Description:

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 an animal rights 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 fends off the formal investigation and works to discourage the informal and persistent inquiries by Coil. Grumley knows no limits in the effort to protect his guide service, which caters to fat-cat clients.
Who needs hunting regulations when technology can produce the quickest and most thrilling hunt that money can buy?

**

Review

"A deliciously cool read...functions on two fast-paced levels: that of a mystery as well as keenly observed social commentary." - Great Falls (Montana) Tribune

"Allison is a standout protagonist." - The Denver Post

"Prose and plot sing in perfect harmony." - The Aspen Times

"Author Mark Stevens' ability to describe our local wilderness with eloquence and appreciation contributes to the reading pleasure." - Summit Daily News

"The Colorado crime scene has gained a strong new voice, as well as a new character to watch in Allison Coil." - The Rocky Mountain News

From the Back Cover

"The number of fine Colorado crime writers just increased by one. Mark Stevens shows the adept touch of a seasoned mystery writer and displays the avid affection of someone who knows and loves the mountain wilderness. Antler Dust is a wonderful, compelling debut — you won't find a fresher, more satisfying new voice." - Stephen White, best-selling author of Kill Me and *Missing Persons*

"With laudably unsentimental prose and sure command of character, Antler Dust takes us on a dark hunting trip through the snowy Rockies. Pitting a tough but vulnerable heroine against a killer out to bag more than elk, Mark Stevens gives new meaning to the term trophy kill." - Stephanie Kane, best-selling author of Seeds of Doubt (Scribner) and Extreme Indifference (Scribner)

"Reading Mark Stevens is like reading Ken Follett at his best. Stevens takes a superbly drawn main character—a woman who is as sexy as she is resilient—and throws her into a maze of jeopardy that hooks you right down to the last page." - Mark Graham, author of The Harbinger (Henry Holt) and The Fire Theft (Viking Penguin)

"A high-country thriller that takes the classic Western and turns it on its head. Packed with offbeat characters, tightly written and loaded with great scenes." - Philip Reed, author of Bird Dog (Pocket Books)

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 an animal rights protestor 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 fends off the formal investigation and works to discourage Coil’s persistent inquiries. Grumley knows no limits in his effort to protect his guide service, which caters to fat-cat clients. Who needs hunting regulations when technology can produce the quickest and most thrilling hunt that money can buy?