| Title | : | Volcano Watch (Forensic Geology #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 367 |
| Publication | : | First published January 13, 2012 |
The volcano beneath her town is seething, and the fate of Mammoth Lakes now rests in the hands of emergency planner Adrian Krom.
But Krom has his own agenda.
Investigating the case, forensic geologist Cassie Oldfield tracks mineral clues to discover how the mayor died--and what she found. As the volcano moves toward red alert, Cassie races to prevent 'no way out' from becoming a prophecy.
Volcano Watch (Forensic Geology #3) Reviews
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Strange book -- volcano noir?
This was a frustrating book to read. First, it was about 100 pages too long -- needed drastic tightening.
Parts of it were hard slogging. Not from the geology -- there was surprising little of that for a "forensic geology" novel. Not from the vulcanology, which was interesting. But because it went into detail about the past and current behaviors of characters where it did nothing to advance the story or add depth. The character sketches that mattered only came at the very end
Most of the characters are not believable. Krom not at all. Lindsay, nope. Not Eric, not Jimbo. Relationships are alluded to, nothing fleshed out. Nothing is really answered -- it's all conjecture, no proof is ever established and motives are murky: BS for the most part.
The dialogue is weird. Mike said, "O-kigh" or something like that. Who talks like that, and why only Mike? What is the point?
This is not a procedural, nor a mystery novel, nor a SHTF tale, not really. The ending is rushed and really, really unsatisfying, not even "there's gonna be a sequel" unsatisfying -- plot points are just not resolved.
The book reads like a SyFy-produced Movie of the Week. It just takes a lot longer than two hours to get through it. -
LOVED this book! If you’ve ever vacationed in the eastern Sierra (Bishop or Mammoth Lakes, California), you must read it.
Summary: (mystery/police procedural; science thriller/forensic geology) Forensic geologists Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws are back in Toni Dwiggins’ follow-up to Badwater (set in Death Valley). The mayor of Mammoth Lakes, California, a ski resort town set high in the eastern Sierra over a vast and ancient volcanic caldera, has gone missing. She left behind a scrawled note: No way out. With the volcano stirring and evacuation planning underway, this warning adds urgency to the investigation of what turns out to be a murder. Cassie, a lifelong resident of the community, works to figure out what the mayor knew and who tried to silence her, while the town simmers in fearful anticipation of a possible eruption.
ScienceThrillers.com Review: Volcano Watch is a must-read for anyone who knows the eastern Sierra, is fascinated by volcanos, or just likes a well-written mystery with a small town setting and characters whose lives have been intertwined since childhood. I couldn’t put this one down (and that’s not normal for me). Dwiggins has improved significantly on what she started with Badwater and this book easily matches the quality of most traditionally published thrillers.
I was once again especially drawn to the science in this story. Forensic geology–picking clues from the mud in a murder victim’s boot, for example, to determine where she last walked on earth–is really cool and just enough of the subject is conveyed here to please the reader. Dwiggins also has a phenomenal knowledge of the natural world in the eastern Sierra, using plenty of relevant details of tree types at elevations, thermal activity, hot springs, fumaroles, and of course volcanic eruptions. She uses some of my favorite real-world locations–especially Hot Creek–and real activities, such as biathlon and gold mining, to great effect in the plot.
Character development is rich, with several town residents who leap out of the page. Probably the most intriguing is Adrian Krom, an emergency operations vulcanologist sent by the federal government. Cassie’s (and our) impression of him constantly changes as his actions show an unpredictable combination of loyalty and ruthlessness. And I have to say that in terms of character, the scene with the morphine injection rocked; if you read this book you’ll know what I mean.
