Richard Martin Stern (1915-2001) has written 6 mystery books called, “The Johnny Ortiz Mysteries.” It follows the half-breed Apache policeman name Johnny Ortiz. He has the special gift of solving murders with his ‘tracking’ skills in a small New Mexico town called, “Santo Cristo.” His full name is Juan Felipe Ortiz. His mother is from the tribe of Apache-Athabascan Indian people. His father is of Anglo & Spanish descent. He speaks fluent English plus the New World Spanish after studying at the local Indian Reservation & State University. The second book in this series is titled, “You don’t need an enemy.”
According to the publishing company 'Charles Scribner’s Sons' the synopsis of “You don’t need no enemy” is right here - “Miss Lucy Carruthers - elderly and rich is found shot to death in her New Mexico home. The heiress of a Boston fortune - Miss Carruthers had spent a long and energetic life in combat with almost every person she had ever met. So there are numerous possibilities for Lieutenant Johnny Ortiz of the Santo Cristo police. They become complicated by the savage beating of a woman close to Johnny and then the murder of a teenage boy. Finally - it is Ortiz’ Apache gift in tracking that brings him to a tense confrontation with the murderer.”
The Spanish community of “Santo Cristo” calls Johnny a ‘witch’ because he sees things normaly other people wouldn't see. His friends say he has spiritual Indian visions. The writer lets the reader choose because in one way or another Johnny Ortiz has to solve the mystery. His beautiful girlfriend is beaten badly as a warning to Johnny for asking too many questions. He struggles with his anger over that & two murders. There is also a gang running a theft ring that might tie in with everything as stolen items are sold across the Mexican border. This was a good read & a great mystery.
The complete books of “The Johnny Ortiz Mysteries” are below written by Richard Martin Stern.
- Murder in the Walls (1971)
- You Don't Need an Enemy (1971)
- Death in the Snow (1973)
- Tangled Murders (1988)
- Missing Man (1990)
- Interloper (1990)
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