About this item
The upper Arkansas River courses through the heart of America from its headwaters near the Continental Divide above Leadville, Colorado, to Arkansas City, just above the Kansas-Oklahoma border. Max McCoy embarked on a trip of 742 miles in search of the river's unique story. Part adventure and part reflection, steeped in the natural and cultural history of the Arkansas Valley, Elevations is McCoy's account of that journey. Going by kayak when he can - by Jeep, on foot, or by other means when he has to - McCoy takes us with him, navigating the Arkansas River as it reveals its nature and tests his own. Along the way, and when he isn't battling the current for his overturned kayak; braving a frigid Christmas Eve along the river; or joining the search for a drowning victim, he steps out to explore the world beyond the river's banks.
About the Author
Max McCoy is an award-winning novelist and journalist. He's a member of Mystery Writers of America and is the creator of the Ophelia Wylde paranormal mystery series. The first book in the series, "Of Grave Concern," was launched in July 2013 at the Boot Hill Museum Complex in Dodge City, Kansas. The novel is set in 1877 in Dodge City and surroundings. It was named a 2014 Notable Book by the State Library of Kansas. "The Spirit is Willing," the second book in the Ophelia Wylde paranormal mystery series, was released in July 2014.McCoy is also known for his dark and offbeat westerns (which have been described as "western noir") and his original Indiana Jones adventures for Bantam and licensed by Lucasfilm.He won the Spur award for best novel in 2008 from the Western Writers of America for "Hellfire Canyon." It's the story of a 13-year-old boy and his mother who walk across Missouri during the Civil War and become part of the gang led by Alf Bolin, the notorious Ozark serial killer. "Hellfire Canyon" was also named a Kansas 2008 Notable Book. In 2011, the third book in the "Hellfire" trilogy, "Damnation Road," also won a Spur. McCoy is the author of many other books, including the novelization of Steven Spielberg's epic miniseries, "Into the West." His fiction debut, "The Sixth Rider," about the 1892 raid on Coffeyville's banks by the Dalton Gang, was published by Doubleday and won the Spur/Medicine Pipe Award for Best First Novel from Western Writers. USA Today has described his writing as "powerful." In addition to westerns and historical fiction, McCoy also writes contemporary adventures. Publishers Weekly called his novel, "The Moon Pool," an "intelligent thriller... tightly drawn characters, a vile villain and a satisfying, thought-provoking conclusion make this a compelling read." McCoy grew up in Baxter Springs and most of his books are set in Kansas or Missouri. He began his career in journalism at the Pittsburg Morning Sun and writing for pulp magazines such as "True Detective" and "Front-Page Detective." As investigative writer for The Joplin Globe, he won first-place awards in investigative journalism for his stories on serial killers and hate groups. McCoy's an associate professor at Emporia State University at Emporia, Kansas, and director of the Tallgrass Writing Workshop.