The first half of Volcano Watch is structured like a mystery, and the tone is brooding as Cassie mourns the loss of a friend while the geologists monitor the volcano in anticipation of raising the watch status. The book is written entirely in first person from Cassie’s point of view. I recommend that you read a few pages for free and see if you like her voice; I did, but not all readers may appreciate the voice which is quite distinctive. The latter part of the book turns into pure thriller with enough heat and ash for any action fan. -
Usually I don't rate books I don't finish but this was SO BAD that I felt I had to give it a star just for being terrible. Really, it was so poorly written and plotted out I actually couldn't finish it (and I had to read it for school). The author writes these characters like we're actually supposed to give a damn about them, but gives half-assed back stories to them and they are severely lacking in any kind of traits. You can tell who is good and who is bad right off the bat. I figured out the murderer by chapter three because the author basically gives it away for you - everything is literally written in black and white. Some of the scenes were so absurd I had a hard time comprehending the stupidity.
At the beginning when they find the mayor's body, she isn't revealed right away. But the characters say something along the lines of "Didn't she leave her car at her office?" This was BEFORE we find out who the victim is. The language used is also really weird. Sentence structure is rough, words are spelled out (ayem instead of A.M. - who does that?), characters have awkward "catch phrases" such as "o-kigh" and "Chum." On occasion the author couldn't even spell a main character's name correctly...
I wouldn't recommend this unless you are seriously into forensic geology. Even then, it just has a bunch of rock names strewn in for names sake. I would save your time and your money on this one. -
My Kindle Prime Lending Library book for the month.
Great opening! I usually do not like the technique of starting a book with a prologue, but this one set the tone perfectly.
But I became increasingly disappointed. Lots of geology atmosphere and a chance for me to learn some things, but I (and I suspect others) need more definitions worked into the narrative. Like what a "moat" is for geologists, for example. I can look them up, but a really good author will spare me that.
Worse, there were plot things that were not credible that COULD have been credible with VERY MINOR re-writing. For example, the egotisical FEMA rep Adrian interrupts an INTERNATIONAL BIATHLOON RACE to do an evacuation DRILL. This would have had MAJOR repercussions, not just the ,minor annoyanceit seemed to provoke. And we never heard if the race resumed later, or anything similar, despite the fact that important supporting characters were on the team. The drill could have been called during a practice session just as well. And our protagonist happens to find a significent note scrawled in the first murder victim's WEIGHT WATCHER notebook. Not real likely! It is not like we are told the victim made a habit of making extraneous notes in this notebook or like she had to scribble it quickly and this was all that was at hand. Again, it would have been easy to find it in her journal or someother place where she was accustomed to doodling or making little notes. There were others also.
I have said it before, but I'll say it again: Where are the editors and first readers when the author needs them?
Not a bad book, but it could have been better.
PS Am I the only person who thoroughly dislikes the use of "ayem" for "a.m." ?
PPS Learned a neat trick: If you are caught in a snow drift and do not know which way is up, take a bit of snow and then let the melt drip out of your mouth. The melt will run down! Remember this next time you are in an avalanche. -
I picked this book up based on the forensic geology involved. I thought, well, it might be interesting, as I love the 'end of the world' sort of books and movies. I wasn't really expecting a whole lot, just a good few hours of relaxation.
Imagine my surprise when I was totally captivated by everything about the book. The forensic geology begins with a murder, and continues through another. The author did her homework - I checked her website, and don't see that she is a forensic geologist, but she did a really great job. The forensics and vulcanology are well researched, but the thing I really admire is how well she writes a story intertwining forensics, geology and vulcanology. She did a beautiful job. Add into that the exceptional job she did in describing the USGS and FEMA and how they handle these situations. But what really grabbed me and didn't let me go is her writing such strong characters. The main female characters are well drawn and believable. Not exceptional, and one of them was irritating as all get out. But exceptionally believable and, even though you might not care too much about one of them, you still understand her. What really grabbed me though was how well she wrote a sociopathic personality in the book. Ego and self indulgence taken to it's furthest extremes . . extreme, but still wholly believable.
This is the first of this author's books I have read (it was a freebie through freebooksy.com) but I will be very happy to read another. -
Kindle free download 6/14/12.
