The Killer Mountains

by Curt Gentry

The Great story for the last search for the Lost Dutchman Mine.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Curt Gentry was an American writer. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War, mostly as a writer on the Pacific Stars and Stripes newspaper in Tokyo.

He is best known for co-writing the book Helter Skelter with Vincent Bugliosi (1974), which detailed the Charles Manson murders. Frame-Up was a nominee for the 1968 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Fact Crime book.

Helter Skelter won a 1975 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Fact Crime book.

J.Edgar Hoover won the 1992 PEN Center West Literary Award for Non-Fiction.

Gentry lived in San Francisco, California. He was 83 at the time of his death.

Reviews

[Alene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating quick-read about one man's quest to find the Lost Dutchman mine in the Superstition mountains outside of Phoenix. It is about the journey, the legend, the ghosts, etc. and includes detailed analysis of the maps he had, detailed reports on the deaths of and the stories of those who have tried to find it before. Treasure hunting has never interested me, but I can see how the idea takes a hold of you, how they keep deciding to not visit that rough place again but keep going back because of new light on the information or just their drive to find it never dissipates. I really like reading it. Places always take a hold on me.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very gripping read about a man's search for the legendary Lost Dutchman Mine in Arizona's Superstition Mountains. If I was rating the book on how accurate I believe it to be, it might lose a star. This is because Curt Gentry speaks of some legends as if they are fact, but I greatly enjoyed this adventure and don't mind which portions are fact or fiction.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this at a yard sale and read it in about a week. Adventure, danger, death and greed as a private investigator and his team search for gold in the Arizona mountains.

[Neil Larkins]

I went to work for Magill in October the same year this book came out. I never owned a copy but read his. He was obsessed with finding that thing. In the book he says he had found it and was about to open it up when he had the time and money for a decent expedition. But he confessed to me that he sill wasn't sure if he'd found it and not about to admit that to Gentry. Gentry had made him promise that everything he claimed in the book was factual. Since Magill trusted no one, he changed certain places or locations in the fear that someone would use his information and get the mine for himself. While I was with him, less than a year, he took me to Arizona twice for me to give him a new perspective, but we never went into the Superstitions. Since I had some artistic flair he asked me to draw maps based on old maps and aerial photos from books. I believe it was in 1971 0r 1972, after I no longer worked for Magill, that Gentry published an updated edition of The Killer Mountains with "new findings." I spotted that book in a Phoenix bookstore and picked it up. In it Magill says that he'd hired a "professional artist" to draw some more accurate maps of the area where he thought the mine was located. He didn't provide the artist's name and I know why - it was me and he wasn't about to credit me because I had the nerve to leave him after he'd revealed all his "secrets" to me. That didn't bother me since I never believed it was on Bluff Springs Mountain like he claimed.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Dad,Uncle,Brothers,Cousins are in this book. I have one copy left.

[Billy]

I grew up with my dad looking for lost mine my friend the heart mine is not in the superstition I found it from the of my dad's and Google earth all the markings are there its in the Henry utah

[Bill]

Meh...

Interesting story, reminded me a bit of The Gold Bug, but hugely anticlimactic ending. I do plan to get out to the Superstitions though.