Zia Summer

by Rudolfo A Anaya and Rudolfo Anaya

Book Overview

Struggling to follow in the footsteps of his legendary lawman grandfather, private eye Sonny Baca is investigating his cousin Gloria's murder. Gloria's body is found drained of blood, and on her stomach has been carved the Zia sun symbol, which makes Sonny suspect witchcraft. His search for the truth pits him in a conflict between the ways of his ancestors and those of the city.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446603163
• ISBN13: 9780446603164
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Bring On More

This was a book that I could hardly put down. Sonny Baca is one of a kind. Bring on more like this, Mr. Anaya!

Definitely worthwhile

The novel is admittedly uneven -- I suspect that hard-core mystery fans will become impatient with the see-it-coming-a-mile-away nature of some of the occurances -- but worth reading. Anaya's prose is frequently lovely and the characters resonate. In addition, it's a pleasure to read an author who presents the mystical/spiritual with respect. In my opinion, Anaya wasn't preachy, but he clearly agrees with Jung's assertion that the religious impulse in human beings is as ineradicable as the sex drive.

A murder mystery hotter than a New Mexico Summer

The words from Zia Summer leap off the pages and etch themselves into your memory for all eternity! A bizarre murder, a small time detective, a cast of memorable characters, a really nasty villain, and the enchanting city of Alburquerque make Zia Summer an unforgetable novel. FIVE STARS!!

exellent murder mystery

"Zia Summer," by Rudalfo Anaya, is about a small-timepersonal investigator from Albuquerque, New Mexico, named Sonny Baca,the great-grandson of famed lawman Elfego Baca. Sonny's cousin, Gloria Dominic, who is married to Frank Dominic, a very high political figure in the town, turns up dead. She was killed with surgical precision as all of her blood was drained and not a drop was spilled. Sonny, who is trained to find missing people, is hired by his aunt to find the murderer. He finds out that Gloria had many ties with a cult from the Sandia pueblo, and this cult worshipped the sun. He also finds out that this group is planning to blow up a truck that is going to the nuclear waste site in southern New Mexico. The truck is filled with nuclear waste and if it is blown up the contamination would kill the whole state. This book was very good. The book was not only a great murder mystery, but it also had a lot of old Hispanic tales within the story. It is a great novel for anybody who likes a great book.

A solid southwestern mystery that kept me guessing

Zia Summer started off with a classic gruesome murder, and kept the reader guessing the whole time on who was behind it right alongside the main character, Sonny Baca.Though the book had a few slow points from time to time, I always looked forward to the next chapter.The story is also peppered with an unusual and highly identifiable cast of characters; each one to the readers liking.My only complaints were to make the book more 'authentic' the author sprinkled the dialouge with Spanish slang that may confuse readers on what the characters are talking about.Also the end was a bit anti-climatic, but all around very good.