The Cuchara Chronicles
Gary L. Bridges
Art Work
by
Shawn Kingston Bridges
Book Summary
The Cuchara Chronicles is a work of fiction set in and around the very non-fictional mountain village of Cuchara, Colorado. Cuchara is nestled in the magnificent Sangre de Cristo mountain range on Highway 12 (the Highway of Legends) between LaVeta and Trinidad. It is the story of a journey; a journey that requires the main characters, Lane Curry and his son Steve, to face the family past before they can find their future. The past is ripe with tragedy and mystery. Lane lost his wife in a tragic accident. Both Steve and Lane are struggling in their separate ways to deal with the loss of the woman who centered their lives. Neither of them is able to share their feelings with the other, hence they both suffer in silence. It takes a life-or-death search and rescue mission deep into the high country to shatter the silence and the price proves to be very high.
Lane's world is turned upside down when he meets Mary, a divorced artist who is also running from her past. They each struggle with their emotions as their mutual attraction grows.
When Lane discovers that his grandfather, Sven Curry, mysteriously disappeared almost 100 years earlier and possibly suffered a violent death, he embarks on a mission of discovery. The mystery becomes deeper and darker when Lane uncovers a long-lost letter written to Sven right before he disappeared. A simple inquiry about the letter triggers an unexpected offer to buy the family homestead and the very valuable water rights. As Lane tries to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together a prestigious Denver law firm files a legal challenge to Lane’s ownership of the water rights, which could be worth millions to a savvy water broker. With the help of a private investigator he finds a troubling coincidence that leads him to the precipice of breaking the law and uncovering the family’s secret.
Steve’s imagination is fired by the stories about Sven’s disappearance and the talk of gold. He and his big dog, Sampson, hike to Chaparral Falls, Sven’s last reported location. There Steve and Sampson come face-to-face with death, not a quiet dignified death one always hopes for, but a snarling violent death. Steve may have found the answer but will it be worth the price?