More Mysteries & Miracles Of New Mexico

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book "Mysteries and Miracles of New Mexico" and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. The first one was picked up during a visit to a National Park in New Mexico of all places. It seemed to be somewhat out of place on the book shelf with other titles ranging from Southwest cuisine to SW birds to Anasazi culture. Yet, now that I think about it, the book fit it well with those topics. The first book had 3 UFO chapters while this one has 2 (possibly 3 if you consider the green fireballs to be UFO related). In this book, there is an extensive review of the Roswell crash and even a review of Dulce, New Mexico (see the "Hunt for the Skinwalker" for more info on this topic). UFOs aside, there are some other great mysteries in New Mexico such as who killed Pat Garrett, who will find the treasure of Victorio Peak, depictions of elephants which date to the Anasazi period, serpent culture, and that infernal Taos hum. Overall, this is another great read by Jack Kutz. Like the first one, this too is well suited as airline read. It does seem relatively hard to find however.

Having read and enjoyed the 1988 "Mysteries and Miracles of New Mexico," I was overjoyed to receive this, its follow-up, as a gift. This book is similar to the first book in the series in that it's comprised of separate chapters that each deal with a certain piece of New Mexico lore and legend--from UFOs to ghosts to government conspiracies. This volume takes on the mystery of the Taos Hum, an extraterrestrial underground base near the town of Dulce, and strange ancient New Mexican stone tablets that feature...of all things...elephants. The author's writing has improved significantly in the ten years between books, and this volume goes by even faster than the original. If I had any complaints about the book, it would be that some of the dialogue in the retelling of these myths seems very made-up and contemporary, that the directions to some of the book's topics are sometimes insufficient, and that neither of these books has dealt at all with skinwalkers--a.k.a. the creepiest thing in the Southwest--or with El Chupacabra or with the mysterious Asian blimp that floated over Galisteo about a century ago. The book was great though, and I'm glad I own it. The first volume came out in 1988. This one came out in 1998, and so if he writes one every ten years, then we're only two years away from part three. Please be a part three! Possible title: "Hot Dang! Even More Mysteries and Miracles of New Mexico! Shoot, where're my keys." He also has books for Arizona, Texas, and Colorado as well, and I plan on reading all of them. The West is the best...and the weirdest.