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This is the third in the forensic geology series and the best one so far. The protagonists are working on solving murders based on soil and mineral clues while the threat of an active volcano looms. The town is evacuated (and eventually totally destroyed). The descriptions of Cassie's adventures in trying to find a missing Walter are real page-turners.
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Wow...Just Wow
I am an avid reader. Volcano Watch by Toni Dwiggins was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Open the book and strap yourself in for a volcanic scientific murder solving roller-coaster experience you soon won’t forget. I’ve come to love the characters of Walter and Cassie and their world of forensic volcano geological study. Oh, and the solved the murder mystery, too. -
Forget Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Edgar Allan Poe. For sheer spine-tingling, heart-pounding terror, Toni Dwiggins is the Queen. What makes her books even more horrifying is that they are based in fact: these things could really happen. Mammoth Mountain, in California, is a volcanic area, and there are concerns that the dormant volcano complex could become more active again. Fortunately, Mammoth is not near a major population center, unlike Mount Rainier, which could affect the Seattle-Tacoma area if it should erupt.
(I found the following errors in the Kindle text of Volcano Watch: Page 1, Call me Georgia she'd boom / Call me Georgia, she'd boom ; 5, Listen up folks / Listen up, folks ; 5, Hey babe / Hey, babe ; 6, hours later we gained / hours later, we gained ; 8, when we move her / when we MOVED her ; 10, Aw shit / Aw, shit ; 13, raise your voice Georgia / your voice, Georgia ; 15, Hello Adrian / Hello, Adrian ; 18, everyone else I acted / everyone else, I acted ; 18, street-side window I saw / window, I saw ; 20, Well I haven't / Well, I haven't ; 23, I'm thinking 'means' Walter / thinking 'means,' Walter ; 25, Okay lady / Okay, lady ; 30, lying there dead, open-mouthed. / dead, open-mouthed? (needs question mark) ;
Page 35, Surprised me too / Surprised me, too ; 38, curves later Walter's headlights / curves later, Walter's headlights ; 38, and if you do for God's sake don't do / and if you do, for God's sake, don't do ; 38, went inside but I paused / went inside, but I paused ; 39, guy who no matter how close he shaves looks like / guy who, no matter how close he shaves, looks like ; 39, Hi Mike / Hi, Mike ; 41, Hey babe / Hey, babe ; 46, Yes Adrian / Yes, Adrian ; 47, See Lindsay / See, Lindsay ; 48, oh shit here we go / oh, shit, here we go ; 50, well that would make it / well, that would make it ; 50, top it all off we'd be / all off, we'd be ; 52, of the job but I find / of the job, but I find ;
Page 53, had been I certainly wouldn't / had been, I certainly wouldn't ; 54, Well then, partner / Well, then, partner ; 54, God I'm easily bought / God, I'm easily bought ; 56, Oh god yes / Oh, God, yes (add commas and capital G) ; 58, She thought so too / thought so, too ; 58, "She's a wine drinker," and then I said, "never mind." / "She's a wine drinker?" (replace comma with question mark) and then I said, "Never mind." (add capital N) ; 59, were on the spot too / on the spot, too ;66, She's says jump / SHE says jump ; 68, So you coming / So, you coming ; 68, 20K race that's all / 20K race, that's all ; 71, "Biathlon, Jimbo / "Biathlon, Jimbo." (add period and end quote) ;
Page 72, Get's weird, you know / GETS weird, you know (omit apostrophe) ; 74, be a reason but it was / a reason, but it was ; 77, that sound too but only / that sound, too, but only ; 79, blue Blazer I glanced / blue Blazer, I glanced ; 81, During manufacture it is cut / During manufacture, it is cut ; 84, the officials area / the officials' area (plural possessive: the AREA of the OFFICIALS) ; 85, were biathletes and so he'd taken / were biathletes, and so he'd taken ; 85, to the officials area / to the officials' area ; 86, hit the flats I screamed / hit the flats, I screamed ; 86, In my viewfinder he's skating / In my viewfinder, he's skating ; 88, In the officials area Len Carow / In the officials' area, Len Carow ;
