Retired east coast police detective, David Dean, is at it again-sleuthing, that is. This time he is accompanied by his beautiful new wife, Cynthia, together with an off-beat ensemble cast of characters led by irrepressible mystery fan, Fred O'Conner, Dean's stepfather. The Deans and O'Conner are the new proprietors of Bird Song, a bed and breakfast in the charming, Victorian town of Ouray, Colorado. When their first guest turns up murdered and the second is missing, David Dean is irrepressibly drawn into a scam that involves a wronged widow, suit-and-tied, pipsqueak attorney, tent-dwelling heir to a fortune and a net-surfing cook with a dog named Brutus. Oh, and a legacy of a hundred million bucks, give or take a million or so.

The reader is drawn into the tale, gently at first, then with increasing speed and complexity, much like riding a carnival carousel, where the painted horses whirl faster and faster. Newer, and more bizarre characters, pop out of the woods and the woodwork with increasing frequency. A crutch-toting, inebriated movie star moves into Bird Song's back bedroom. The widow's fake-French boytoy camps out nearby, waiting to start a new hustle with whichever legally recognized "daughter" gets the millions. And Bird Song fills up with lawyers, heirs and contestants to the will of a man who could not have fathered any of the daughters.

The setting is stunning. And, mystery author Ray Derouin, a part-time resident of Ouray and owner of a toy store there, presents the San Juan country well, giving it a sense of character nearly as strong as protagonist David Dean. "San Juan Solution" is fun read, with lots of action, zany characters and great scenery. It's a good book to curl up on the couch with on a snowy evening.

After fifteen years on the Parkside, Pennsylvania police force, Officer David Dean retires. Almost immediately after that, David marries Cynthia Byrne. With those two radical moves to jolt his equilibrium, David makes it a trio of lifestyle events when he, Cynthia, and his stepfather Fred O?Connor move to Ouray, Colorado where they plan to run Bird Song Bed and Breakfast.

Although the B&B is not ready yet for the public, Fred rents the room of David and Cynthia to a guest and his own room to a second guest. However, someone kills their first guest and their second guest expects to be the next victim. Though the cop can leave the police force, police work never leaves the cop and with a little nudging from Fred, David begins to investigate what happened to his guest.

The mystery of SAN JUAN SOLUTION is fun to watch as it unwinds like the mountain paths that the transplanted easterners trek. The lead trio is a hoot, especially Fred and his ability to manipulate everyone and the support cast provides either trouble or local color to the terrific tale. As with the first tale (see the delightfully wacky TIME TRIAL), R.E. Derouin?s novel pays homage to the Colorado Rockies. Readers will feel as if they are hiking the trail along side of David and Cynthia. Mr. Derouin is two for two with both of his Dean novels being outstanding and a ?tri-quel? needed for fans of the series.

Harriet Klausner

To me, trying to lay aside an unfinished David Dean mystery is like trying to eat just one homemake chocolate chip cookie. It can't be done. This is Ouray, Colorado author Ray Derouin's second mystery in what one can only hope will be another in a long series. For the reader not familiar with Derouin, suffice it to say he is no stranger to the written word. He has written twelve plays, all of which have won national awards. His first mystery, Time Trial: A Mountain Mystery, has garnered wide spread acclaim. Thus, it was with much delight and anticipation that I received San Juan Solution. I thought his first mystery was wonderful, and it was, but this latest offering is off the scale. The protagonist, ex-Pennsylvania police detective David Dean, is back with a new bride and his indispensable, unforgettable stepfather, Fred O'Connor. The setting is the incomparably beautiful Ouray, Colorado and the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. Dean, along with his wife and stepfather, have just opened a bed and breakfast, named Bird Song, and plan to enjoy a leisurely life far away from the crime ridden east coast. Unfortunately for the trio, but fortunately for the reader, Derouin's magic and diabolic mind begins to weave a story guaranteed to please the most avid mystery fan. It seems the first guest of Bird Song ends up alone at the bottom of a mountain side ravine in his car...strapped in the passenger seat. What happened to the driver? one might ask. What driver? A good question and, well, somewhat of a mystery. This, in the hands of Derouin, is reason enough to read on. However, it seems the second guest is missing and there is reason to believe her life might also be in danger. A coincidence you say? Perhaps, but the rapid arrival of a host of characters all making inquiries into the whereabouts of the two makes for spellbinding reading. Oh, did I mention the search for an heir to a fortune, which may explain some of these coincidences? This is vintage Derouin but better, much better, than anything he had done before. Having lived in the San Juan Mountain area of Colorado I can assure the reader that the setting is authentic. In addition, the characters are believeable and the writing style is first rate. It is not until the last few pages that the mystery(s) are solved and, in his wonderful style, the loose ends are tied into a honeymoon bouquet, so to speak. If you haven't met David Dean and friends, this is your best chance. It is a delightful book.

