwait is... good and accurate... " -- Boston Globe
"Croft's perfect relationship with the gorgeous Rita... is reminiscent of that of Robert Parker's Spenser and Susan Silverman: only Hawk is missing." -- Los Angeles Daily News

Walter Satterthwait: The Hanged Man. A Joshua Croft Mystery. Harlequin, ISBN: 037326173X (August, 1995), 250 p., $3.99.

Walter Satterthwait: The Death Card (UK 1994)

From the Publisher:
Quentin Bouvier, a magician and possible reincarnated Egyptian pharaoh, is found hanging from the rafters while attending a New Age healing convention. During the investigations it comes to light that a priceless antique tarot card has been stolen from his room and it seems clear that the person who holds the card is also the murderer.

When Giacomo Bernardi, a tarot reader, is put under arrest, his public defender hires Joshua Croft to prove his innocence. As Croft struggles to find the truth he is brought face to face with the alternative world of healers in Santa Fe. The suspects include: an ageing movie star who acts as a medium for an entity from Alpha Centuri; a Native American shaman who puts accountants in touch with the warrior within; a young hermit involved in 'spiritual alchemy'; a ravishing, mysterious Asian woman who possesses a strange and compelling power and whose fiercely protective brother displays a near-lethal familiarity with martial arts.

The closer Croft comes to a solution, the more he risks entering another dimension sooner than he'd planned.

WALTER SATTERTHWAIT is the author of Miss Lizzie, At Ease with the Dead, Wilde West, and A Flower in the Desert. He lives, for the most part, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with occasional forays into Clearwater, Florida, the Netherlands and Greece.

Jacket Photograph by Joe Partridge

Walter Satterthwait: The Death Card. A Joshua Croft Mystery. HarperCollins / The Crime Club, ISBN: 0002324970 (March, 1994), 258 p., £14.99.

Walter Satterthwait: The Hanged Man (USA 1993)

From the Publisher:
With his first Joshua Croft mystery, Wall of Glass (SMP, 1988), Walter Satterthwait emerged as one of the genre's most promising writers. The Hanged Man will confirm what mystery reviewers and fans have long believed: Satterthwait is a writer of uncommon inventiveness, skill, and humor -- all of which come into play in this, a mystery that begins at a convention of Santa Fe's leading New Age healers.

Quentin Bouvier, a magician and possibly a reincarnated Egyptian pharoah, has been hanged from the rafters. Stolen from his room was an extremely valuable antique tarot card. Clearly, someone at the convention was responsible for the murder and the theft. Giacomo Bernardi, a tarot reader, is under arrest, but his public defender hires Joshua Croft to prove his innocence. His investigation introduces Croft to a new side of Santa Fe: Suspects include astrologers and psychics, a young hermit immersed in "Spiritual Alchemy," an aging movie star who acts as medium for an entity from Alpha Centauri, a Native American shaman who gets accountants in touch with the warrior within, and a ravishing, mysterious Asian woman whose equally mysterious brother displays a near-lethal familiarity with martial arts. Danger lurks beneath the placid surface of psychic serenity, and the closer Croft gets to a solution, the more he risks entering another dimension a little sooner than he planned.

In addition to Wall of Glass, WALTER SATTERTHWAIT has written Miss Lizzie (SMP, 1989), At Ease with the Dead (SMP, 1990), Wilde West (SMP, 1991), and A Flower in the Desert (SMP, 1992). He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Jacket design by MICHAEL ACCORDINO
Jacket art by JAMES STEINBERG

Walter Satterthwait: The Hanged Man. A Joshua Croft Mystery. St. Martin's Press / A Thomas Dunne Mystery, ISBN: 0312098278 (September, 1993), 258 p., $19.95.