Mystery / Women Sleuths / Amateur Sleuths
When her kid brother Alex heads to West Texas with an older woman, Professor Claire Harp doesn’t know what to think. A TV sitcom idol with a budding movie career, Alex looks forward to a romantic time hiking and camping at Big Bend National Park. But then his beautiful and ambitious girlfriend disappears overnight on its most celebrated trail. Days later, a prominent artist is found murdered elsewhere in the park and valuable paintings from her private collection are missing too. Once again, Claire finds herself pulled into both investigations. But neither she nor Sheriff Clayton Shoot can foresee the twists and turns this story will take—right up to its final page. As fresh as The Window Trail (the first book in the series) and just as high-spirited, The South Rim Trail draws you even deeper into Big Bend Country.
J J Rusz is the author of the Big Bend Country Mysteries—focusing on crime and intrigue in Far West Texas and Big Bend National Park. The books are character-driven, with just enough romance and humor to make life in the rugged desert region agreeable.
J J Rusz is the pen name of John J Ruszkiewicz. He earned a BA from St. Vincent College (1972) and a PhD in English from The Ohio State University (1977). In 2017, he retired from the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught literature and rhetoric for 40 years, writing or co-authoring a range of college textbooks, including “Everything’s an Argument” and “How to Write Anything.” He currently spends most of his time in Alpine, Texas, enjoying its proximity to Big Bend National Park.