Page 90, the dancers Stobie throws / the dancers, Stobie throws ; 94, Oh yes I do / Oh, yes, I do ; 95, brother thinks so too / thinks so, too ; 97, Mike's a victim too / Mike's a victim, too ; 97, Well well / Well, well ; 98, magnetite jackpot you can still / jackpot, you can ; 100, progressively cheerier but it's / cheerier, but it's ; 100, Oh yes / Oh, yes ; 101, consider a lovers quarrel / a lovers' quarrel (plural possessive) ; 102, of our lovers quarrel scenario / our lovers' quarrel ; 107, toweling dry I had / toweling dry, I had ; 107, the lovers quarrel / the lovers' quarrel ; 107, Hey Eric / Hey, Eric ; 107, hey Cassie / hey, Cassie ; 108, Does Stobie shoot too / Does Stobie shoot, too ;
Page 108, He shoots too / He shoots, too ; 110, Sooo...Caaasie / Sooo...Caaassie (add second S) ; 111, in the paper so I'm asking / in the paper, so I'm asking ; 112, "To start. She reached for / "To start." She reached for (add end quote) ; 114, Oh yeah / Oh, yeah ; 115, giving me the choice after all / the choice, after all ; 116, God did the guys / God, did the guys ; 120, Well neither did I / Well, neither did I ; 120, And the lovers-quarrel theory / And the lovers'-quarrel theory ; 120, No question Adrian Krom had / No question THAT Adrian Krom had ; 121, psych in college I thought / in college, I thought ; 121, early twenties he straightened out / early twenties, he straightened out ;
Page 121, Well then / Well, then ; 124, Oh God/ Oh, God ; 125, Me neither / Me, neither ; 128, hold of him there was / hold of him, there was ; 128, Well then / Well, then ; 131, Yours too / Yours, too ; 131, Oh it's more than that / Oh, it's more ; 132, my God he is nuts / my God, he is nuts ; 144, Well maybe she wasn't / Well, maybe she wasn't ; 146, parking lot I saw / parking lot, I saw ; 148, followed me only this time / followed me, only this time ; 153, When I emerged he was / When I emerged, he was ; 156, Damn straight I remember / Damn straight, I remember ; 157, from the get-go it was murder / the get-go THAT it was murder ; 158, remember you tested / remember THAT you tested ;
Page 160, Jimbo too / Jimbo, too ; 160, good guy only he's got / good guy, only he's got ; 162, Yeah Cass / Yeah, Cass ; 162, to the cops but I thought / to the cops, but I thought ; 163, at dawn Walter and I made / at dawn, Walter and I made ; 166, I glanced, idly at the stream / I glanced, idly, at the stream ; 169, measure the fissure but I could / measure the fissure, but I could ; 172, Oh honey / Oh, honey ; 172, said honey it's a mirage / said honey, it's a mirage ; 172, Oh honey / Oh, honey ; 174, doing my job I'm going / doing my job, I'm going ; 182, obviously thought so too / thought so, too ; 183, first front and that's been / first front, and that's been ; 185, that route I didn't know / that route, I didn't know ; 185, Hey Lindsay / Hey, Lindsay ;
Page 185, the fissure but she should / the fissure, but she ; 186, Yo Jimmy / Yo, Jimmy ; 186, in assent there was / in assent, there was ; 189, Oh jeez / Oh, jeez ; 190, dismissed the lovers-quarrel theory / the LOVERS'-quarrel ; 190, wasn't a lovers-quarrel / wasn't a LOVERS'-quarrel ; 193, No dear / No, dear ; 198, yesterday morning so any prints / morning, so any ; 202, Caaaseee / CaaasSIeee (needs extra "SI") ; 204, real creep but he sure was / real creep, but he ; 205, Yes I know but I want / Yes, I know, but I want ; 206, or that's enough Cassie and shut up / enough, Cassie, and shut up ; 210, fresh air but it was / fresh air, but it was ; 211, only very very slowly / only very, very slowly ; 211, Without Lindsay I don't have / Without Lindsay, I don't have ;
