One of the best things about a good mystery is the sense of anticipation when a book has been read, knowing there'll be another installment coming. It's officially the Tom Kreuger mystery series now with this third book from Baker City author Button and the reader can only hope he plans to keep them coming.

Kreuger gets close to home in this episode, transferred by the BLM to Baker City and assigned to do a management study for newly acquired federal land in a spectacular canyon in Wallowa County. Kreuger sets out with his faithful Scrub, a dog with enough personality to compete for status as the novel's main character, and soon gets involved in much more than he bargained for.

Kreuger uses the skill set he's developed over the years as he tries to unravel a whole package of mysteries beyond the ecological forces at work in the canyon, including a missing excavator, a hidden mine, American Indian mythology and eventually, a possible murder. His knack for understanding includes unraveling the motives of the fascinating cast of characters he meets. With him, we meet his colleagues, such as Randy, the range management specialist who reluctantly accompanies him as they collect data in the canyon, and Nancy, the archaeologist, whose interest in Kreuger's project may go beyond science.

At the canyon site, Kreuger encounters a gun-carrying militant, a sickly treasure-seeker, a nervous neighbor, an elderly Nez Perce mystic and the shadowy, menacing presence of a bear in the overgrown creek bottom. Something, or things, in the canyon have brought all their lives together and there's a growing sense of danger coming from the mix. Tension grows as Kreuger, despite himself, delves into the mysteries.

Clues lead to the wreck of the missing excavator and signs of a possibly violent death, but the puzzle only gets more complicated. Kreuger's compulsion to find answers is in high gear as violence comes threateningly close.

Along with all this, Button's ability to paint the landscape is at full strength. Want to see a Wallowa country canyon close-up without actually spending a day hiking in and out? From camping on the rim to scoping mountain sheep across the canyon, it's like being there. Button knows his wildlife and his wild country.

I love coincidences in reading and found one this week. The EO's contributing botanist Bruce Barnes, featured the wildflower tapertip onion in his column in this section last Sunday. Kreuger, by knowing where to look, finds some tapertip onion bulbs as he hikes into the canyon with Nancy and adds them to their lunch sandwiches.

We get a few more glimpses of Kreuger's past. Also, we get some more insights into the workings of a big federal agency such as the Bureau of Land Management. Every office has its politics and a BLM office, with an interesting mix of scientists and outdoor types, apparently is no exception. Coyote Staircase is due from the publisher soon."