Chandler Museum Book Club - Picnic in the Ruins by Todd Robert Petersen

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026
12 - 1 p.m.
Cost:
Free
Add to Calendar 2026-01-20 12:00:00 2026-01-14 00:26:45 Chandler Museum Book Club - Picnic in the Ruins by Todd Robert Petersen About Picnic in the Ruins by Todd Robert Peteren:A madcap caper across the RV-strewn vacation lands of southern Utah meets a meditation on mythology, authenticity, the ethics of preservation, and one nagging question: "who owns the past?"Anthropologist Sophia Shepard is researching the impact of tourism on cultural sites in a remote national monument on the Utah-Arizona border when she unexpectedly crosses paths with two small-time criminals. The Ashdown brothers were hired to steal maps from a "collector" of Native American artifacts, but instead of delivering as promised, the brothers are out to strike it rich.But their ineptitude has alerted the local sheriff to their presence--and forced their employer, a former lobbyist seeking lucrative monument land that may soon be open to energy exploration, to send a fixer to clean up their mess before it upsets her machinations. Sheriff Dalton, following the Ashdowns' trail, soon discovers he's not dealing with a simple burglary--and any hope the sheriff had for peace and quiet is long gone.Reserve Your SpotCheck out the audiobook from Chandler Public Library:Picnic in the Ruins | Chandler Public Library | BiblioCommonsJoin the Chandler Museum Book Club!Staff at Chandler Museum and Chandler Public Library have come together to choose a mix of fiction and non-fiction that expand on topics from current and future exhibitions at Chandler Museum.Connect with other readers during in-person discussions led by Museum Curator Kristine Clark. City of Chandler info@chandleraz.gov America/Phoenix public

About Picnic in the Ruins by Todd Robert Peteren:

A madcap caper across the RV-strewn vacation lands of southern Utah meets a meditation on mythology, authenticity, the ethics of preservation, and one nagging question: "who owns the past?"

Anthropologist Sophia Shepard is researching the impact of tourism on cultural sites in a remote national monument on the Utah-Arizona border when she unexpectedly crosses paths with two small-time criminals. The Ashdown brothers were hired to steal maps from a "collector" of Native American artifacts, but instead of delivering as promised, the brothers are out to strike it rich.

But their ineptitude has alerted the local sheriff to their presence--and forced their employer, a former lobbyist seeking lucrative monument land that may soon be open to energy exploration, to send a fixer to clean up their mess before it upsets her machinations. Sheriff Dalton, following the Ashdowns' trail, soon discovers he's not dealing with a simple burglary--and any hope the sheriff had for peace and quiet is long gone.

Reserve Your Spot

Check out the audiobook from Chandler Public Library:

Join the Chandler Museum Book Club!

Staff at Chandler Museum and Chandler Public Library have come together to choose a mix of fiction and non-fiction that expand on topics from current and future exhibitions at Chandler Museum.

Connect with other readers during in-person discussions led by Museum Curator Kristine Clark.