Page 211, USGS anymore and so I've been / USGS anymore, and so I've been ; 211, This morning he decided / This morning, he decided ; 211, He said without a pause to weigh the variables "it's not out / He said, without a pause to weigh the variables, "It's not out (add commas, capitalize IT'S) ; 211, Krom as well because Krom / Krom as well, because Krom ; 212, Sears wool but that's not / Sears wool, but that's not ; 212, Scared of course but even / Scared, of course, but even ; 214, along Minaret Road others were / along Minaret Road, others were ; 214, the morning they came / the morning, they came ; 215, either way we should all / either way, we should all ; 215, into volcanology but I'm / into volcanology, but I'm ;
Page 216, for Jeanine the laid-back queen it's the / for Jeanine, the laid-back queen, it's the ; 217, by noon Krom will / by noon, Krom will ; 217, On TV the tape rolled / On TV, the tape rolled ; 218, muscles seized then slowed / muscles seized, then slowed ; 219, snap of flames but not close / snap of flames, but not close ; 219, an accident only none / an accident, only none ; 219, yelling "where do we go?" / yelling, "Where do we go?" (add comma, capitalize Where) ; 221, but shit nobody but / but, shit, nobody but ; 221, out in time his rep's gone / out in time, his rep's gone ; 222, take it all but Mom / take it all, but Mom ; 222, All right let's go / All right, let's go ; 224, ground's rotting but it never / ground's rotting, but it never ; 224, Shit I don't know / Shit, I don't know ;
Page 224, Well didn't Eric / Well, didn't Eric ; 224, Aw shit / Aw, shit ; 225, Shit yeah / Shit, yeah ; 225, Sorry Cass but I / Sorry, Cass, but I ; 225, No Cass, we hoped / No, Cass, we hoped ; 227, Gentlemen start your / Gentlemen, start your ; 230, the earphones stay calm leave two carlengths and then all / the earphones, stay calm, leave two carlengths, and then all ; 230, then mercifully people began / then, mercifully, people began ; 230, Wargos and the Ruiz's / Wargos and the RUIZES (plural, not possessive) ; 230, up the line the crowd / up the line, the crowd ; 231, my earphones a voice / my earphones, a voice ; 231, He yelled "back up, back up" and the crowd / He yelled, "Back up, back up," and the crowd (add commas, capitalize first BACK) ;
Page 231, times before he brought / times before, he brought ; 231, nearby yelled Jimbo you idiot / nearby yelled, Jimbo, you idiot ; 231, no-man's-land the crowds / no-man's-land, the crowds ; 232, caught up Eric was / caught up, Eric was ; 233, Aw shit, man / Aw, shit, man ; 235, left my room he'd said / left my room, he'd said ; 235, of that wound there was / of that wound, there was ; 235, Explorer but the line / Explorer, but the line ; 236, street outside I'd see / street outside, I'd see ; 236, was saying "you couldn't / was saying, "You couldn't (add comma, capitalize YOU) ; 236, said no but he took / said no, but he took ; 238, I blurted "where is he?" / I blurted, "Where is he?" (add comma, capitalize WHERE) ; 238, tell you I did not / tell you, I did not ;
Page 238, my dresser then locked / my dresser, then locked ; 239, the grade there was / the grade, there was ; 240, my bindings I gave / my bindings, I gave ; 240, slope steepened I kicked / slope steepened, I kicked ; 241, utter amazement I watched / utter amazement, I watched ; 242, see nothing but my mind / see nothing, but my mind ; 242, Oh you fool, which way / Oh, you fool, which way ; 242, Well flip a coin / Well, flip a coin ; 242, Trying not to breath too much / Trying not to BREATHE too much ; 243, clever note making sure / clever note, making sure ; 243, was snowing and the flakes / was snowing, and the flakes ; 248, Lindsay you should / Lindsay, you should ; 249, didn't answer so I got / didn't answer, so I got ;
