An Unhappy Country: A Novel of Old New Mexico

By Loretta Miles Tollefson

August 1846. The U.S. army has taken Santa Fe without firing a shot. The Mexican American War is over in New Mexico. Or is it? Two days after the Army arrives, seventeen-year-old Jessie Milbank and her friends stumble on a man with a knife in his back in the Santa Fe plaza. Then someone close to Jessie's friend Juanita is murdered. When an insurrection is suppressed in December, Jessie begins to wonder if the three events are linked. Were the murdered men part of a conspiracy to throw out the invaders? And were they the only ones hoping for a fight? After revolt does finally break out and the Americans suppress it at the battle of Taos Pueblo, yet another man is murdered. Will the reasons for his death provide clues to the earlier ones? A richly imagined story steeped in New Mexico and American history.

​​​​​​​"An Unhappy Country is an enjoyable, well-paced mystery, rich in historical ambience and strong on characterization." Historical Novel Society

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1952026121
• ISBN13: 9781952026126
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Palo Flechado Press
• Length: 334 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"