Listening to the Mysteries of Summer

Most babies are born with eyes that work. But as we age they do lose some of their ability. So my mystery columns will not come around as often as before.

But am very lucky. Modern technology has come up with several aids for people who hare gradually losing their sharp vision. think they are the greatest things since sliced bread.

A very large selection of large print books and books on tape is available in the Mesa County Public Library. For those who do not have adequate equipment for playing the tapes, the Colorado State Library offers Talking Book Machines at and an infinite variety of titles-- all at no cost to us. These services are offered by that local establishment that slightly over half of the citizens of Mesa County chose twice not to support. I hope none of them are blind.

These are some of my favorites. Sue Henry has been in Grand Junction several times and even wrote one book about the area, "The Serpent's Trail." But my favorites are about Alaska and Jessie Arnold, the dog sled racer. The newest one is "Murder at Five Finger Light." This one takes place in an old lighthouse on the Alaskan Inside Passage. The descriptions of Alaska are beautiful.

Another favorite character is Marne Davis Kellogg's Lily Bennett, who lives on a huge Wyoming ranch in Wyoming, not far from Roundup. She is a United States Marshall, rich, beautiful, smart, sexy, equally at home in grungy cords and boots and a Dior evening gown. Kellogg has moved to a new series based in Europe ,and they are equally good, but I keep hoping she will get back to Roundup and Lily.

Nevada Barr created Anna Pigeon, National Park Ranger. Anna's many adventures have taken her all over the country, including Mesa Verde. In her newest, " Hard Truth," Anna comes back to Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park. Like all of her books, this has some of today's issues woven into the mystery. Barr makes us want to visit our national parks.

Janet Evanovich's "Eleven on Top" is number one the New York Times best sellers list this week, and with good reason. Mystery readers love New Jersey's funniest, wildest bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. She has quit her cousin Vinney's bail bond office in this one, and gone to work for her old lust object, Ranger. Kirkus Review says, " No plot to get in the way of the story-just the way it should be for Stephanie." It's not too hot for a good laugh.

Moving west again to Chicago, "Fire Sale" is Sara Paretsky's 14th mystery starring V I. Warshawski. Vic has moved on, but returns to south Chicago to coach the basketball team in her old high school. The characters are all real and the issues tense, Paretsky's tense, sharp 11th shows that you can go home again.

And then there is Nora Roberts. She is probably the most prolific fiction writer in America, with 130 published novels and 75 million copies in print Most of her books are romances, but as J. D. Robb she has a series of science fiction/mystery/romance books that are wonderful entertainment. They take place in 2059 and feature Eve Dallas, the best detective in this world and several others. Great reading, summer or winter.

There are so many, many more and I hope mystery lovers will read them all. And for the vision impaired, call the Library.