The rugged Cat Mesa country north of the village of Posadas is hosting the first annual Posadas 100, a cyclo-cross bicycle race that promises to attract more than 140 competitors. Despite enough injuries during the pre-race practice to promise a spectacular—and dangerous—race, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman has even more pressing concerns on her mind.

Someone has been using Jerry Turner's big Cessna 206 and then returning it to its hangar at the Posadas airport. The most likely explanation is clandestine trips into Mexico, but a State Police drug-sniffing dog finds no evidence of contraband. Estelle has worries at home as well. Facing his first public piano recital, her prodigiously talented seven-year-old son is stubbornly refusing to tell anyone what he plans to play, and it's making everyone, including his music teacher, very nervous.

The day of the big race brings a tragedy that doesn't look like an accident, and as the investigation continues, puzzling connections surface deep in Mexico. Posadas County is now mixed up in something bigger and more sinister than it's ever faced before, and it's up to Estelle to uncover the truth before things spin out of control.

Readers of Final Payment, whether they are encountering Posadas County for the first time or gladly returning, will be charmed by Estelle, her family, and the various citizens of this vibrant community. And never fear! The retired sheriff Bill Gastner is still in town, rounding out the cast of this entertaining, highly readable mystery.