Synopses & Reviews
The first novel in a series planned to follow the sacred and secular calendar through its annual cycle opens on Good Friday as The Brotherhood of Our Lord Jesus, the centuries-old lay society known as the penitentes, march singing their ancient, primitive hymns towards their vigil at the morada, the prayer hall in Talpa. One hermano, one brother, has been singled out to die, the assassin striking him down in the graveyard, the camposanto, and tumbling him into the darkened room to lie all night with his unsuspecting comrades. The next morning, one is charged with the act.
This outrage arouses the widowed Christina Garcia y Grant, an attorney who gave up her practice in favor of innkeeping and writing, to defend the accused. Her team is composed of her mentor, La Dona Abogado--Miss Doris Jordan--a sturdy senior advocate, Ignacio Baca, an opera-and-sweet-loving public defender, and Mac McCloud, a doctor vacationing at Christy's La Casa Vieja B&B. This motley crew suspects that Hermandad Pat Salazaar has been set up. Sorting through Satanism, witchcraft, and modern day science, their widening investigation covers Taos, Los Alamos, and Santa Fe....
Seldom has so lyrical a voice described the beauties of Northern New Mexico and the very special culture of its Hispanic and Anglo people. The author writes with humor and compassion, peopling her story with memorable minor characters and recounting local legends with zest. Spring and Easter bloom under her assured hand, leaving readers impatiently anticipating the next festival.
Review
""Midnight at the Camposanto, Mari Ulmer's sensitive debut mystery, celebrates Hispanic New Mexico, piety and courage. Ex-lawyer and B&B owner Christina Garcia y Grant is an appealing heroine in a complex tale of treachery and double dealing set against a fascinating background.""
--Carolyn Hart
""Ulmer offers a notable literary mystery that will intrigue and amuse in equal measure.""
--Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Seldom has so lyrical a voice described the beauties of Northern New Mexico and the very special culture of its Hispanic and Anglo people.
About the Author
Mari Ulmer was born in Kansas City, Missouri where at the tender age of 5 she learned the art of storytelling to keep the neighborhood children from fighting. After graduating with honors from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, she went on to graduate from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law, LI.B with Distinction. Mari spent the next 25 years specializing in criminal trial work and estate planning. She then gave up her law career to become a full-time author and writer. She has lived in Missouri, New Mexico, Oregon, Georgia and California before making Taos, New Mexico her home in 1979. The City of Taos has since honored her for “Taos feeds Taos,” an organization founded by her late husband Jim to help feed the needy. As Mayordoma at the Talpa Capilla, Mari kept the chapel, helped serve Mass, took communion to the homebound, and assisted at such rituals as those described in Midnight at the Camposanto. Mari is a beloved member of the Taos community where she isintensely involved with the Spanish life there, including the church and its ancient ceremonies.