Page 251, beautiful just beautiful / beautiful, just beautiful ; 253, was a kid Dad took / was a kid, Dad took ; 253, in there I sensed / in there THAT I sensed ; 253, ground today so I'm assuming / ground today, so I'm assuming ; 253, were here you'd no doubt / were here, you'd no doubt ; 254, Sweet Jesus he really / Sweet Jesus, he really ; 256, I was helpless as / I was AS helpless as ; 259, No I'm not / No, I'm not ; 263, Mike said, "where's Mr. Krom?" / Mike said, "Where's Mr. Krom?" (capitalize WHERE'S) ; 267, Oh yah / Oh, yah ; 268, Oh yah, and maybe / Oh, yah, and maybe ; 272, of pyrotechnics but it was / of pyrotechnics, but it was ; 273, in position but I could / in position, but I could ; 274, Well lady / Well, lady ; 276, Oh man / Oh, man ;
Page 276, wine cellar I'd bet / wine cellar, I'd bet ; 277, carried in wood but none / carried in wood, but none ; 278, to lay by me / to LIE by me ; 279, my God Walter / my God, Walter ; 279, Oh yah / Oh, yah ; 282, Mike too / Mike, too ; 284, to my feet Eric had / to my feet, Eric had ; 289, enough time we could have / enough time, we could have ; 289, Yeah but she made / Yeah, but she made ; 290, I was surprised as / I was AS surprised as ; 290, Grow up Mike / Grow up, Mike ; 291, about evac he knows / about evac, he knows ; 291, tell him he believes / tell him, he believes ; 291, out of here and he'll start / out of here, and he'll start ; 294, luxury of time so he'll have / luxury of time, so he'll have ; 295, Oh yah / Oh, yah ; 295, ash inside but I don't / ash inside, but I don't ;
Page 295, lot of faith but I know / lot of faith, but I know ; 295, Okay Lindsay / Okay, Lindsay ; 295, buys it but we are / buys it, but we are ; 298, was louder but in motion / was louder, but in motion ; 300, the station he may well / the station, he MIGHT well ; 303, Yes you can / Yes, you can ; 305, For a moment I thought / For a moment, I thought ; 309, to the moat I saw / to the moat, I saw ; 310, of the caldera was a uniform / of the caldera, was a uniform ; 310, by the downflow it was / by the downflow, it was ; 310, to my feet a gloom had / to my feet, a gloom had ; 313, As I walked I chafed / As I walked, I chafed ; 313, the mountain I saw shapes / the mountain, I saw shapes ; 315, He whispered, "don't know." / He whispered, "Don't know." ;
Page 317, asked, "are you all right?" / asked, "Are you all right?" (The first word of a direct quote must always begin with a capital letter.) ; 318, Yes it is, dear / Yes, it is, dear ; 320, Well you found something / Well, you found something ; 320, pissed at you Adrian / pissed at you, Adrian ; 321, Yes it is / Yes, it is ; 322, good reason they were still there / good reason THAT they were still there ; 322, Eric was probably hurt too / Eric was probably hurt, too ; 324, Damn it Adrian give me / Damn it, Adrian, give me ; 329, Hey Stobie / Hey, Stobie ; 329, cemented tangles the nurses / cemented tangles THAT the nurses ; 329, excuse Mike but I want / excuse Mike, but I want ; 329, Hey Cassie / Hey, Cassie ; 329, real butthead but aside / real butthead, but aside ;
Page 330, new with you babe / new with you, babe ; 331, but man did he get / but man, did he get ; 333, of Mike but I could / of Mike, but I could ; 336, so long I wanted / so long THAT I wanted ; 337, any doubts Mike would / any doubts THAT Mike would ; 337, speculating again but it's not / speculating again, but it's not ; 337, When I got out he dumped / When I got out, he dumped ; 340, for murder but there's no / for murder, but there's no ; 343, up Minaret Road a flagman / up Minaret Road, a flagman ; 345, Jimbo said "there's the Stobe" and headed / Jimbo said, "There's the Stobe," and headed (add commas and capitalization) ; 345, I said "now?" and Walter nodded so I took / I said, "Now?" and Walter nodded, so I took (add commas and capitalization) ;
Page 348, finally said "It's a rough / finally said, "It's a rough ; 350, he spoke again I understood / he spoke again, I understood .) -
First paragraphs
