Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Yosemite Fall by Scott Graham Narrator: Joel Richards
Series: National Park Mysteries #4
Published by Tantor Audio on January 30, 2024
Genres: Mystery
Length: 7 hours, 33 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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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.
I’ve been enjoying this National Park Mystery series once I finished the first couple books. Chuck and Janelle and the two daughters, Carmelita and Rosie, are much more of a tight family now. Chuck is an archeologist who does work at National Park sites. Chuck Bender is in his early 50s in good shape. Janelle is now nearly finished with a paramedic course. She is serious about it and does a good job. She is working with Chuck now instead of blaming him.
Yosemite Fall is set at Yosemite National Park. The family is there to enjoy and even help. The purpose is not to check for artifacts because building is planned. The project is instead to try to prove or discredit a journal of what happened 150 years ago. Some men came to look for gold and had altercations with the Native Americans.
There is also a reunion of sorts and a climbing competition. Chuck did a lot of climbing in his past and knows all the guys. He helps Carm try out climbing and she is a natural talent at it. But then there are some bad accidents and a death.
The family goes up to trace the route of the gold miners and look for signs to validate the old story. Someone doesn’t want them looking into things and takes some shots at them. They are fortunate to have a place to shelter out of range. They do find some interesting things which clarify parts of the journal and bring other parts into question. Janelle makes a great find on their next trip to the route the miners took.
Chuck and his family, as usual, have plenty of danger. Their investigations and smart actions keep them alive. I’m appreciating how they are improving their relationships as the series progresses and also how that makes them better at solving the problems and mysteries.
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Arches Enemy by Scott Graham Narrator: Joel Richards
Series: National Park Mysteries #5
Published by Tantor Audio on March 12, 2024
Genres: Mystery
Length: 7 hours, 46 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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A famed sandstone arch in Utah’s Arches National Park collapses and takes a woman atop it to her death, ensnaring archaeologist Chuck Bender and his family in lethal questions of environmental monkeywrenching and political intrigue. As more deaths follow, Chuck and his wife Janelle race to uncover the killer even as they become murder targets themselves.
Chuck has a small contract to survey a new find near Arches National Park. The find is very exciting cave paintings which the head ranger’s native wife really wants to protect. Chuck brings his family along to enjoy the park. But their peace is interrupted by the sound and vibration of oil and gas drilling people. Chuck and Janelle are awakened by a loud thump and go out to see what happened. They find an arch has collapsed and a woman died.
Chuck is more of a hothead than Janelle in Arches Enemy which is unusual. He is angry about the destruction of the environment and believes they caused the death. On top of that, his mother lives here now. They visit her but she is totally inappropriate with the girls. So he has to spend his time avoiding her company.
There is a group of RV campers who travel together and they start dying next. Rosie finds a feral cat and wants to adopt it. The family also leaves food for a homeless man. Chuck, as usual, has to look into the deaths. There are many factors so it’s not a simple task.
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Mesa Verde Victim by Scott Graham Narrator: Joel Richards
Series: National Park Mysteries #6
Published by Tantor Audio on March 26, 2024
Genres: Mystery
Length: 7 hours, 23 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble
Hounded by false accusations of murder, archaeologist Chuck Bender and his family risk their lives to track down an unknown killer on the loose in a rugged canyon on the remote western edge of Mesa Verde National Park, where ancient stone villages and secret burial sites, abandoned centuries ago by the Ancestral Puebloan people, harbor artifacts so rare and precious they're worth killing over.
Chuck and Janelle continue their teamwork in Mesa Verde Victim. The park is near their home which is in Durango, Colorado. There is a larger architectural firm doing jobs in the area. Clarence has been working for them when Chuck doesn’t have any jobs for him. Another old friend Barney works for them and turns up dead at their home.
