Yosemite Fall
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
"An exciting, rewarding puzzle."
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Archaeologist Chuck Bender arrives with his family in Yosemite Valley to study the 150–year–old murders of a pair of gold prospectors in the midst of preparations for the annual Yosemite Slam rock–climbing competition and a reunion with his old climbing buddies. The trip quickly turns threatening when one climber never shows up, climbing equipment fails, and Chuck and his spouse, Janelle Ortega, are suspected in the shocking, present–day death of one of Chuck's former rock–climbing partners. Together, Chuck and Janelle race against time to solve the dual mysteries and prove their innocence—all while facing down a ruthless killer on the loose.
SCOTT GRAHAM is the author of eight books, including the National Park Mystery Series from Torrey House Press, and Extreme Kids, winner of the National Outdoor Book Award. Graham is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys mountaineering, skiing, hunting, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting with his wife, who is an emergency physician, and their two sons. He lives in Durango, Colorado.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Graham's winning fourth National Park mystery (following Yellowstone Standoff) uses Yosemite as a backdrop for a host of shady dealings and dangerous power struggles. Archeologist Chuck Bender times his contract to investigate an ambush of 19th-century miners to coincide with a reunion of his climbing buddies from decades past. When the daredevil Thorpe doesn't show up, an informal search party finds his body and sabotaged wingsuit. This discovery along with a questionably accidental failure of a belay leading to the group's longtime leader Jimmy's sudden drop and broken foot, as well as a rockslide urges Chuck to figure out who is targeting them. His paramedic wife, Janelle Ortega, helps out with his investigations while her teenage daughter, Carmelita, discovers her own prodigious climbing abilities are good enough for her to enter a world-renowned climbing competition during her first weekend on the rocks. Graham's memorable characters include an aggressively strict park ranger, a meathead climbing guide, and a spooked tarot-reading hippie. The archeological work depicts how settlers unjustly blamed Native Americans for devious actions, and the blending of elements never feels clunky. This zippy tale uses lush descriptions of natural beauty and twisted false leads to create an exciting, rewarding puzzle.
