Dead Dry (Em Hansen Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Sarah Andrews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2005 | Series: Em Hansen Mysteries

Sarah Andrews' newest geological mystery finds geologist and investigator Em Hansen helping out the Salt Lake City police on the murder of a fellow geologist. Dumped in a gravel quarry, his arms and legs removed and his face bashed in so he'll be unrecognizable, Em IDs him anyway because of a strange tattoo--a geological map of the world--she spots on his body: It's Afton McWain, a controversial figure who worked in big oil in Colorado but who now works in the field of water and droughts.
In Andrews' universe, things are never what they seem, and the murder may have as much to do with McWain's personal life (his ex or his common-law wife?) or his overzealous dedication to the "green" lifestyle (the traditional neighbors of his liberal ranch)? as it does with his job. Either way, the combination of suspense and science makes this novel another winner.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When a corpse with its fingerprints removed is found crushed under a gravel-pile avalanche, Em Hansen gets on the case in Andrews's 10th mystery to feature the Utah forensic geologist (after 2004's Earth Colors). An unmistakable tattoo allows Em to identify the victim as Afton McWain, but what was the eccentric Colorado environmental activist doing in Salt Lake? Em hitches a ride with Fritz Calder, a charter-plane pilot friend, to Colorado, where McWain's ex-wife and current live-in "nature girl" reside. No love is lost between the suspicious pair, who both consider themselves heir to McWain's off-the-grid ranch, which is surrounded by hungry developers whose financial interests don't mesh with his findings about water availability in this drought-stricken region. As Em and Fritz weather their way through missed romantic signals, ominous clouds gather over the ranch, where Em collects evidence. Andrews may wander from scientific dissertations to romantic reveries and inadequately fleshed-out subplots, but fans of information-packed suspense should be satisfied. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Readers will enjoy digging into Andrews' latest entry in the Em Hansen series, which finds the spunky geologist helping police investigate the death of an acquaintance crushed beneath a load of gravel. Before coming to Salt Lake City and taking a job with the Utah Geological Survey, Em had worked with the victim, a prominent geologist named Afton McWain. Solving the crime means Em must work closely with her former boyfriend, Detective Tom "Ray" Raymond, who has plenty of unresolved feelings for Em. Complicating her love life further is Fritz, a handsome pilot with whom friendship is beginning to turn into something more. Although some of Em's lengthier monologues on geological phenomena might cause readers' eyes to glaze over, Andrews, herself a geologist, does impart some interesting information about Earth, particularly concerning ground water, which just might provide a motive for Afton's death. Working with Em to solve the case is feisty police detective Michele Aldrich; the relationship between these two strong, smart women is a highlight of the story. Another engaging chapter in a rock-solid series. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (October 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312342527
• ISBN-13: 978-0312342524
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,266,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific who-done-it, November 30, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Dry (Em Hansen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

First her neighbor Fritz Calder comes to get forensic geologist Em Hansen to accompany him for breakfast when Salt Lake City Police Detective Thomas "Ray" Raymond arrives to have Em look at a nearby corpse. Though the victim is buried under gravel from a collapsed quarry wall with only a leg is sticking out. Everyone of the workers has been accounted for so no one knows who the victim could be and why he was there.

Though the fingerprints are gone and his visage battered beyond recognition, Em recognizes a tattoo that enables her to identify the deceased as Colorado staunch environmentalist Afton McWain. Fritz flies her to Colorado to inform McWain's former spouse and her current female partner, who both deem they earned his ranch while development vultures circle the battling females coveting McWain's land. All the while Em digs into the dirt to find that trace of evidence that ties a Colorado killer to a Utah homicide.

The tenth Em Hansen, Utah's only forensic geologist, is a terrific who-done-it that keeps the audience following the heroine's delightful scientific explanations of the clues she finds that no one else understands. Her "romance" with Fritz still sputters, but that adds to the overall fun of observing this consummate professional in the field struggle with affairs of the heart. Though some sidebars are unneeded cul-de sacs, fans will appreciate Em's latest digging in the dirt gem.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful read from the Em Hansen series!, December 6, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Dry (Em Hansen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Forensic geologist Em Hansen is living in Salt Lake City, Utah, and working for the Utah Geological Survey when she is called in to help with a murder. A body has been found buried in a gravel pit and a wall of gravel has fallen on it.

Unfortunately, Em recognizes a tattoo on the body (not much else is recognizable) and it is someone she knows: a well-known geologist from Colorado, Afton McWain. Em knew both Afton and his geologist wife, Julia.

Michelle Aldrich, the sheriff's deputy in charge of the case, asks for her help in notifying McWain's now ex-wife in Denver. Em flies to Denver with her pilot friend Fritz Calder, and then becomes enmeshed in the investigation.

McWain owned a ranch in the Castle Rock/Sedalia area south west of Denver, and was involved in helping some anti-development people in the area stop more houses and golf courses being built. One of the possible developments was the ranch right next to his, and they needed McWain's ranch for an easement.

McWain had been an expert and made a lot of money in oil exploration. He was retired, but interested in ground-water research. Wells for both homes and ranches in the area were drying up; the water table was getting lower and lower, and the finite water resources were being used up at a prodigious rate. There are many possible suspects in McWain's death: an attorney, a developer, a banker, and Gilda, the strange woman he had lived with on the ranch since he divorced Julia.

Andrews is known for her fascinating explanations of geology, and this book does not disappoint. Her description of the area around Denver and the water problems the area faces is riveting. She is a professional geologist and a licensed pilot, in addition to being an award-winning author.

My favorite earlier titles are Earth Colors, about pigment analysis of a Frederick Remington painting; and Fault Lines, a story of a possible murder during an earthquake.

Armchair Interviews says: This is the tenth Em Hansen mystery and will again thrill her fans.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, May 15, 2006

By 

hydro - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Dry (Em Hansen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Really deserves a 2.5, but there's no rating for that, so I rounded up. This one was better than the frighteningly dreadful "Killer Dust" and the almost-but-not-quite-as-bad "Earth Colors". As a practicing hydrogeologist, I found the plot somewhat implausible and the science somewhat "fluffy". Like another reviewer, I also wondered why a homicide detective would drag Em along into the investigation-I also question whether or not Utah (or any other state) has a "state forensic geologist". And if they did, it would probably be someone with better qualifications than an entry level geologist with only a master's degree.

Aside from these points, the book was OK, although the characters seemed one dimensional and the plot pretty weak. Oh, and the storyline involving the ex-fiancee Ray, was very strange and didn't really seem to contribute to the plot (or anything else.