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National Park Mystery #10
Great Sand Dunes Massacre
Some grudges run so deep they can kill.
“A wild, rich mystery as full of surprises as the national park that inspired it.”
—NINA SIMON, Mother-Daughter Murder Night
Archaeologist Chuck Bender witnesses a shocking death while conducting a survey at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, yet local cops quickly declare the bizarre incident an accident. But when Chuck discovers a series of mysterious artifacts that threaten the lives of film students in the park—including his daughter Rosie—he will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
Is a killer quietly stalking Great Sand Dunes? Are the students the next target? And why does no one seem to care about the young man whose brutal killing started it all? Together, Chuck and Rosie must unravel a devious web of deception and deceit—before one death turns into a massacre.
“A wild, rich mystery as full of surprises as the national park that inspired it.”
—NINA SIMON, Mother-Daughter Murder Night
Archaeologist Chuck Bender witnesses a shocking death while conducting a survey at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, yet local cops quickly declare the bizarre incident an accident. But when Chuck discovers a series of mysterious artifacts that threaten the lives of film students in the park—including his daughter Rosie—he will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
Is a killer quietly stalking Great Sand Dunes? Are the students the next target? And why does no one seem to care about the young man whose brutal killing started it all? Together, Chuck and Rosie must unravel a devious web of deception and deceit—before one death turns into a massacre.
245 pages, Paperback
Published June 2, 2026
About the author
Scott Graham
105 books78 followersScott Graham is author of Canyon Sacrifice: A National Park Mystery and Extreme Kids (winner of the National Outdoor Book Award). He is an avid outdoorsman and amateur archaeologist who enjoys hunting, rock climbing, skiing, backpacking, mountaineering, river rafting, and whitewater kayaking with his wife, an emergency physician, and their two sons. Graham lives in Durango, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 11, 2026
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The National Park Mystery series continues to improve as it goes along. I still enjoy the park settings, the mysteries, the archeology and the family growth and character development. These last two installments also have timely topics which are very relevant.
Chuck and Janelle and the two daughters, Carmelita and Rosie, are much more of a tight family now. Chuck is an archeologist who does work at National Park sites. Chuck Bender is in his early 50s in good shape. Janelle is a paramedic. She is not as present in these two books. The girls are now teens and showing skill in their chosen activities.
Now it is Rosie's turn to be in the spotlight. She gained quite a following as she filmed Carmelita's adventures and did some other little documentaries about people. In Great Sand Dune Massacre, she goes to the Top Film camp. The camp is run by a famous Hollywood director. Chuck, naturally gets a job in the park to survey. He finds some items of significance.
Rosie is really knowledgeable and focused on her film. It's based on the story of a young man named Luke, who died nearby the park. Chuck was there when it happened a couple months ago. She talked at length with Luke's parents and developed a film with his story.
Rosie is also smart and works hard to make her film interesting and emotionally impactful. They make short clips which are shown in an event at the end of the camp session. Unfortunately, the director's son takes a shine to Rosie and tries to get her to skip out and fool around with him. I was so glad she was flattered but unwilling to move her focus from her film.
Chuck finds artifacts in his survey from events where indigenous people were massacred. He finds them, then even if he has brought them to show Frank, the park executive, they disappear and end up buried back in specific areas. Eventually Chuck finds all the items and figures out their purpose.
Meanwhile, the students went out one day to do some filming, when the weather was coming and one was killed by lightning. Chuck tries to keep an even closer eye on Rosie. Things come to a head at the end session show of all the films when Chuck finally puts things together.
I enjoy these stories with the park settings, the archeology, and the other interesting things I learn a bit about such as filmography here. The main characters are good people and it's fun to watch the girls grow.
Narration:
Joel Richards is the narrator for this series. The primary voice and thoughts were Chuck and he certainly became Chuck for me. The girls have fairly distinct tones and the performance is enjoyable. . I was able to listen at my newer 1.75x speed.
Listen to a clip HERE
Review copy was received from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The National Park Mystery series continues to improve as it goes along. I still enjoy the park settings, the mysteries, the archeology and the family growth and character development. These last two installments also have timely topics which are very relevant.
Chuck and Janelle and the two daughters, Carmelita and Rosie, are much more of a tight family now. Chuck is an archeologist who does work at National Park sites. Chuck Bender is in his early 50s in good shape. Janelle is a paramedic. She is not as present in these two books. The girls are now teens and showing skill in their chosen activities.
Now it is Rosie's turn to be in the spotlight. She gained quite a following as she filmed Carmelita's adventures and did some other little documentaries about people. In Great Sand Dune Massacre, she goes to the Top Film camp. The camp is run by a famous Hollywood director. Chuck, naturally gets a job in the park to survey. He finds some items of significance.
Rosie is really knowledgeable and focused on her film. It's based on the story of a young man named Luke, who died nearby the park. Chuck was there when it happened a couple months ago. She talked at length with Luke's parents and developed a film with his story.
