This warm and enjoyable book is a tad more adventure than mystery, but has much to recommend it. This was the first solo outing of Nancy Pickard's continuation of Virginia Rich's series featuring Eugenia Potter. The two had written letters to each other, having in common husbands who were cattle ranchers. It felt like fate to Nancy Pickard when Mrs. Rich's husband asked his wife's editor if another author could continue the mystery series after her sad passing. Virginia Rich's creation is carried on quite nicely by her admirer, Nancy Pickard, whose own Jenny Cain mystery series is very successful.

Some pottery shards found on Eugenia's ranch inspire her to attend the Medicine Wheel Archaeological Camp in Colorado. It is there the older but lively Eugenia will bond with a group of friends and have more adventure than she'd bargained for. There are many secrets at Medicine Wheel, and at least one of them will lead to the murder of a young misguided girl who was an Indian wannabe. A missing group of young tourists disappear and a second murder occurs before the mystery is solved.

Though the setting and story may sound dark, The Blue Corn Murders very much has a "cozy" feel and style and it is a very light read. The reader is well into the book, in fact, before anything which might constitute a murder mystery takes place. But the atmosphere created by Nancy Pickard is both warm and enjoyable, making it a nice read if you are a cozy fan. Eugenia is likable and the other characters become real as the book progresses. Interesting tidbits concerning the Anasazi are sprinkled in for seasoning.

Those who enjoy the atmosphere of cozies even more than the mystery portion will enjoy this more than others, and find a very likable female character in The Blue Corn Murders. It is an easy read, long on atmosphere and light on mystery. As long as you are aware going in that it is firmly rooted on the cozy side, however, and you aren't the type of reader searching for plot holes, or expecting bodies to start piling up from the git-go, then you'll probably find The Blue Corn Murders very enjoyable.

Archaeologists Corn Bread and Bingo's Chocolate Cornies are just two of the five recipes included in this light mystery with a lot of flavor. Perhaps too cozy for some, but still highly recommended for the right reader looking to relax. ( )

Eugenia Potter impulsively attends an archaeological camp of sorts to learn more about Southwestern Indian culture. Thrown in with a group of women, she is in the center of things when a fellow camper is murdered and the foundation is beset by organizational problems. The characters are more interesting than the mystery. This is the second Eugenia Potter written by Nancy Pickard and there are subtle differences in her storytelling style and Virginia Rich's. I enjoyed this, but if this was the first Eugenia Potter mystery I had read I wouldn't have read another. ( )

Interesting archaeological setting in the Four Corners area, but plot has irritating flaws. ( )