The Replacement Child by Christine Barber

Scanner Lady is a very familiar caller to the newsroom of the Capital Tribune in Santa Fe. One night she calls and gets reporter Lucy Newroe on the phone. Scanner Lady says she's heard two Santa Fe police officers talking about a dead body. The next morning, Lucy goes to the police department to investigate and mentions Scanner Lady's call. When a woman named Patsy Burke is murdered and has a scanner in her home, Lucy feels incredibly guilty and thinks she may have caused Patsy's death. Cop Gil Montoya, on the other hand, is unofficially looking into the death of Melissa Baca. Gil's boss has asked him to look into the case (as a favor to the family), even though the state police are the official investigators. In talking with Gil, Lucy wonders if Patsy overheard talk of Melissa's death. Gil and Lucy share information, both trying to uncover the truth about the death closest to them. In The Replacement Child, Barber fully describes the history and setting of northern New Mexico, most notably Santa Fe. This mystery was the winner of the Tony Hillerman Prize.