At the onset of Always Time to Die, there is a murder – the victim is “The Senator,” the high profile but ill patriarch of a prominent, political family in Taos, New Mexico. Clearly, The Senator was at death’s door due to congestive heart disease, but the murderer was unwilling to let fate take its course. Having lived a life as a wealthy politician, a womanizer, and a man with many enemies, there are various people that would have been happy to hear of The Senator’s demise, if not had a hand in the actual murder.

Present at the funeral of The Senator, Carolina “Carly” May is a family historian and she has successfully carved out a career for herself as a genealogist and historical researcher, and a disgruntled family member of The Senator has hired Carly for her services. The disgruntled family member is the eccentric Aunt Winifred and she wants Carly to reconstruct the family roots of her family’s tree – particularly concerning the women in the family. Despite the inevitable pall and gloom over the recent death of The Senator, Carly is eager to delve into the project of researching the history of this interesting high-profile family, which set its roots down in New Mexico long ago.

Also present at the funeral of The Senator – albeit from a distance, but nonetheless observing the funeral service - is Daniel Duran, a man who made a career out of fighting for the beliefs of other people and for the principles that they would have sacrificed their own lives for. Battered physically and mentally, Daniel has returned to his family and his home in Taos to search for meaning in his own life, having given too much to others for too long.

Carly’s historical research intersects with Daniel’s life due to Daniel’s ties to The Senator – and Daniel is wary of Carly’s delving too deeply into the family’s secrets. He believes that Carly is in danger because Carly is naïve to the fact that tracing bloodlines in New Mexico could cost her more than she ever imagined. As Carly begins receiving threats, she and Daniel form a bond, which author Elizabeth Lowell excels at portraying, as a romantic suspense author. Plenty of action, suspense and romance are served up in this fast-paced novel and there is an interesting account of New Mexico’s history that enriches the plot. Fans of Lowell and the romantic suspense genre will thoroughly enjoy Always Time To Die.