Rosie is also smart and works hard to make her film interesting and emotionally impactful. They make short clips which are shown in an event at the end of the camp session. Unfortunately, the director's son takes a shine to Rosie and tries to get her to skip out and fool around with him. I was so glad she was flattered but unwilling to move her focus from her film.
Chuck finds artifacts in his survey from events where indigenous people were massacred. He finds them, then even if he has brought them to show Frank, the park executive, they disappear and end up buried back in specific areas. Eventually Chuck finds all the items and figures out their purpose.
Meanwhile, the students went out one day to do some filming, when the weather was coming and one was killed by lightning. Chuck tries to keep an even closer eye on Rosie. Things come to a head at the end session show of all the films when Chuck finally puts things together.
I enjoy these stories with the park settings, the archeology, and the other interesting things I learn a bit about such as filmography here. The main characters are good people and it's fun to watch the girls grow.
Narration:
Joel Richards is the narrator for this series. The primary voice and thoughts were Chuck and he certainly became Chuck for me. The girls have fairly distinct tones and the performance is enjoyable. . I was able to listen at my newer 1.75x speed.
Listen to a clip HERE
June 7, 2026
I picked this up at an independent book store in Durango on my way to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was fun to read a book about the park while I was there. The descriptions of local geography, weather phenomena, history, etc are interesting and make this book unique. As a Coloradan, I enjoyed them. Providing these facts through dialogue is awkward though—the characters sound like they’re delivering a rehearsed lecture or working as a tour guide instead of having a normal conversation. Having a narrator give the background info would work better. The dialogue between the teen characters was a bit off, too. The plot had some good mystery/thriller elements but the way it all came together didn’t really work for me. It also was really repetitive at times.
August 17, 2026
This National Park mystery set in the Sand Dunes National Park is filled with excellent historical facts about this region of Colorado. The author did a great job weaving a mystery around archeologist Chuck Bender. The reader follows Chuck and his daughter as she attends a film making workshop for young people taking place in the Sand Dunes National Park.
This is a terrific story for young readers and adults intrigued by historical mysteries and National Parks. Enjoy!!
This is a terrific story for young readers and adults intrigued by historical mysteries and National Parks. Enjoy!!
October 13, 2026
This is the best book I've read in this series. The characters come to life off the page, the reader feels like they are family or good friends. The setting in the Colorado sand dunes gives more interest as the characters explore it. The plot is intricate and it was hard to guess the villain. The story about the film students and their films would be good on its own even without the mystery. It is a very good story overall.
August 14, 2026
©2026 Gift
Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado is the location of a film makers competition for youth; Archaeologist Chuck Bender is working in the park....
Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado is the location of a film makers competition for youth; Archaeologist Chuck Bender is working in the park....
August 22, 2026
Picked up the book because it takes place at the Great Sand Dunes…….
September 2, 2026
Learned a lot, and now want to visit Great Sand Dunes
One of my favorites of Graham’s book, along with the one set in Mesa Verde. I felt like I was there with the characters.
One of my favorites of Graham’s book, along with the one set in Mesa Verde. I felt like I was there with the characters.
July 21, 2026
Such a fun and engaging read! I really enjoyed learning more about Colorado history and the fascinating history surrounding the Great Sand Dunes. The setting added so much to the story and made it especially enjoyable to read. The story took a few unexpected turns that kept me invested from beginning to end, and there were definitely some moments that hit harder than I anticipated. Overall, this was an entertaining and memorable read, especially for anyone who enjoys learning more about Colorado history, or reading stories set in unique and fascinating places. Highly recommend!
June 9, 2026
I think this may be the first book for which I am the first reviewer. I was excited to read this latest installment in Graham’s National Park Mystery Series as I have real all of the prior installments in the series (in order). Dunes continues with the easy to read prose and standard formula that marks all of the other books in the series.
Unfortunately, I found this tale to lack some of the interesting curiosities I found in those prior books. Possibly because I only recently read nonfiction works on some of the key historical accounts that are retold (including the cannibalism suspected John C Frémont’s fourth expedition). It also seemed there were fewer new characters and the development of those characters was less robust than in prior episodes.
Nevertheless, Dunes is an enjoyable read. Graham’s writing is straightforward, approachable, and easily readable; all making for a fast, fun, easy summer read.
3 stars.
Unfortunately, I found this tale to lack some of the interesting curiosities I found in those prior books. Possibly because I only recently read nonfiction works on some of the key historical accounts that are retold (including the cannibalism suspected John C Frémont’s fourth expedition). It also seemed there were fewer new characters and the development of those characters was less robust than in prior episodes.
Nevertheless, Dunes is an enjoyable read. Graham’s writing is straightforward, approachable, and easily readable; all making for a fast, fun, easy summer read.
3 stars.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews