{"id":24894,"date":"2024-11-07T09:27:59","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T16:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/kate-niles-new-novel-a-veritable-new-mexico-buffet\/"},"modified":"2024-11-07T16:27:59","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T16:27:59","slug":"kate-niles-new-novel-a-veritable-new-mexico-buffet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/kate-niles-new-novel-a-veritable-new-mexico-buffet\/","title":{"rendered":"Kate Niles\u2019 new novel a veritable New Mexico buffet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Maria\u2019s
Maria\u2019s Bookshop will host an author event with novelist Kate Niles next week. (Courtesy of Maria\u2019s Bookshop)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kate Niles\u2019 new novel, \u201cThe Last Hanging of \u00c1ngel Martinez,\u201d is a glorious New Mexican buffet of all the good \u2013 and not so good \u2013 about this unique state.<\/p>\n

Nowhere else but northern New Mexico has the tight blend of three ethnicities: Native American, Hispanic and Anglo. The novel is a loving, honest depiction of the culture, character and landscape. The vivid atmosphere painted by Niles is intoxicating. The novel is somewhat reminiscent of John Nichols\u2019 1974 novel, \u201cThe Milagro Beanfield War.\u201d But have no doubt, Niles\u2019 work is outstanding on its own merit.<\/p>\n

\n

If you go<\/h4>\n

WHAT: <\/strong>Author event and book-signing with Kate Niles, \u201cThe Last Hanging of \u00c1ngel Martinez.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHEN:<\/strong> 6-8 p.m. Tuesday.<\/p>\n

WHERE: <\/strong>Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave.<\/p>\n

MORE INFORMATION: <\/strong>Visit https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/37hu8bhp<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Nina Montgomery is a probation officer in Taos County, widowed for five years with an adult son, Jack. Nina is in her early 50s and regularly runs with her Great Dane, Ernest Hemingway. Another outlet that helps her deal with frustrations at work is throwing clay. A lot. She creates sculptures that are mostly animals, perhaps trying to escape dealing with the sometimes negative human conditions she has to deal with so often. \u00c1ngel Martinez is well known to Nina as one of her probation clients, especially his convictions for domestic violence.<\/p>\n

Nina lives in a small community close to Taos in a close-knit neighborhood of native locals who are Hispanic and value family ties and great food. She calls her neighbor Loretta, Mama. They are very close, as chosen families often are. Loretta is a caretaker who wants to comfort everyone with food and hugs. Loretta takes \u00c1ngel\u2019s crimes as a personal failure.<\/p>\n

The story opens with a Southwest Colorado connection. The violent death of Liza Monaghan, a Bayfield native, impinges on Nina\u2019s world. In the small village of Arroyo Seco, Liza\u2019s body is found on the kitchen floor with her and \u00c1ngel\u2019s 4-year-old daughter, Carmelina, asleep on her back. The suspected killer, \u00c1ngel Martinez, is Loretta\u2019s nephew, whom she tried to help for many years when her sister, Lola, failed him repeatedly because of her drug use. A worried Loretta, asks for Nina\u2019s help to clear \u00c1ngel, claiming that although he beat Liza, he would never kill her.<\/p>\n

Nina believes that \u00c1ngel is guilty, but reluctantly agrees to look at the evidence. Enter Nina\u2019s longtime friend Larry Baca, a sheriff\u2019s deputy who has often worked with her concerning other probationers. Thus begins a joint quest that leads Nina and Larry to investigate and confront drug dealers, gang members, curanderos, Vietnam vets and the elite of the Santa Fe artistic world. This investigation also puts Nina directly in harm\u2019s way, much to the consternation of her son and also her new love interest, Luis, a passionate flamenco dancer who is based in Santa Fe.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Nina\u2019s interest in all forms of art leads her to discover that \u00c1ngel is an up-and-coming artist who carves santeros, an art form of Hispanic tradition he has managed to transform with a modern twist. As Nina\u2019s own art becomes increasingly desirable thanks to the help of a venerable art dealer and the interest of a part time Santa Fe Hollywood star, she becomes drawn into more drama.<\/p>\n

As Nina and Larry find out more about \u00c1ngel\u2019s family and past, they learn about a damning family drama that spans three generations. Nina realizes that \u00c1ngel and Liza both had family histories that made it difficult for them to make good choices for happy and fulfilling lives. Poverty and lack of opportunity has impacted many lives in New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Niles has created a novel that draws the reader into an almost mystical world that captures the aroma of roasted pi\u00f1ons, dust and other smells unique to northern New Mexico. The characters are rich and complex, appealing, scary and fascinating. Curling up with this story is like being wrapped in a warm tortilla while entering the lives of captivating characters you hope will figure out how to have peace and fulfillment in their lives despite the challenges they may face.<\/p>\n

Leslie Doran is a retired teacher and freelance writer.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maria\u2019s Bookshop will host an author event with novelist Kate Niles next week. (Courtesy of Maria\u2019s Bookshop) Kate Niles\u2019 new novel, \u201cThe Last Hanging of \u00c1ngel Martinez,\u201d is a glorious New Mexican buffet of all the good \u2013 and not so good \u2013 about this unique state. Nowhere else but northern New Mexico has the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1060,28,1443],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-24894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-arts-entertainment","tag-headlines","tag-literature"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24894"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=24894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}