Santa Fe and Taos. The very words conjure up the setting for a romantic and memorable holiday, or so architectural photographer Harriet Jeffries believes when she invites Police Inspector John Sanders to join her on a short vacation in northern New Mexico. The trip turns out to be memorable all right, but not because of anything planned in Harriet's itinerary. When John flies in to meet Harriet at the Santa Fe airport, his companions on the small charter plane are a group of tourists headed for the "Mysticism and Magic in Old New Mexico" bus tour. The tourists and their guide are to join their bus at the airport for the beginning of their luxury journey. Also scheduled to ride on the bus are two eleven-year-olds, returning from school, whom the driver will drop off near their home.

But the bus leaves without the children, so Harriet and John pack the kids in their rental van and rush off in pursuit. It's soon clear that something is wrong. The bus was supposed to go to Taos, but it's headed in the wrong direction - toward a destination that will never make the travel brochures. By the time Harriet and John and the children catch up to the bus, they encounter a scene of terror. They, too, are trapped, together with some wounded and frightened tourists, far from civilization and any chance of outside help. They must face an unknown killer who emerges at night to stalk his victims. As they search for the answers they will need if they are to survive and emerge from this encounter with evil in a remote and dangerous land, Harriet and John find new meaning in their relationship and in the power of good to overcome a dreaded foe. Short Cut to Santa Fe is the best yet in an acclaimed series of novels from a superbly gifted, prize-winning author.