In 1928, Glen and Bessie Hyde decided to run the Grand Canyon in a homemade flat-bottomed scow. Glen had experience with this type of boat on Idaho rivers. Partway through the trip, they vanished. An extensive search turned up their boat, but neither Glen nor Bessie was ever found.

Brad Dimock reviews the history, separates truth from myth, and even re-creates the voyage, then tells the tale in this engaging book. Liberally illustrated with photographs from the Hyde's own camera, the book is a satisfying depiction of this mystery. Definitely worth owning for the lover of the lore of the southwest, or mysterious disappearances. ( )

As part of his research for this book, the author Brad Dimock actually attempted to recreate the setting of Glen and Bessie Hyde's disappearances. Both professional boaters, Dimock and his wife made a sweep scow like the Hydes' boat, as reconstructed from photographs, and rafted down the same rivers they did to get a feeling of what it was like. Dimock's experience on the river no doubt contributed to the conclusions he reached about Bessie and Glen's disappearance.

Thoroughly researched and packed with photographs of Glen, Bessie, their family members and other people involved in their story, Sunk Without a Sound is a real gem of a book. Dimock provides extensive biographical history on the Hydes, maps of their routes, and quoted reminiscences from those who knew them and from Glen and Bessie's own letters and notes. Most importantly, Dimock is a good myth-destroyer. By sweeping all the extraneous campfire gossip aside, he enables the reader to see as well as is possible what must have happened to Glen and Bessie. The old adage about how the simplest explanation is most likely to be the correct one definitely applies here, and I write this with a certain sadness, for I grew fond of the Hydes as I read about their lives. I highly recommend this book, to mystery buffs, historians and outdoor lovers alike. ( )