Another friend in the other firm has him, come out to the park to see a new project there. That’s related to a Swedish artifact collector from a few hundred years ago. The collector had a local farm boy digging for him in an area. The boy disappeared and presumed dead. They find the area where he was digging and his remains. They are also seeking the treasures he was trying to unearth.
Chuck and Clarence come under suspicion for Barney but as more bodies drop, they become targets rather than suspects. Luckily, the ranger in charge is an old girlfriend of Chuck’s and doesn’t believe he killed anyone. She has to research, question and collect evidence to do her job. I really appreciate how Chuck and Janelle are working as a team and supporting each other now. Janelle is becoming a skilled EMT and quite knowledgeable about some of Chuck’s work also.
In the end, that amazing treasure is as deadly in the present, as it was in the past, for those seeking it.
Narration:
I’ve enjoyed this narrator previously. The primary voice and thoughts were Chuck and he certainly became Chuck for me. The other voices were all comfortably appropriate. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip HERE
About Joel Richards
One day, when he was 11 years old, Joel realized that he enjoyed sharing stories with his friends as much as he enjoyed all the crazy things they did together. It was then that he knew–although he didn’t have a word for it yet–that he was storyteller. He tells stories on stage, through the written word, with a camera lens, and in front of a microphone. He has called New York City, North Carolina, Texas, Indiana, Utah, and Rhode Island home but has travel to or through most of the fifty states.
While his education as a storyteller began with trading stories with friends as a child, he did his undergraduate studies at the University of Utah graduating with a BFA in acting from their conservatory Actor Training Program and a BA in English. He then went on to receive a Masters in Storytelling from East Tennessee State University–the first, and perhaps only, graduate program to focus on the study and performance of oral storytelling. Joel is an Audible Approved Producer on ACX.
About Scott Graham
Scott Graham is author of Canyon Sacrifice: A National Park Mystery and Extreme Kids (winner of the National Outdoor Book Award). He is an avid outdoorsman and amateur archaeologist who enjoys hunting, rock climbing, skiing, backpacking, mountaineering, river rafting, and whitewater kayaking with his wife, an emergency physician, and their two sons. Graham lives in Durango, Colorado.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 24-COYER
I’m glad you’re still enjoying this series, and I love how the characters seem to be growing as the story goes along.
yes if the characters hadn’t grown a bit it would have been difficult to keep reading.
Yay. These are on my list to try. I love the settings 🙂
They are a bit old-fashioned having been written awhile back but I have been enjoying the settings.
These sound so fun! I’ve been to both ARches and Mesa Verde. And would love to see Yosemite someday. Thanks for putting these on my radar. I can’t wait to check them out. 😀
They may be a bit old-fashioned but I love reading mysteries set in National Parks.
These all sound really good and I love the National Park settings. The Yosemite book especially grabs my attention with the 150 year old investigation! I need to put this series on my TBR.
I hope you would enjoy it. I appreciate the settings and characters although just a bit old-fashioned.
With series, it is always good when the main players grow into a working team of mutual trust and respect like that. I’ll give these a go at some point.
I hope you enjoy their growth and the settings as much as I do.
This sounds like a series that I would probably enjoy. I like that it is set in various national parks.
yes the settings is what got me started but the characters have kept me coming back. The learning to parent for Chuck has been fascinating, too.
I do love that National Parks are featured. Glad to hear there’s been positive character growth. I think I’d probably enjoy the series.
Thanks Rachel. I like them. They are a bit old-fashioned but the settings and characters have been fun for me.
I’ve been following your reviews and this series looks like a contemporary mystery series (non-cozy) that I would enjoy. Unfortunately, I have such little time to fit in series. But I’ll keep it in the back of my mind for when I’m looking for something new to start. Thanks Anne!
Jen I would agree with your assessment mostly. But since children are main supporting characters, things aren’t very gruesome (most of the time).
You are speeding through this series! I visited Mesa Verde as a kid with my dad and would like to go back and visit as an adult! Glad you are enjoying these.
yes luckily they are about half length or a little more than most of the books I read.