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Book Cover for: Antler Dust, Mark Stevens

Antler Dust

Mark Stevens

Antler Dust begins with a bang. Two bangs. On the opening day of the hunting season in the Colorado Flat Tops wilderness, two men go missing. The first is a hunting guide. The second is a protester who believes his creative suicide will galvanize the animal rights movement.Hunting guide Allison Coil hears a distant rifle shot and sees just enough through the swirling snow to believe somebody knows something-and isn't coming forward. But what exactly did she see? Outfitter George Grumley blunts the formal investigation and works to discourage the persistent inquiries by Coil. Grumley knows no limits in the effort to protect his guide service, which caters to a swank clientele.


Who needs hunting regulations when technology can produce the quickest and most thrilling hunt that money can buy?

Book Details

  • Publisher: Third Line Press
  • Publish Date: May 8th, 2020
  • Pages: 314
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.00in - 5.25in - 0.70in - 0.79lb
  • EAN: 9780990722489
  • Categories: Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths

About the Author

Stevens, Mark: - Mark Stevens grew up in Massachusetts. He was raised by two librarians. By law, he was required to grow up loving books. And writing. He writes the Allison Coil Mystery Series-Antler Dust, Buried by the Roan, Trapline, Lake of Fire, and The Melancholy Howl. Trapline won the Colorado Book Award for Best Mystery in 2016. Buried by the Roan and Lake of Fire were finalists for the same award. Kirkus Reviews called Lake of Fire "irresistible" and Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire novels, said, "Mark Stevens writes like wildfire." Stevens was the 2016 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of the Year. He is past president of the Rocky Mountain chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Stevens also hosts a regular podcast, the Rocky Mountain Writer, for RMFW. Stevens currently lives in Mancos, Colorado. Mark Stevens grew up in Massachusetts. He was raised by two librarians. By law, he was required to grow up loving books. And writing. He writes the Allison Coil Mystery Series-Antler Dust, Buried by the Roan, Trapline, Lake of Fire, and The Melancholy Howl. Trapline won the Colorado Book Award for Best Mystery in 2016. Buried by the Roan and Lake of Fire were finalists for the same award. Kirkus Reviews called Lake of Fire "irresistible" and Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire novels, said, "Mark Stevens writes like wildfire." Stevens was the 2016 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of the Year. He is past president of the Rocky Mountain chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Stevens also hosts a regular podcast, the Rocky Mountain Writer, for RMFW. Stevens currently lives in Mancos, Colorado.

Praise for this book

"Stevens, a Colorado resident and former Denver Post reporter and news producer for the McNeil-Lehrer News Hour, has crafted a page-turner with all the makings of a great mystery: two deaths and a variety of characters who aren't really what they appear to be...Stevens' knowledge of the region is evident in the setting he creates - a perfectly believable locale in the central Rockies...The book is well-written from start to finish. Stevens' skill as a writer occasionally shines with the occasional gold coin, where prose and plot sing in perfect harmony." - The Aspen Times

"Allison is a standout protagonist who comes across as someone who survived almost certain death yet has the courage and smarts to remake her life at the edge of a Colorado wilderness. With its unique setting and diverse cast, Antler Dust makes a fast-paced, intriguing addition to the list of new thrillers." - The Denver Post

"From its haunting opening - two shots heard in the midst of a swirling blizzard, and the subsequent discovery of a trophy elk and an animal-rights protester, both very dead - Antler Dust functions on two fast-paced levels: that of a mystery, as well as keenly observed social commentary on the cultural conflicts playing out in the New West."
The Great Falls (Montana) Tribune

"Stevens weaves environmental and political issues into this suspenseful story, and does so in a balanced way that exposes issues with wildlife exploitation but does not portray hunters as villains." - Steamboat Pilot & Today

"Author Mark Stevens develops his characters in such a way that you hear their thoughts, see their views and want to keep reading as the story continues to unfold. Even the villains are likable which draws you even further into their warped minds. Author Mark Stevens' ability to describe our local wilderness with eloquence and appreciation contributes to the reading pleasure ... I stand ready to devour the next one." - The Summit Daily News