Review
by
LeeAnn
Sharpe
“The
Butterflies
of Grand
Canyon”
by
Margaret
Erhart,
is an
“Indie
Next
List
Notable
Pick”
with
good
reason.
Erhart
brings
the
Grand
Canyon
of the
American
West to
life
with an
intriguing
romance
and
mystery.
Her
gentle
characters,
complemented
by the
sweet
butterflies,
provide
considerable
imagery
against
the
might
and
majesty
of the
Grand
Canyon.
Using
local
historic
characters,
Erhart
builds a
believable
and
interesting
community
where
anyone
can
envision
themselves
stopping
in for a
summer
vacation.
For a
young
housewife,
Jane
Merkle,
a summer
visit
rediscovers
a
sensuality
that had
been
misplaced
in her
marriage
to a
much
older
St.
Louis
insurance
salesman.
Park
Ranger
Euell
Wigglesworth
awakens
her
desire.
Communing
with
nature
and
chasing
butterflies
opens
opportunities
allowing
Mother
Nature
to take
her
course.
Watching
her
sister-in-law,
Dotty,
carry on
a tryst
of her
own,
Jane is
surprised
to learn
her
brother-in-law,
Oliver,
knows
all
about
it, and
has for
years.
His
sensitive
understanding
that his
wife
needed
more
than
their
marriage
could
provide
allowed
him to
give her
loose
reins,
which in
turn,
kept her
coming
back to
him
without
a word
spoken
of her
indiscretions.
Erhart
created
characters
whose
names
were
inspired
by tags
affixed
to
butterflies
in the
museum
at the
Grand
Canyon
National
Park.
The tag
reads,
“Mrs.
Merkle,
on the
17th of
July,
1951,
brings
down a
wood
nymph or
two at
Point
Sublime
on the
North
Rim of
Grand
Canyon.”
Another
reads,
“E.
Wigglesworth
captures
a red
admiral”
in the
same
place at
the same
time.
From
here
Erhart
builds
her
story.
Grand
Canyon
National
Park
brothers
Ellsworth
and
Emery
Kolb
photographed
the
canyon
for
decades
and
become
an
integral
part of
the
story
with a
skeleton
found in
Emery's
garage.
Real
life
botanist
Elzada
Clover
and her
associate,
Lois
Jotter
Cutter,
are
called
into
action
to solve
the
mystery
of the
skeleton
with a
bullet
hole at
the back
of the
skull.
“The
Butterflies
of Grand
Canyon”
is a
well
woven
mystery
that
combines
romance
and
intrigue.
Erhart
keeps
the
reader
coming
back for
more.
This,
her 5th
novel,
puts her
hiking
guide at
the
Grand
Canyon
experience
to good
use and
may
teach
you a
thing or
two
about
its
butterflies
as well.
For
more
info
about
this and
other
Penguin
titles
please
visit
www.penguingroup.com
THE
BUTTERFLIES
OF GRAND
CANYON
By
Margaret
Erhart
Plume
Original/$15.00
978-0-452~29549~0