TOWN OF MAMMOTH LAKES MONO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA SIERRA NEVADA RANGE, the land of fire and ice Twice, the mayor of my hometown gave me advice. The first time was when she joined my third-grade class on a snowshoeing trip to chop a Christmas tree. She was nobody’s mom—just the town’s busybody mayor who volunteered for everything. Her name was Georgette Simonies. Call me Georgia she’d boom to any kid who addressed her otherwise, and since she was barely five feet tall, kid-size, we could do that. Out in the wilderness that day, I got myself lost. Trees suddenly thick, shrouded. That snow-blanket silence. Georgia was the one who found me. Next time wear a bell, she boomed. The second time Georgia Simonies advised me, I was eleven. My little brother Henry had recently died. He had hemophilia, wherein the blood refuses to clot. He’d gotten sicker that year, bleeding out again and again, and my parents stockpiled pressure bandages and I fed him pureed broccoli to replace the lost iron, but his luck ran out when he bumped his head and bled into his brain.
Dwiggins, Toni (2012-01-13). Volcano Watch (The Forensic Geology Series) (p. 6). Toni Dwiggins. Kindle Edition. -
I really wanted to like this book because I'm very interested in volcanology and love a good mystery read. That was most likely the reason I pushed through sections of this story that were extremely overwritten. But I felt like I was walking through thick ash forcing myself to just keep moving through the story-line hoping there would be that moment when everything falls into the dramatic 'Ah ha' moment, and that never happened. There were some thrilling parts of the book where the volcano was going through various stages of eruption, and for a while guessing who might have been the murderer, but that was not enough to hold up the other parts of the story that sagged, especially toward the end.
I was also somewhat distracted by the strange writing style of this author. There seemed to be words added to sentences over and over again that didn't make sense to me or seemed unnecessary.
I wish I could have given this book 2.5 stars as I didn't really like it, but didn't totally hate it. Overall, I was disappointed or bored more than entertained. -
I really enjoyed the first book in Dwiggins' "Forensic Geology" series, and this second book is better!
We start off with our two continuing characters, Cassie Oldfield and her boss, Walter Shaws, on the way to examine a corpse in the ice at Mammoth Mountain. Someone has murdered the town mayor and dumped the body. Cassie and Walter have been called in to take soil samples from the body and try to determine the site of the murder.
From there we launch into a thriller about dueling egos and murder set against the ticking time bomb of a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Dwiggins has been published by Tor, but she's publishing her own titles now as ebooks. Don't let a low price put you off. This is professional work.
I enjoyed that it was more character-driven than many thrillers, and when you throw in an exploding volcano, it shoots to the top of my list in the genre! -
This is a new-to-me author. For people who are into geology and vocanology, this would be a really interesting suspense read. Set in Mammoth Lakes, California which sits right atop the quake line then travels vertically throughout California, the author obviously did a lot of research into geology and volcanology for this book. It was a bit much for me since that is not something with which I am familiar. The story line was well developed and the characters interesting along with the suspense thread. But, unfortunately, the numerous expletives caused me to give it a 3 rather than a 4. It does read well as a stand alone even though it is part of a series. I would not choose to read any others due to the profanities.
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I knew nothing of geology before reading this book, and found it interesting and informative - although I haven't checked out any facts. It was certainly easy enough to understand.
This story is well written, has an interesting plot with characters that are believable. It has enough action for a good page turner.
