In Cold Pursuit [Hardcover]

Sarah Andrews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2007

Sarah Andrews is well known for her popular mystery series featuring forensic geologist Em Hansen. With In Cold Pursuit, she builds on that foundation and introduces a new lead character in this compelling mystery from the last continent. 

Valena Walker is a dedicated master's student in geology headed to Antarctica to study glaciology with the venerable Dr. Emmett Vanderzee. Being on the ice is something she's dreamed about since she was a little girl. But when she finally arrives at McMurdo, she discovers that her professor has been arrested for murder, and what's more, that the incident happened a year ago. A newspaper reporter who'd visited Antarctica the previous winter had died from exposure, and though no one was a fan of the guy---he was attempting to contradict Vanderzee's research---by all accounts, everyone was devastated to lose someone on the ice.

 

Valena quickly realizes that in order to avoid being shipped north immediately and having her grant canceled, she must embrace the role of detective and work to clear his name---and save herself in the process.

 

Sarah Andrews received a prestigious grant from the National Science Foundation to spend two months on Antarctica to research In Cold Pursuit, and the authenticity of her portrait of this unforgiving land is breathtaking, making for her most compelling novel to date.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Geology student Valena Walker receives a rude awakening when she arrives at Antarctica's McMurdo Station in this less than successful first in a new series from Andrews, creator of geologist-turned-sleuth Em Hansen (Eye for Gold, etc.). The scientist Walker was expecting to work for, Emmett Vanderzee, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a journalist who died a year earlier. Still hoping to conduct research into glaciers but needing Vanderzee's supervision to keep her grant, Walker begins poking around the closed community of scientists and support staff for a way to clear his name. Andrews, who spent two months in Antarctica on a research grant for her novel, convincingly portrays life in one of earth's most hostile environments. Unfortunately, the whodunit plot isn't up to the atmospherics, while Walker comes up with a solution that's unrelated to her professional expertise. (Aug.)
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Review

Praise for the Novels of Sarah Andrews

 

"Compelling."
---The Dallas Morning News on Dead Dry
 
"Fans of this series will find plenty to like in Dead Dry, and any mystery reader who enjoys the lovely rocks of Colorado will, too."
---Rocky Mountain News on Dead Dry
 
"Ably combining science and suspense, Andrews once again entertains and educates."
---Publishers Weekly on Killer Dust
 
"Compulsively readable."
---Houston Chronicle on Fault Line

"Andrews . . . has become a leading light. . . . Her novel is a suspenseful mystery spiked with dinosaurs, science, and religion: What more could readers ask for?"
---Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Bone Hunter

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (August 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312342535
• ISBN-13: 978-0312342531
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #747,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great setting, great science, confusing narrative, November 4, 2007

By 

Charles A. Sherrill (Brentwood, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Cold Pursuit (Hardcover)

Andrews shares lots of interesting scientific information about the Antarctic and about the studies being done there. The setting and the science were beautifly described and very informative. Unfortunately, I found the story itself to be rambling and confusing, with many characters introduced but none fleshed out. I got a pretty good feel for the protagonist, but most of the others were hard to tell apart. I had to read it in short segments and found it impossible to remember who was who, as there was not enough characterization to make them memorable. I plowed on to the end, but it was an unsatisfactory read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mystery for Antarctica buffs, January 5, 2009

By 

Frank Schellenberg (Palo Alto, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Cold Pursuit (Hardcover)

I've been to Antarctica, and so enjoyed reading this description of a mystery set at McMurdo Sound with pleasure. It's a good concept, with a grad student trying to track down the reason for the disappearance of her thesis advisor. He had been arrested for the murder of a reporter who wrote negative stories on his research on global warning, and it's up to her to clear his name. She puts together the facts of what actually happened at high altitude on the Ice, and narrows it down to the final possible suspect, but not before another death on the Ice takes place and she herself is put at risk.

On the plus side, the description of Mac Town and the surrounding landscape are a nice introduction to life in Antarctica; the description of Survival camp in a white-out storm is great. On the other hand, as a mystery, there are 9 suspects and so many characters, Polar support groups and scientists in research projects that I had to write a list to try to keep track of all the names. And the final result was not something that I could have been deduced solely by paying careful attention to the facts as they had been presented.

This is the first book by this author I have read, so I'm not sure if the proliferation of characters is unique to this book, but I'll be finding out by checking out the others she has written. It's a minor problem compared to all the good things i discovered here.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Just couldn't get through it, January 27, 2009

By 

J. Baldina (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Cold Pursuit (Mass Market Paperback)

I found the Em Hansen series fairly compelling, with characters I cared about. But this was one of those books I kept putting down out of sheer boredom, and then had to re-read sections every time I picked it up because I couldn't remember what the heck was going on - not out of incipient amnesia but because I hadn't been interested enough to retain everything. I finally gave up and took it back to the library. Hopefully Ms. Hansen will make a reappearance in the next book.