Two gun buffs go shooting in the southern Arizona desert. They are found dead, their bodies riddled with bullets. Pima County detectives Juan Caldera and Sam "Junior" Collins work the case with the help of their colleagues, Barbara Sanchez and Richard Grogan. They discover that the victims had a history of bullying members of the Fantasia Homeowners Association. Members of the HOA, as well as Calderas' team, cannot believe that someone would commit murder over trivial HOA arguments, but Juan cites a case where such a murder occurred in the Phoenix area. He nevertheless has to consider alternative theories. Were the victims involved in gun or people smuggling across the nearby Mexican border? Were they "Minutemen" attempting to intimidate wannabe immigrants from Mexico or minutemen sympathizers who were killed for some reason associated with such activities? When more deaths occur in the HOA, the puzzle becomes complex.

This text presents epidemiologic methods for studying injuries and evaluating interventions to prevent them. It explains how to formulate research questions, the sources of reliable and valid data, and the best choice of research methods. The difficulties of applying rates and ratios to the evaluation of programs are discussed, and the use of economic concepts and policy analysis is covered. It provides specific objectives for research in the various stages of injury control planning and implementation, including the types of data needed to reach the objectives. This third edition is fully updated throughout with new studies used as discussion examples. The chapters have been reorganised into more precise topic areas, for ease of reference.