Man Corn Murders

Man Corn Murders - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat 'Now she was too weak to leave the bunk, her tongue swollen and her lips cracking against every shallow breath, and she prayed for blessed release back into a warm, wet womb, her own barren into eternity. The tears had surrendered days ago, re summon them though she would to bathe sore eyes. She blinked a final time as cotton closed her ears and the pain fled, leaving her fresh and strong, moving her young muscles with the spirit of a freed colt.' Terry Hart, a reporter from Cleveland, Ohio, and her aunt Judith Davis, a retired world history teacher, were out for a summer long trip to explore the historic "Mormon Road" ending up in Utah's Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument. Their trip takes them near Sunset Years Retirement Ranch where Deborah, an old friend of Judith lives. Upon reaching the ranch, Judith learns that Deborah has left the ranch to live in Seattle with a nephew. Puzzled by the move, Judith starts investigating and learns that two other residents have mysteriously left the ranch as well. These sudden moves become a challenge to Judith that must be solved. As Terry and Judith explore parts of the 1.7 million acre wilderness, they run across a cave with a metal door. Upon entering the cave they discover the body of a young woman. Melanie Briggs was an anthropology student who had been missing for several weeks. Now came another mystery which Terry vowed to solve. How did Melanie become trapped inside the cave? Through her investigation, Terry learns that Melanie believed that the ancient tribes resorted to cannibalism in their attempt to survive the elements. Her theory brings enemies and threats from some of the locals. But did it upset someone enough that they would actually lock her inside the cave? When I was a child my Dad moved us to a small town just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. I loved seeing the Great Salt Lake, the Bonneville Salt Flats and even the artisan wells that just "spring" up out of the ground. I've always wanted to go back and see more of this state of many mysteries and after reading Man Corn Murders, that desire has grown even stronger. This book is not just a murder mystery, it's also a mini history book about the Anasazi and Fremont tribes during the 1400s. It has taken me to places and times in history that have sparked my interest to learn more.

I spent my youth exploring the Southwest and most of my adulthood finding excuses to return. Each visit lightens my steps and clears my vision. Lou Allin's Man Corn Murders is better than going home because it comes complete with a guided tour. The geology, flora, weather, history, and culture of the four corners area come alive on her pages. But this is not a Frommer's; it's a murder mystery, and a crackling good one. Allin's carefully researched details of the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument area are woven in to the plot so that story and travelogue mingle seamlessly. Man Corn Murders, one of those rare mysteries that transcend its genre, is four stories of passage layered between two covers. On the surface is the vacation of small town Ohio reporter Terry Hart and her Aunt Judith to the four corners area. Under the surface is the evolution of their relationship from parent/child (Judith raised Terry after her parents died in an accident) to friends with a peek into a future where the feisty Judith will eventually come to depend on the fuddy Terry. The challenges Terry confronts in Utah give her the mettle she has lacked. These two characters are so well drawn that you find yourself wondering what happened in the next stage of their lives, as if they were real people. The second story on the surface is the murder of a young college student on a dig in the area and the suspicion that residents of a retirement ranch are being killed for their Social Security. Floating below that mystery is the murky history of interactions between the Indians and the whites, highlighted by the question of cannibalism among the Fremont in the 1400's. The student's mummified body and confusions between ancient and recent graves become an allegory for six hundred years of history. All of Allin's characters are vivid, and the complex ties between them keep you guessing until the end, not only about whodunit, but about who it was done to. Romance and suspense also spice this hearty stew of a story. Lou Allin is a well-known and accomplished writer who has written some great books set in Canada. But I marveled that someone who has spent her life in Canada and the American Midwest can capture the Southwest so perfectly. The obvious explanation is that she is a gifted writer. Read this book.

Ohio residents, reporter Terry Hart and her Aunt Judith are exploring the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument in Utah by RV. They travel a dangerous Mormon road, but driver Terry panics that they were in the middle of nowhere and turns around to the chagrin of her feisty aunt. To mollify her aunt she takes a side road only to find the mummified body of college student Melanie Briggs, who vanished from a nearby university dig led by Professor Nick Bradshaw. The Sheriff determines it is a tragic accident caused by a vehicle break down and the wind, but the two Ohioans have doubts. Aunt Judith tries to visit her friend Deborah Winters from her college teaching days who moved to a senior citizen home in Utah, but is told she moved to Seattle. This disturbs Judith as Deborah would have said something. As Terry feels attracted to Nick and aviator Chris Robbins, who took them on an aerial tour, she and Judith investigate the death of the student, what happened to the aunt's colleague, and some suspicious graves. Leaving Canada (Belle Palmer Northern Ontario mysteries - NORTHERN WINTERS ARE MURDER and British Columbia Royal Canadian Mounted Police Corporal Holly Martin - AND ON THE SURFACE DIE), Lou Allin shows geography is no problem with this fine Utah amateur sleuth. In many ways the vivid description of the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument steals the show from the solid cast and the investigations. Still the inquiry is fun with a few engaging twists and romance in the air, but it is Utah that owns this enjoyable whodunit. Harriet Klausner