Local author Scott Graham continues his National Park mystery series with the release of “Great Sand Dunes Massacre.” One of the biggest pleasures in following Graham’s series is the amount of information readers can glean from way he interweaves history and facts about each park into the action of the story.
If you go
WHAT: Author event: Scott Graham, “Great Sand Dunes Massacre”
WHEN: 6-7 p.m. June 2
WHERE: Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit https://tinyurl.com/437uew49.
Only 165 miles from Durango, Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in south-central Colorado and rests near the San Luis Valley. It is home to the tallest sand dunes in America. The changing nature of the wind-swept dunes and volatile weather make for a challenging backdrop for this Bender/Ortega family adventure.
Chuck Bender is an archaeologist working for the park. He is conducting a survey and looking for any Native artifacts on a stretch of land recently donated to the park. The locals are not happy with this addition because they are no longer allowed to hunt or be on land that traditionally they were able to use.
During Chuck’s first attempt to examine the area, he made an unusual artifact find. This surprising find was interrupted by a young man, who while attempting to flee from Chuck, accidentally fell into a gator-infested spring, causing his horrible and untimely death. In the real world, there is a rescue with live reptiles near the park called Colorado Gators.
When Chuck returns to finish his job, he has managed to coordinate with the fact that his 15-year-old stepdaughter, Rosie, is attending the Delorio Top Young Filmmaker Program at the park. Readers might remember from 2024’s “Death Valley Duel” that Rosie actively recorded her sister’s race during that story and gained a wide online following for her efforts.
Rosie, who wants to become a filmmaker, was accepted into the program and Chuck has come along to keep an eye on her. The participants are to bring a screenplay in hand and be prepared to edit their work, create storyboards, film and then edit their pieces to enter into the end of program competition. Rosie is using Chuck’s experience to make her film: “The Short Life and Death of Luke Rigby.”
While Rosie works in the program, Chuck continues his mapping of the annexed land. After making another artifact find, Chuck and Frank Cameron, his supervisor as the chief resources officer for the park, try to puzzle out the significance of the new findings.
The mystery about these objects become apparent as they are finally discovered to be related to historical massacres that happened relatively close to the park. Looped into these objects are the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, where more than 230 Arapaho and Cheyenne women, children and elders were murdered. Also tied in is an artifact from the 1914 Ludlow Massacre, where wives and children of striking coal miners died after their tents were set on fire.
As Chuck, Frank and local worker, Rachel, try to figure out what these ghostly discoveries mean, Chuck becomes concerned that the teens in the film program might be at risk. The real mystery to Chuck is why the student program might be a target.
The Delorios are outsiders from Hollywood who are trying to bring more opportunities to the locals. Lillian Delorio has founded an organization called One Light to help the area’s residents. Despite Lillian’s efforts, her attitude toward the locals does nothing to endear her to them.
“Great Sand Dune Massacre” brings a spotlight to Chuck’s stepdaughter, Rosie. She shines as a confident teen who has a firm grasp on what she wants for her future. She also offers Chuck invaluable insight on aspects of this latest mystery. All this while becoming aware of the complex aspects of being attracted to another teen.
As this story draws closer to a possibly explosive conclusion, Graham ratchets up the tension, keeping readers on edge until the finale.
Leslie Doran is a retired teacher and freelance writer.
