| Title | : | Skeleton Sea (Forensic Geology #4) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published May 19, 2015 |
When a boat is found deserted off the California coast, it looks to be a simple fishing accident. But there is nothing ordinary going on here. The geologists track the strange incident to an even stranger project. Someone with toxic skills is at work in this sea.
If the lethal project is completed, the outcome will be unstoppable.
Skeleton Sea (Forensic Geology #4) Reviews
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This book was a bit of a mess, and frankly, annoying at times - a real shame because this series started out with so much potential. So many of the characters (the entire family, the "mad" scientist, etc.) were simply annoying and unbelievable. The climate change commentary was annoying and silly, especially some of the statements made by the so-called expert scientists. The underwater facility was simply not believable. There were some interesting scenes, such as on the volcanic rocks, on the boats, and during the dives, but even those would often get ruined because it would go too far into a realm of non-reality. When I started the series, I wondered why there were only 4 books, now I completely understand why...
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I couldn't even finish it.
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Boring beyond belief. Bad guy and bad guy story did not seem credible. Lame characters.
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Decent story, but a bit choppy.
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Less rocks more fish
A good mystery but there was very little geology in this story. I learned far more about jellyfish than rocks. -
Whenever I read one of Ms Dwiggins' Forensic Geology books, I know I can count on two things:
1) There will be an entertaining, possibly intricate mystery; and
2) I will learn something new, usually in great detail. In this case, it was about jellyfish. Living hundreds of miles from any ocean, it's knowledge I will never need, but it's still good to know. -
If you are a geoscientist, like the geosciences or are remotely interested in science you'll love these books! They are technically written, though, which is why some may not enjoy the series. Sometimes the facts get a little convoluted and I find myself rereading portions.
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Quite a story!
A fast paced thriller at the intersection of geology and oceanography. I enjoyed this story and learned a lot about jellyfish, which was a surprise in a book about forensic geology. -
Fascinating murder mystery featuring rocks and a "thousand thousand slimy things".
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This one ddid not disappoint! I loved every second and it definitely kept my earbuds glued to my ears! I liked that this one took up to the sea and underwater. Such a different environment. The characters were well done and I was really rooting for Lonnie. That ending! Exciting and Thrilling!
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this one and look forward to the next installment in this series. I did listen to this on audio. Nellie Scott does an amazing job with the story and these characters. -
Geo Forensic
New idea on the forensic bandwagon. Instead of humans, its rocks. Not ordinary rocks but the way rocks, oil, sea water etc effects our lives thrown in with some wacky bad guys and good good guys. Clean mystery -
As a lover of forensic thrillers especially those with a dose of science, I have developed a high regard for Tony Dwiggins’ Forensic Geology Series mainly because the two protagonists in the series are geologist which is unique to this particular genre. A geologist’s role in a forensic investigation is to ascertain the location of either the victim or perpetrator before, during, or after a criminal act. In Skeleton Sea, our two dust-collecting heroes, Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws, are called into an investigation in Morro Bay, California on the disappearance of a local anchovy fisherman, Robbie Donie, whose boat drifted ashore without its captain. The investigating detective, Doug Tolliver, consults with Oldfield and Shaws to determine the origin of some pebbles found in a mass of kelp attached to the anchor of the boat. With a pebble, Oldfield and Shaws can get a general idea of where the boat had anchored down and where Robbie Donie may have gone missing. What they didn’t find was Donie’s body, but instead, found something considerably more disturbing.
The investigation focuses on a native Morro Bay family of three siblings, Sandy, Lanny and Jake Keasling. Sandy Keasling is the matriarch of this trio and is a reluctant guardian of her younger sibling, Lanny, who is mentally challenged. Sandy also has a contentious relationship with her other brother, Jake, who is a bit of a slacker. The Keasling siblings have a close but dysfunctional relationship which creates a barrier to the investigation being conducted by Tolliver, Shaws, and Oldfield. It turns out that the Keaslings’ are the key players in stopping a criminal act that would result in an environmental catastrophe and the loss of numerous lives.
