Scott Graham Books in Order
See all Scott Graham books in order, with National Park Mystery summaries, non-fiction titles, series background, and simple guidance on where to start reading.
Last updated: December 19, 2025
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Publication Order
13 books
Death Valley Duel
by Scott Graham
2024
Chuck Bender and his teenage stepdaughter Carmelita head to California for a grueling 150-mile ultra race from Mount Whitney to Death Valley. As mishaps mount on the course and Chuck probes an archaeological find linked to water-rights battles, they begin to suspect deliberate sabotage and murder.
Saguaro Sanction
by Scott Graham
2023
Janelle Ortega’s cousin is found murdered at a remote petroglyph site in Saguaro National Park near the U.S.–Mexico border. As Janelle and archaeologist Chuck Bender investigate, they uncover buried resentments, cross-border crime, and ancient Hohokam secrets someone is willing to kill to protect.
Canyonlands Carnage
by Scott Graham
2021
Chuck Bender signs on for a whitewater rafting expedition through Cataract Canyon in Canyonlands National Park with water-policy experts and corporate insiders. When a series of suspicious “accidents” and a sudden death hit the group, the river trip turns into a hunt for a killer on board.
Mesa Verde Victim
by Scott Graham
2020
After a shocking death near the remote western edge of Mesa Verde National Park, Chuck Bender finds himself accused of murder. To clear his name, he and his family chase a killer through rugged canyons and ancient Ancestral Puebloan sites where priceless artifacts are at stake.
Arches Enemy
by Scott Graham
2019
A dramatic arch collapse in Arches National Park kills a visitor and is quickly written off as an accident. Hired for preservation work, archaeologist Chuck Bender uncovers signs of deliberate sabotage that link ruthless development schemes to painful secrets in his own family.
Yosemite Fall
by Scott Graham
2018
Chuck Bender brings his family to Yosemite National Park to investigate a pair of 150-year-old murders during a big rock-climbing competition. When a climber disappears and an old friend dies, Chuck and Janelle must untangle past and present crimes to clear their own names.
Yellowstone Standoff
by Scott Graham
2016
In Yellowstone National Park, grizzlies and wolves begin acting violently as a team of scientists studies the backcountry. Archaeologist Chuck Bender joins his old friend, the park’s chief ranger, to protect the researchers and his family when the wild behavior escalates into murder.
Mountain Rampage
by Scott Graham
2015
Leading a summer field course in Rocky Mountain National Park, archaeologist Chuck Bender expects long days in the high country, not a body near an old mine. When his brother-in-law is accused of murder, Chuck and his family are drawn into a tightening circle of danger.
Canyon Sacrifice
by Scott Graham
2014
Archaeologist Chuck Bender brings his new wife and two young stepdaughters to Grand Canyon National Park for what should be a routine survey job. When his oldest stepdaughter vanishes from their campsite, Chuck must navigate buried histories and modern greed to uncover a deadly conspiracy.
Extreme Kids
by Scott Graham
2006
An upbeat guide that helps families get outside together, with step-by-step introductions to sports from hiking and canoeing to rock climbing and whitewater rafting. It blends safety tips, skills, and ideas for tailoring adventures to kids of different ages.
Handle with Care
by Scott Graham
1991
A compact handbook on responsible travel in developing countries, offering stories and advice on navigating poverty, bargaining, safety, and cultural differences so that visitors can minimize harm, support local people, and travel more thoughtfully.
Adventure Travel in Latin America
by Scott Graham
1990
This guide surveys trekking, climbing, and backcountry travel options across Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. It highlights classic routes, environmental concerns, and safety tips while helping readers choose destinations and plan their own small-group adventures.
Backpacking And Camping In The Developing World
by Scott Graham
1988
A practical guide for independent travelers heading to poorer countries, covering how to plan low-budget backpacking and camping trips, stay healthy, handle money and transport, and camp responsibly while respecting local cultures and communities.
Where should I start?
If you want the full National Park Mystery experience: Canyon Sacrifice → Mountain Rampage → Yellowstone Standoff
If you like character-driven family suspense: Yosemite Fall → Arches Enemy → Mesa Verde Victim
If you’re interested in environmental and water issues: Canyonlands Carnage → Saguaro Sanction → Death Valley Duel
If you prefer true-to-life outdoor guidance: Extreme Kids → Backpacking And Camping In The Developing World → Adventure Travel in Latin America → Handle with Care
Author bio
Scott Graham writes the National Park Mystery series, a run of crime novels that blends archaeology, outdoor adventure, and family life in some of the most iconic landscapes in the American West. His stories follow archaeologist Chuck Bender, Chuck's wife Janelle Ortega, and their daughters as they confront danger in national parks from Grand Canyon to Death Valley.
As a kid, Graham spent summers crammed into a station wagon with his parents and three siblings, driving from park to park across the West. His parents liked to joke that they were national park groupies, and those long road trips sparked a lifelong love of wild places and public lands.
He grew up thinking of the parks as both playground and classroom.
Before turning to fiction, Graham tried on a lot of jobs. He worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, radio disk jockey, coal‑shoveling fireman on the Durango–Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and even served as a city councilor in Durango, Colorado. Each role sharpened his sense for how people talk, argue, and make hard choices.
Along the way he began writing nonfiction about travel and the outdoors. Books like Backpacking and Camping in the Developing World, Adventure Travel in Latin America, Handle With Care: A Guide to Responsible Travel in Developing Countries, and Extreme Kids show his interest in ethical travel, environmental issues, and finding smart ways for families to get outside together.
Extreme Kids went on to win a National Outdoor Book Award, a nod to how clearly he can explain gear, safety, and adventure without draining away the fun. That balance between practical detail and excitement carries straight into his fiction.
When Graham shifted to mysteries, it felt natural to set them in the national parks he and his family knew well. He made Chuck Bender a traveling archaeologist so that each book could explore a different park and a different corner of Western history, from ancient cliff dwellings to contested water rights.
The series mixes fast‑moving investigations with family dynamics and real‑world questions about public lands. Graham folds in topics like looted artifacts, energy development, border tensions, and wildlife management, but he keeps the focus on people—park workers, locals, and visitors caught up in trouble they never expected.
Off the page, Graham is an avid outdoorsman and amateur archaeologist who enjoys backpacking, river rafting, skiing, mountaineering, hunting, and rock climbing. He lives in Durango, Colorado, with his wife, an emergency physician, and their two sons, and he still spends plenty of time exploring the very parks he writes about.
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