Sierra Mystery--part three

[balzaccom]

The third book in my mysteries series set in the Sierra Nevada is out! Holes in the Ground pays homage to mining history of the foothills, and brings back Ranger Dan Courtwright and his best friend, Sheriff Cal Healey. As the back cover notes: “The hikers passing through the Emigrant Wilderness on the Pacific Crest Trail may or may not be who they say they are. With trail names, who can tell? But Ranger Dan Courtwright finds himself in the middle of a much bigger story, and it is up to him and Sheriff Cal Healey to get to the bottom of it.”

The books have been getting some nice reviews: “Paul Wagner’s love of the outdoors and his experience hiking and camping takes readers right into the mountains. The zippy writing keeps the story moving along the Sierra trails, through the lineup of interesting, quirky characters, and down the winding mystery path until the satisfying end.”
-- Rick Kushman, best-selling NY Times author and commentator for Capital Public Radio in Sacramento

If your local bookstore doesn’t have it, the BookMine in Napa carries the whole series.
https://www.napabookmine.com/

or, you can always get them on Amazon, in either paperback or Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B6H ... tkin_p1_i6

If you want a signed copy, just drop me a pm.

[RSC]

I just now called Mountain Bookshop in Sonora, and they're putting copies on their next order. I got the first two on my Kindle and really enjoyed them.

[balzaccom]

Cool! Thanks, RSC.

That's a wonderful, wonderful store!

[Love the Sierra]

I am still enjoying "Bones of the Earth"
Glad that you keep them coming!
Thanks Paul
Are you going to set the next one in AK?

[Love the Sierra]

Paul,
LOVE Bones of the Earth. I stayed up way too late reading it last night since I did not want to put it down. I LOVE that it is not gory. Dan cracks me up since he is always looking at the girls but too shy and polite, (GOOD FOR HIM! Polite is great!) to do anything about it. It is more fun than Falling Rocks since I know exactly where they are. (I think that I told you I searched all over the map for a lake that fit your description and was only 5 miles from a TH.)
However, good that you set it in a very difficult place to get to so that we do not get a bunch of yahoos out there like happened to the PCT after the movie WILD. I hear that the same thing happened on the AT after a popular book came out. It got overrun with people who have no clue what wilderness is about.
Anyway, after a hard work day, it is nice to settle down with fun, not anxiety provoking like too much of modern books today, fiction.
Thanks for writing!
Aura
P.S. I am glad that I am one book behind so that when I get that “Darn it is over.” thought, I can just move on to the next one. Keep writing and keep backpacking!

[mschnaidt]

Thanks for the heads up Paul. I just ordered it.

And speaking of mines... I hiked past the Cherry Creek Mine on Friday morning in a soaking monsoonal rain .

[balzaccom]

I appreciate all the support from the people here. The fourth book is now released! Granite Gorge gets our hero down into the Mokelumne Canyon, where he has all sorts of adventures...and lives to tell the tale--barely. For what it's worth, my wife says this is the best one yet!

Here's the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Granite-Gorge-Pa ... 8&qid=&sr=

It's also available at quite a few local bookstores...and the gift shop at Calaveras Big Trees State Park is now carrying my books.

[ironmike]

Is Ranger Dan a wine drinker?

[balzaccom]

Hi Ironmike.

He isn't much of wine drinker. He brings a bottle as a gift sometimes when he is invited to someone's home, and he's happy to enjoy a glass of wine, but it's not a major interest of his. Kristen, who is a catering chef, has a much better grasp of the world of wine than Dan does. But then, she has a better grasp of a lot of things...

[balzaccom]

Just an update about these books. The fifth in the series, "High Sierra Quarry," should be out by the endof the month. And I am delighted to be able to announce that the USFS has decided to sell these books at some of the ranger stations in the Sierra--including the Summit Ranger Station near Pinecrest on 108--which, coincidentally, is exactly where the fictional hero of the books works!

If you see him, say hello!