Skeleton Sea is great fun for us science geeks or for those who like the more techy aspect of forensic sleuthing. In my review on the series, I complained a little bit about the terminology being a bit too much in some of Dwiggins previous writings, but in Skeleton Sea, the amount of tech lingo is just right. On the downside, Dwiggins, who is very talented in developing her secondary characters, does not do justice for her main characters, Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws. Shaws, in particular, shows almost no personality and in Skeleton Sea, with an exception of a few utterings, has no significant role. I enjoyed Skeleton Sea for its storyline but I would really like to see more in what makes Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws tick. Despite this, Skeleton Sea makes for fun summer reading and for those of you that can't get to the beach at least you can join Oldfield and Shaws in Morro Bay for an exciting adventure. With the exception of a few references to previous novels in the series, Sea Skeleton can be read as a standalone.
If you are interested in learning more about the
Forensic Geology Series check it out on my blog
A-Thrill-A-Week -
I love Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws, the forensic geologists Dwiggins introduced in Badwater. Taking the geology, mineralogy or geomorphology of a crime scene as evidence is a fairly new idea in criminalistics, and her Forensic Geology series does a great job of spinning it into good yarns.
In her latest novel, Cassie and Walter get a call for help from a cop in Morro Bay, a small fishing community-slash-tourist destination on the California coast west of San Luis Obispo. Detective Tolliver has an anchovy-fishing boat with a missing owner and little in the way of evidence, beyond some grains of sand. Cassie isGrateful for a cop who recognized rocks as evidence, who treated them with the same respect given to fingerprints or cigarette butts or bloodstains or what have you.
Like any fishing community, this village has a rumor mill that soon informs the residents of the reason for their presence. Sandy Keasling, the spiky captain of a whale-watch tour boat, with her deckhand Lanny, Jake "Captain Kayak" who runs a paddle-rental service, and the sinister Oscar Flynn with his two PhDs and giant chip on his shoulder, and Tolliver himself, will all become enmeshed in the net of rumor and speculation.
As the geologists dig deeper, the mystery blooms. Hematite smears on boats far above the waterline, a strand of kelp with its roots wrapped around a distinctive pebble, and various samples of beach sand help the experts Tolliver has called find the "crime scene". But has there even been a crime?
We have an injured scuba diver, yes, and a suggestion of foul play in some squid ink stains, but perhaps there is no criminal. There is a red tide, and plenty of creepy clues in the water. Cassie and Walter will need to bring all their abilities to bear, researching and making connections outside their area of expertise, to solve the mystery of Morro Bay.
As humans, we like to find someone to blame. One of the greatest appeals of anthropogenic global warming is that it gives us a party or category of actors on which to land the guilt for the consequences of climate change, and narrows the list of events that are still considered an "act of God." Lava flows, for example.
Dwiggins has given us yet another mystery that blurs the lines between the true act of God and the criminal deed. -
Another home run by Toni Dwiggins; probably her most suspenseful in the series yet. This installment of the forensic geology series takes us to the West Coast on a rather terrifying encounter of the jellyfish variety. In true mystery thriller fashion, Dwiggins keeps you guessing who-dunnit all the way up until the end. I can't rave much more about it without spoiling the plot, but I would definitely recommend this to anyone that can appreciate a good mystery.
Anxiously awaiting the next installment to follow Cassie and Walter on their next heart-pounding adventure! -
I enjoy Dwighins' forensic geology series, but I didn't think this one was as good as the others in the series. Generally I like that Ms. Dwiggins deals with modern environmental issues. I just felt this was more science fiction, more like Jurrasic Park under the sea. However, that being said, it was entertaining.
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Merging geology, oceanography and a complex mystery plot, this is a unique and enjoyable book.
