Black Sun Descending (33 page)

My sincere thanks go to the small but dedicated team at TouchWood Editions for their patience and vision. Ruth Linka was a tremendous support to me during her time at TouchWood, and I am grateful to her for her friendship and guidance. Taryn Boyd has picked up where Ruth left off, and I am pleased to be working with another fine publisher. Frances Thorsen is as knowledgeable an editor as any writer of crime could hope to have, and I am thankful for her efforts. Cailey Cavallin has been doing yeoman's work trying to make sense of my sometimes befuddled storylines and generally keeping me from sounding too foolish; it's a thankless job and so I'm thanking her here. Pete Kohut, who designs all of TouchWood's editions, makes it possible to judge a book by its cover. Thanks also to Will Johnson, who made some important contributions.

I am particularly thankful to the people who first introduced me to the Grand Canyon. In the winter of 1993/94 I was privileged to serve as a volunteer there through the Student Conservation Association. During that time Greer Chesher showed me around, fed me, and taught me about the Grand Canyon and about writing, and remains my friend to this day. Two rangers—Kathy Daskall and Lon Aires—stand out from my time there for their kindness and inspiration. Alan Hadden worked for the Glen Canyon Environmental Studies team and was my guide during a week-long journey down the Colorado. Kim Crumbo, now at the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council, has provided me with insight into the Wilderness designation process at Grand Canyon. To all those who have served the canyon, in the Park Service and through dedicated advocacy to keep the place wild, grand, and free, I am in your debt.

As always, I give thanks to my wife, Jenn, whom I love wider and deeper than any canyon could ever be.

STEPHEN LEGAULT
is an author, consultant, conservationist, and photographer who lives in Canmore, Alberta. He is the author of nine other books, including the first four installments in the Cole Blackwater mystery series,
The Glacier Gallows
,
The Vanishing Track
,
The Cardinal Divide
, and
The Darkening Archipelago
, as well as
The Slickrock Paradox
, the first book in the Red Rock Canyon mystery series, and
The End of the Line
and
The Third Riel Conspiracy
, the first two books in the Durrant Wallace mystery series. Please visit Stephen online at
stephenlegault.com
, or follow him on Twitter at
@stephenlegault
.

Other books by Stephen Legault

Carry Tiger to Mountain: The Tao of Activism and Leadership
(2006)

Running Toward Stillness
(2013)

THE DURRANT WALLACE SERIES

The End of the Line
(2011)

The Third Riel Conspiracy
(2013)

THE RED ROCK CANYON SERIES

The Slickrock Paradox
(2012)

Black Sun Descending
(2014)

THE COLE BLACKWATER SERIES

The Cardinal Divide
(2008)

The Darkening Archipelago
(2010)

The Vanishing Track
(2012)

The Glacier Gallows
(2014)

Copyright © 2014 Stephen Legault

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (
ACCESS
Copyright). For a copyright licence, visit
accesscopyright.ca
.

TouchWood Editions
touchwoodeditions.com

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Legault, Stephen, 1971–, author
Black sun descending / Stephen Legault.

(A Red Rock Canyon mystery)
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-77151-100-1 (html).—ISBN 978-1-77151-101-8 (pdf)

I. Title. II. Series: . Legault, Stephen, 1971– Red Rock Canyon mysteries

PS8623.E46633B53 2014 C813'.6 C2014-902770-2

Editor: Frances Thorsen
Copy Editor: Cat London, Catherine London Editorial Services
Proofreader: Sarah Weber, Lightning Editorial
Cover image: Stephen Legault
Author photo: Dan Anthon

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support for our publishing activities from the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and from the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.