Ranger McIntyre: Unmentionable Murders

Ranger McIntyre #1

by James C. Work

The body they found floating face-down in the river was wearing only underpants. If it's a fishing accident then is it a photography accident when a second corpse is discovered at a remote lake and is wearing nothing but her underwear? Ranger McIntyre's usual duties as a park ranger do not include murder--or women in underwear, for that matter--but he keeps on putting pieces of the puzzle together until they lead him to a backcountry hut and a murderer who orders him to disrobe. At gunpoint. Ranger McIntyre is also drawn into an FBI investigation. The suspect is selling salacious photographs of nudes who appear to be very, very dead. McIntyre's interaction with the FBI agent is made even more embarrassing by the fact that the agent's secretary is the "dead" gorgeous Violet Coteau, who looks like a flapper, shoots like Annie Oakley and drives like Barney Oldfield.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction

236 pages, Hardcover

Published September 19, 2018

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story didn’t flow very well and seemed disjointed. A naked body is found in the river and later another naked body is found, so Ranger McIntyre tries to find out who did it. Lots of local color with the park and odd characters.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

World War I veteran Tim McIntyre is a forest ranger at the new Rocky Mountain National Park. He is most dedicated to fly fishing, though he's also more than willing to flirt with attractive park visitors, like photographer Doris Killian, who's on her second year vacationing and taking pictures of the scenery. Unfortunately, it's also the second year of finding an almost-nude dead body in the park, and McIntyre is charged with investigating. There are quaint and colorful characters living in and around the park, and some suspicious visitors as well. As the killer gets bolder, Tim himself is endangered until he gets help from an unexpected source. I will follow this series, which I discovered by accident. Highly recommended.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is only 239 pages long, I'm not sure why Goodreads has it at over 2k.

It's a great tea cozy murder mystery. Light reading with an excellent plot twist that I honestly had no clue was coming. I'd highly recommend this if you're looking for a tea cozy, but if you're looking for a serious or intense murder mystery, save yourself some time and choose a different book.

[Millie Picker · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I can figure out “whodunnit “ it only gets 4 stars; however this is a good read by a Colorado author. It’s set in RMNP in Estes Park in the 2930’s and was an engaging mystery either interesting characters. This was the first novel in this series, so I’ll try another and see if I can figure out the killer before the end. I figured this one out way too easily within the first four chapters.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in series, set in 1923, in the new Rocky Mountains National Park. Loved the setting; Ranger McIntyre is a great character, a guy who loves fly fishing and puzzles. There's a sweetness about him, too. Low key humor and some unexpected twists and turns will make this a series to watch.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun summer book to read, especially if you love Colorado and quirky characters. The plot speeds you along, and Work's great sense of humor keeps you from taking everything too seriously as you just enjoy the story. His fly fishing metaphors hook you, too.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another delightful mystery series. It takes place in Rocky Mountain National Park in the 1920s, another of my favorite places. Ranger McIntyre is a funny, naive, and dedicated to both his job and fishing.

[Lona Schuett]

too slow moving didn't care for only read part way

[Roxane Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book. I hope he does more.

[Linda Brue · Rating 4 out of 5]

UNMENTIONABLE MURDERS, James C. Work, 2018
First of three books in the Ranger McIntyre series. This one is set in the Rocky Mountain National Park, soon after it first opened. Other than the style of cameras used by the many photographers in this story, and the mention of the Ranger's Model-T truck, you wouldn't have any idea what decade it was set in, for it seems like everyone has a car, and everybody drives, and there is no other mention of anything that would date the story. Ranger McIntyre has his park duties to attend to, and they usually don't include murder--a good thing, because the good Ranger wants to spend most of his time at his favorite fishing places. The first body is found floating face-down in the pool at the foot of a waterfall. The body is naked, except for his underpants. However, his clothes are found at the top of the waterfall, folded neatly in a pile. A year later, a woman is found in a remote part of the park, again naked except for her underwear, covered in a car robe. The first crime was never solved, nor was it ever determined if it was a crime or suicide. But this time, his supervisors want answers, and take the Ranger off of his park duties to make him an investigator.



SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER


Ranger McIntyre seems a bit simple to me. He seems to be one of those males who is totally charmed by nearly every woman he meets, and drops all precautions around them. Other reviewers seem to regard this as the writer's humor, but I just got a bit impatient with him. Shortly after the initial murder, I thought I knew what was going on, but I regarded it as too simple, and probably just a red herring. The writer later threw in a few more suspects, but in the end, it really was just that simple.

[Lky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this because it took place in Rocky Mountain National Park back in the 20's. Fun story.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I liked the National park setting but not the details about fishing- that simply didn’t interest me. I finished it, but I don’t plan to read any others in this series.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering I read about this series in and advertisement in Colorado Lifestyles magazine, it turned out to be pretty good! I like the writing style, dry humor.

[Mart Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

When we travel, we find a locally owned bookstore (of course) and I buy a book by a local/regional author. We were in Estes Park, Colorado and the clerk suggested this mystery set in 1920s Rocky Mountain National Park. This is the first of nine books in this series, so the 86-year-old author has done well. It was vacation, I wanted something that wouldn't tax the brain (at all), and this fit the bill. (P.S. If you're ever in Estes Park, check out McDonald Book Shop; it's celebrating its 100th birthday in 2028 and still has some of the original architecture.)

[Pam de Jong · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the 1st book isn't my favorite in this series, it does of course set the scene, and introduce the characters.
Ranger Tim McIntyre works in Rocky Mountain National Park in its early years (set in the mid-1920s), and while he'd rather be trout fishing, he does have a job to do. When that job requires him to sort out who's behind some unconventional murders, things get interesting.

I've read the first 6 so far, and the characters do develop as you go along. For those who have visited (or perhaps live in) Estes Park, this offers a glimpse into what the town (sorry..."the Village") might've been like a century ago.

It's a fun read, and genuinely one of my favorite series.

[Harron68 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flat, that's the word to describe this tale. The ranger wears a "flat hat" but the front cover shows him with a peaked one. Ranger McIntyre is the protagonist in the series, but he's nothing special. He is as colorless as the plot. Don't get me wrong, the unmentionable (underwear) murder isn't terrible, only bland. If you don't have anything else to read, it passes muster . . . barely.