Worth reading. -
I enjoyed this book as I love Volcanoes. I did not like the Volcanologist Krom and the ending upset me. I was upset that Eric died. I liked him and Cassie together.
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I read this because I have a thing for volcanoes. The science was okay, but the story seemed thrown together. The dialogue was amateurish.
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This is my first Toni Dwiggins book to read, and I look forward to reading more from her. She spins a pretty tight tale filled with a lot of research that doesn't bore you to tears, gets you into the heart and mind of the main character, and has you feel real emotion as the characters lose their loved ones and their possessions. What I really liked was the hard left turn she took on the "whodunit" aspect of the book, as it was not something you can typically figure out as in other books about halfway through.
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Now I know what a forensic geologist is, and the concept is somewhat interesting. The book handled the idea of a slumbering volcano coming to life very well, with much emphasis on the behaviors of the volcano as the area rumbled toward an eruption. For some reason the people descriptions and interactions were not as well formulated and presented. The premise was good and the cast interesting, so the story was there and the level of suspense was maintained. Yet sometimes the motivation for certain behaviors was not clear. It would have been a five star if the humanity matched the geology.
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Now I know what a forensic geologist is, and the concept is somewhat interesting. The book handled the idea of a slumbering volcano coming to life very well, with much emphasis on the behaviors of the volcano as the area rumbled toward an eruption. For some reason the people descriptions and interactions were not as well formulated and presented. The premise was good and the cast interesting, so the story was there and the level of suspense was maintained. Yet sometimes the motivation for certain behaviors was not clear. It would have been a five star if the humanity matched the geology.
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The volcano won - no big surprise. Go against a volcano and you will lose. The beloved mayor of Mammoth springs had disappeared only to be discovered dead on the glacier. She had written a note - no way out. Was the town doomed or was she lamenting her personal life. it was up to forensic geologist Cassie and Walter to help track the Mayors last moments to catch the killer but will the volcano hinder their investigation or trip up the killer?
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This isn't the sort of book I usually like; I can understand the complaints of some reviewers about lack of character development, among other things. I was surprised, however, that I actually really enjoyed the book. I was interested to see what happened, moved by the sparely described relationships and satisfied by the end. It's definitely hit or miss on this one, and it was an unexpected hit with me.
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The third book of the series shows how much the plot structuring and character fleshing has improved. I happen to like the idea of using the traces, and incident mapping, of geological particles in the solving of timing and places of crimes and activities. If you like to learn new things, or be challenged by new ideas, Ms. Dwiggins books are right up your alley.
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Absolutely Stunning.
This is my first foray into Forensic Geology and I was surprised, pleased excited, thrilled, and lots of other feelings as I read about the disappearance of the town mayor set against the backdrop of a once dormant volcano now awakening. Mammoth Mountain is not so far away from my home in San Diego. Great book. I plan to read them all. -
Great story
This story of Mammoth Mountain is a grabber. The geology is fascinating and the thriller aspects just don't let go. I really enjoyed this tale, especially since I have been there. -
Disappointed
This is the second Dwiggins book I’ve read and I like them both. She’s a very good writer. However this book disappoint me because I did not like the ending. I don’t like them when the good guy dies. Enough said. -
Mystery
It was a mystery full of twists and turns. While it was easy to tell who the villain was, it did leave you guessing to the why and if it could be proven. plus there is some wonderful action toward the end of the book. -
I read this book when I was young, I loosly remember it which means it must have been riveting to some degree. Something about a whole town having to flee because of a volcano and I think a romance during?
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I am really enjoying this series. Intriguing characters and well paced action. Its the geology that keeps me coming back.
I have been reading it on my Kobo ereader, but Kobo no longer offers the remining ebooks :(
Hoping to come across the next book in the series somewhere. -
Amazingly compelling book series
The title intrigued me first, then I was drawn into the characters and plot. After reading this, , I'm going to have to research geology.. Well worth the time spent!
