Book Review Trailridge

 

Who doesn't love a good mystery filled with intrigue, complex and well-developed characters who frequently switch alliances, adding to the guessing game, red herrings, cliffhangers, complicated relationships, and a diligent sleuth? Kevin Wolf delivers on all points with "Trailridge," book one of the Guy Hogan mystery series. 

Wolf uses Rocky Mountain Park's landmarks and features as the story's setting. His descriptive writing is top-notch, making the area come alive for the reader for its beauty, wildlife, and nature. He cleverly weaves into the storyline the 1982 Lawn Lake Flood when a power surge of water erupts from a dam, devastating the town of Estes and neighboring communities. The book's title is a nod to the well-known Trailridge Road that connects Estes Park and Grand Lake, the setting for much of the story.    

The protagonist, Guy Hogan, and his wife had planned to share their dream home in Colorado, but cancer took her from him. The mountains now become his refuge, as well as his love of fly fishing, hoping to ease some of his loneliness. The action is propelled when finding a man's body while out trout fishing.  

A chance encounter with a young woman, Willow, sends Hogan on a quest for answers. He finds her harboring secrets, but he is protective of her well-being. The action intensifies with discovering a ring of poachers killing elk for their highly prized velvety antlers, transporting them to Canada and international destinations. A harrowing car chase across the twists and turns of the highest paved road in the United States while navigating the fury of a mountain flash flood accelerates the pace of the storyline. One wonders if her deadly secrets will force Hogan to become the very thing he despises.

Wolf effectively uses stream-of-consciousness to highlight Hogan's emotions and thought process throughout the story. An unexpected zinger in the plotline at the end took me by surprise. Add "Trailridge" to your fall reading list. It's a riveting tale.    

ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin Wolf is a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Crested Butte Writers member. The great-grandson of Colorado homesteaders, he enjoys fly fishing, old Winchesters, and 1950s Western movies. He lives in Littleton, Colorado.

To learn more about the author, go to kevinwolfstoryteller.com

Listen to Kevin Wolf' as he talks about his book "Trailridge" on the Rendezvous With A Writer podcast as they celebrate their 100th show.

 https://rendezvouswithawriter.podbean.com/