Mountain Rampage, the second installment in local author Scott Graham’s National Park mystery series published by Torrey House Press, takes readers to majestic Rocky Mountain National Park for Chuck Bender’s next adventure. Chuck is a contract archeologist from Durango, and the many Durango connections in this story are sure to engage the interest of local readers.
After a lifetime of solitude, Chuck met fiery, beautiful and smart Janelle through her brother, Clarence. They married after a whirlwind, four-month romance. Janelle brought two daughters, Carmelita, 8, and Rosie, 6, to the marriage. The last year has been one of huge changes to all of their lives, and Chuck, in particular, still is learning how to navigate this instant family of his.
Chuck is happy to have found a summer job that allows him to combine family time with an enjoyable field contract near Estes Park. At the request of his former professor at Fort Lewis College, he is conducting an eight-week field class. Aided by two team leaders, Clarence and Kirina, Chuck and 12 students are excavating the abandoned Cordero Mine and an adjacent miners’ cabin. Another Durango connection, Chuck’s former classmate Parker, the manager at the Y of the Rockies Resort Complex, has provided housing for both the students and the Bender family.
As the story begins, a poacher targets a formidable bighorn ram on Mount Landen. Down at the Bender cabin, Rosie is having a seizure. Chuck and Janelle rush Rosie to the Estes Park Medical Center where hunky Dr. Akers assures them that Rosie will be OK and takes a special interest in Janelle. These pivotal events, occurring only three days from the end of the session, send Chuck and others into a frantic spin of drama, jealousy and murder. Mother Nature also adds to the mix, and not everyone survives to make the trip home.
Graham takes readers into the rugged beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park and shares the history of the park and those early residents who helped shape it. The artifacts that Chuck and students discover in their study of the historical archaeology of the mine and cabin give insight into the miners and how they lived and worked.
While removing the floorboards in the mine, one student’s actions lead Chuck to make a remarkable discovery of a mysterious substance that looks like used coffee grounds. To learn more, he enlists the help of 70-something local librarian Elaine Bartholomew, who has serious research and computer skills. Elaine is a wonderful character who adds an extra breath of fresh air to the story.
At night, there are strange things going on at Falcon and Raven Houses where the students and summer workers live. Many of the female workers come from Eastern Europe, while most of the men come from Mexico. One night, a large pool of human blood is discovered and a bloodied knife is found nearby. The police are called, and suspicion falls on Clarence, Janelle’s brother. The situation becomes even more tense when, the next night, one of the summer workers is murdered and dies in Chuck’s arms.
Chuck is just trying to get through the final days of the summer term when he suddenly finds himself burdened with trying to keep Clarence out of jail, return the students safely back to Durango, find the heartless poacher and keep his new, young wife happy. Then there is the mystery of the black substance.
Chuck seems to get himself in the middle of several problems in this story, threatening not only his life but his family. Chuck’s relationship to Janelle seems fraught with tension and definitely is a work in progress. Readers will want to stay tuned to discover what lies ahead for this new family.
sierrapoco@yahoo.com. Leslie Doran is a Durango freelance reviewer.
If you go
Author Scott Graham will celebrate the release of his new book, Mountain Rampage, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Maria’s Bookshop.
