A New Mexico cozy mystery with a sky full of balloons—and an accident that cannot be true.

For hot-air balloon pilot Teodora 'Teo' Lucero, opening morning at the Río Alto Bosque Balloon Fiesta should mean golden cottonwoods, a gentle landing, and champagne for the farmer whose field she borrows. Then a safety officer is found dead beneath a collapsed balloon, and the celebration comes to a halt.

Everyone wants to call it an accident. Teo has a problem with that: from a thousand feet above the launch field, she watched that very balloon come down empty.

A strange mark in the morning dew sends her looking beyond the town's comfortable explanations. With her sharp-tongued chase-crew chief, her inquisitive dog Ballast, and an exacting aircraft repairman in her corner, Teo follows a trail of questionable paperwork and dangerous shortcuts. But seeing what happened is one thing. Finding proof a sheriff can use is another—and someone is counting on the difference.

The Balloon Pilot opens The Rio Grande Balloon Mysteries with an observant amateur sleuth, small-town warmth, and a murder puzzle best viewed from above. Includes a behind-the-scenes ballooning feature and Tío Ramón's biscochitos recipe.

For readers who love:

• A capable heroine whose unusual day job helps her uncover clues

• New Mexico village life, family kitchens, and affectionate humor

• A loyal canine companion and a resourceful chase crew

• Carefully pieced-together mysteries with the first sparks of romance

The Balloon Pilot

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