Canyon of Secrets: A Cripple Creek Mystery (Cripple Creek Mysteries Book 3)

To the tourists and adventure seekers who visit Teller County, the Shelf Road canyon is filled with history, mystery, and fun. Running beside the famed Cripple Creek, the historic stagecoach route has become the gateway to pristine areas of rock climbing, mountain biking, and camping. The canyon is also home to an assortment of unusual characters - a strange religious cult, a former rock star bodyguard, and aging Ute curandera, and a female prospector who catches the eye of Sheriff Brady Wagner.

When the remains of a young woman are discovered in a shallow grave in one of the canyon's most isolated areas, Shelf Road becomes a crime scene. Within days, that cold case is found to be connected to another murder, still unsolved after almost three decades.

With his department's only detective on the sidelines, the sheriff calls upon Deputy Sarah Fromholz to take the lead in the investigation. In her quest to understand how two young women, unknown to one another, met such untimely deaths, the newbie detective digs into some of the best kept secrets of the tiny mountain community.

In the third installment of the Cripple Creek Mystery series, Ron Smith once again taps into the unique qualities and picturesque charm of southern Colorado. The characters in Canyon of Secrets are rich and engaging. Another must-read for fans of outdoor-based mysteries.