I have a collection of more than 100 books relating to Colorado andits history. "Images of the San Juans" is my favorite.

The large and well-preserved photographs from the Marvin and Ruth Gregory collection are fascinating as are the descriptions by P. David Smith. Most books offer only a sentence or two about a photograph but Mr. Smith gives a detailed description in a most interesting style. He points out small details in many of the photos which might otherwise go unnoticed. He answers questions and even raises a few of his own. I felt like I was being let in on some secrets from the past.

When I received the book, I anxiously leafed through the pages and stopped on page 38. The first words I read were "A chance to look back into the past is always something special."

Indeed, I enjoyed the journey through time.

We live locally and use this book whenever we head up to Ouray. It is very accurate and we never feel like we have been led astray by Kelvin! We have found some beautiful places because of this book. A must for anybody hiking in this amazing area of the country!

for anyone who loves Native American history. A passionate story of a intellegent man who was caught in a turmoil between his people and the whites.

This is a biography of an Indian chief, Chief Ouray. He was a peacemaker for the Ute Indians. This biography is great for the young and older students. The layout of this biography is easy to follow. The illustrations are in black and white and reflect the scenes of how the Ute Indians' actually lived. The illustrations really made the book come alive! I could actually see Chief Ouray in action as he was being a great peacemaker. I really enjoyed reading this book. I learned a lot about the Ute Indians. Read it to your students and they will too!

Peter Decker has distilled twenty-five years of ranching in Ridgeway, a previous life as a combat soldier, seaman, and as journalist into a warm but unsentimental book that appreciates the values of the real West as opposed to the Disneyfied, Hollywoodenized versions that glorify a time and a way of life that never was. Decker's reality is far more interesting.

His chapters on what life is like on a ranch, what it is like for an outsider to try to find acceptance in a community like Ridgeway, what the frustrations are and what are the real joys would be enough to make this book well worth the reading for anyone who wants to know about life in a small town in the American West at the turn of our century. But there is much more.

Decker has woven the land, the history, the people and the present into a gem of a book. The issues of how rural people with their values are affected when the migration pattern of countryside to city are reversed can be applied to small towns all over the country. Decker does not offer solutions but his clear-eyed warmth and his understanding of people, the strengths and their failings makes fascinating reading.

I have both guidebooks available for Desolation Canyon, and I have run the river twice the past two years. I prefer this one to the Belknap waterproof guide. Belknap is in color and lists where the rapids are, but with Rampton's book you get a better description and rating of each rapid. You have marks on the map denoting where you can get out to scout. You have a more thorough list of side trips and hikes available, at least the mile marker at which they are located, although the details of the hikes ie. how long it takes and so forth are not good. It makes a good effort at listing all available camp sites, and even highlights a few of my favorites.

The map has a more topographic details as well, and makes it easier to tell exactly where you are as you go downriver.

All in all, a better and more informational guide than its counterpart (which isn't available on Amazon for some reason), but like with all river guides, its limitations include the fact that no river is the same each time. It changes with river volume, season, and the natural erosion and rockshifting that goes on year to year. It's a no frills book in black and white but I highly recommend it to anyone who got lucky and won a permit to run this beautiful river.