Books
Canyonlands Carnage

by Scott Graham
Torrey House Press, September 2021, $16.95

Outdoor enthusiasts, environmentalists, and history buffs will all find something that satisfies in Canyonlands Carnage. Scott Graham’s seventh National Park Mystery (after 2020’s Mesa Verde Victim) sends archeologist Chuck Bender on a whitewater rafting expedition designed to foster communication between the scientists, government officials, and corporate representatives who shape the American Southwest’s water policy. In exchange for captaining the group’s equipment barge and giving talks regarding the Colorado River Basin’s geology, plants, animals, and archeological and anthropological past, Chuck gets a free trip through remote Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Along for the ride is Chuck’s brother-in-law, Clarence Ortega, who will be helping the guides with their grunt work.

When the trip’s co-leader, retired professor Ralph Hycum, dies of an apparent heart attack, Chuck is mournful, though unconcerned; Ralph was in his 70s, and their journey thus far has been physically demanding. But when one of the barge’s newly replaced oarlocks breaks, spilling Chuck and Clarence into a treacherous stretch of river, Chuck begins to fear that one of their number is a killer.

Graham beautifully captures what it’s like to navigate the rapids—the danger, the thrill, the skill required— while also painting a vivid picture of the region’s myriad natural wonders. The denouement is perhaps a touch convoluted, but Graham amply compensates with adventure and interpersonal drama. What’s more, the author manages to present an impassioned argument for water conservation without it feeling like a lecture.

Katrina Niida Holms
Teri Duerr
7306
Graham
September 2021
canyonlands-carnage
16.95
Torrey House Press