Molly’s Puzzle

About the Book

Jeremiah Cuthbert (JC) and Susan, the Shelby amateur sleuth couple, are at it again in the high mountains of Colorado. JC, mustered back into the Navy and given a commission, along with his very talented and charming wife, have been sent there as they journey back from their hair-raising adventures in Fiji by JC’s boss, the four-star admiral in Hawaii. Only they haven’t been told exactly what the problem is. But the opportunity to take up skiing in the spring of the year at what must be the most beautiful location on earth is irresistible. They are urged, nay, ordered to take a vacation at a new small ski resort near Aspen, Colorado, being run by an old colleague of the admiral’s. There is a mystery surrounding an old abandoned mining camp that goes by the name of Molly high above the tree line near the Ruby Mountains. To add to the mystery there is a dangerous man-made scar on the mountain, named for very good reasons, the Crack O’Doom, that has left this camp in isolation for nearly a century. Susan has been warned to stay away from the area from in her inevitable explorations of the mountain while JC is being briefed in Washington, DC. JC finds in his briefing at the highest levels of government that this ski resort and the old camp of Molly are embroiled in an international tangle that threatens the very security of the United States. As expected Susan finds trouble on the mountain and eventually finds the key that untangles Molly’s mysterious puzzle.

About the Author

Hood, a physicist by training, is retired from the Navy’s research laboratory on Point Loma in San Diego as a naval engineer and scientist, but has eclectic interests and has been active in many professional fields. After his Navy service in WWII he began his studies at the University Of Colorado and then completed his PhD work in England at Imperial College and Reading University in the field of lasers and fiber optics. He lectured in business management, natural science, and physics and is currently an adjunct professor of astronomy at San Diego State University. In addition to writing mystery and science fiction he has lectured and consulted in the field of Jungian psychology and personality profile testing for businesses and individuals. He has authored nine books of fiction and several technical publications in his field of study. His early career included engineering work in the aerospace industry on star-guided intercontinental missiles and the optical properties of the sea and the Polar Regions for the defense department. As a Navy employee he was the Navy’s principle expert on ship and aircraft camouflage. He is currently widowed, has three sons living in California, Colorado and Ohio but intends to stay put in his long time home in Point Loma, San Diego.