Michael McGarrity

He earned a Master's degree in clinical social work from the University of Iowa and is a graduate of the New Mexico Law Enforcement academy.

[citation needed] McGarrity's crime novels take place in modern New Mexico, with law enforcement officer Kevin Kerney as the protagonist.

The settings are vividly evoked[4] and range from the Tularosa Basin and Lincoln County to Hermit's Peak, although many take place in Santa Fe.

"Hard Country," "Backlands," and "The Last Ranch" form a sweeping trilogy tracing the Kerney family's history in New Mexico from 1875 through the end of the Vietnam War.

A ground breaking prequel trilogy, all three books are set on the Tularosa Basin of south central New Mexico.