SANTA FE, N.M. - A niece of Evan S. Connell says the acclaimed author of "Mrs. Bridge" and writer of literary explorations ranging from Depression-era Kansas to shipwrecks in ancient times has died.
     Connell was found dead Thursday at his Santa Fe apartment and likely died of old age; he was 88.
     Connell was a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and a graduate of the University of Kansas.
     Among his best-known books were his first novel, "Mrs. Bridge", published in 1959 and nominated for a National Book Award, and its follow-up "Mr. Bridge", which came out in 1969; both told the story of a Kansas City family.
     Connell wrote 19 books, including two book-length poems, a biography of Spanish painter Francisco Goya and a historically detailed novel about the Crusades.
     His historical account of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, "Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn," was a best-seller and adapted for a network television miniseries.