From my Daughter's Collection - ILL WIND

It is nice sharing an interest in an author with my daughter. She likes Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series and so do I. I wanted something else to read so I just asked her about a book she just read - Ill Wind. She let me read it.

This was one of the earlier books in the series. This one occurs in the Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. It is an interesting place where there are ruins from an ancient civilization that disappeared. Where they went is an unanswered question with a lot of speculation. Archaeologists and tourists alike come to visit the park and it's ruins.

Because of the disappearance of this mysterious civilization, construction and excavation is restricted - to preserve the site. In addition there is a lot of lore about the missing civilization and the occasional appearance of spirits in this place.

An unexplained death of a teenage tourist followed by the death of a temporary park employee lead to an investigation by Anna Pigeon and an FBI acquaintance. Could these two deaths be related? Some other unexplained incidents suggests these acts may be the result of spirits trying to discourage continued development in the park. Anna and the FBI acquaintance have to consider other non-spirit suspects and possible motives as well.

Of course I loved the mystery but I also like the way the author describes the park - it's physical description as well as it's operations. In addition she introduced some intersting characters as part of the story. Some in fact continue playing a part in the series and Anna's further adventures. I look forward to checking more out from my daughter's collection. I have not been disappointed yet!!!

Mystery Choices

One thing about mysteries ... there are a lot of choices. And when I say a lot of choices, I am not just referring to authors but different types of mysteries as well. Maryglenn at Maryglenn McCombs Book Publicity asked me if I wanted to read a mystery that was not so serious and I said ok!!!

You can see the title of the book in the picture - Don't Sweat The Small Stuff. It is the 4th book in the Stuff Series written by author Don Bruns. It features amateur private investigators Skip Moore and James Lessor who in spite of officially becoming licensed PIs are pretty much still amateurs. This is a mystery mixed with comedy. I mean think about it - the name on the license is for More or Less Investigations. And to continue with some of the humor, their license was issued through the Department of Agriculture.

Like I mentioned before, these two have just become licensed and this is their first gig as professionals. They have been hired (undercover) to investigate a series of accidents that occurred at a carnival. But somehow the fact they are undercover seems to get out way too easily and there are a lot of people suspicious of them.

They have to rely on a little help from their "friends" in order to survive this case. At times it looks like they are going to bungle the case when it seems they do not know what is going on. They have three days to investigate and much happens including a murder, their trailer is broken into, and they get several warnings to leave.

This certainly is no dynamic duo but in spite of everything they are able to solve the case. I do not intend to give away much more of the book because if you are looking for a "fun" read, then this is what you are looking for. Check it out!!!!

In case you are interested in more info about the author and his books, check out his web page at http://www.donbrunsbooks.com/ .