The Deadly Canyon

Mo Bowdre #2

by Jake Page

Blind sculptor Mo Bowdre and his lovely Anglo-Hopi girlfriend, Connie Barnes, find themselves at a remote desert research station in the bootheel of New Mexico. The station is an outpost of gossiping, back-biting research scientists, thirty miles from the Mexican border and three hundred miles from nowhere, and an unlikely site for Bowdre's newest sculpture commission -- not to mention conspiracy, sexual deception, smuggling, and murder.

When a female corpse turns up in the desert vastness of Skeleton Canyon, the research station is plunged into turmoil. And when it is discovered that the murdered woman was not only a scientist but a special FBI agent, Bowdre goes into action.

Written with grit and honesty, peopled with an unforgettable cast of eccentrics, steeped in the harsh beauty of the New Mexican desert, The Deadly Canyon is at once a superbly crafted novel and a breathtaking mystery story.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

228 pages, Hardcover

First published January 30, 1994

About the author

Jake Page was a celebrated editor, science writer, and novelist who made complex topics accessible through wit and clarity. Though he never studied science formally, his role editing Natural History Books at Doubleday sparked a lifelong passion for explaining science to general readers. As science editor and columnist at Smithsonian magazine, he wrote with elegance and humor on a wide range of subjects, from aspirin to Zane Grey. Page authored dozens of books, including works on birds, earthquakes, and Native American history. His fascination with the American Southwest led to a mystery series featuring a blind sculptor-detective. Collaborating with his wife, photographer Susanne Anderson, he produced detailed cultural studies like Hopi and Navajo. His major nonfiction achievement, In the Hands of the Great Spirit, traces 20,000 years of American Indian history. Whether exploring anthropology or writing fiction, Page championed curiosity, clarity, and the belief that science was too important to remain only in expert hands.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay, different mystery; interesting but not excellent. Breaks some stereotypes and sidesteps others. For instance, the detective (a sculptor) is blind, but doesn’t use a cane. Also, his manners were not polished, he was an original—so that was good. And it was refreshing to see more of the Southwest and the Native American culture—and the differences between the tribes.

So fair to good, collectible but not excellent.

2020 note: I did not collect this series.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Infeltvitvwas well crafted with good pacing.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Older murder mysteries set in the far south western area of New Mexico featuring the blind artist Mo Bowdre who solves the crimes I do not warm to this main protagonist but these titles have strong NM setting so have value for the Hillerman readalike southwest murder mystery genre.

[Devi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read and the main characters are an interesting team. Looking forward to the third book in the series

[Brucie · Rating 3 out of 5]

adequate