Rock Bottom

Em Hansen Mystery #11

by Sarah Andrews

Rivers, oceans, streams, lakes—it doesn't matter what shape it takes, Em Hansen is terrified of the water. She hasn't shared her phobia with her new husband, Fritz, and when his best friend, Tiny, organizes a month-long, private, white-water rafting trip through the Grand Canyon as a wedding gift, she can't tell him how awful the trip sounds. Fritz and Tiny cobble together a party of fourteen people for the trip, but at the last minute, Tiny finds himself in the hospital and has to miss the trip. He fills his spot with George "Wink" Oberley, ostensibly a geology Ph.D. candidate at Princeton and expert river rafter, but Em immediately suspects there's more to his story.

Then the rafting trip Em had been trying so hard to enjoy veers further off course than she had ever expected: Someone disappears from their party, and a dead body washes up downstream. Now it's up to Em to figure out what happened—and whether she and her husband and stepson are sharing rafts, food supplies, and tents with a murderer.

Rock Bottom, the latest in Sarah Andrews's beloved Em Hansen series, will delight readers with its breathtaking scenery and riveting mystery.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Geology

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 22, 2011

About the author

Sarah Andrews is a geologist who writes mystery novels about a geologist.

She currently lives in northern California and invests her free time on community pursuits and flying, skiing, and sailing with her husband and son.


Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Miki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like the protagonist at all. Aside from the fact that she persisted in referring to her husband's 13-year-old son as a "lad" at EVERY possible opportunity, the dialog is stilted and non-realistic.

Furthermore, she never missed a chance to pontificate - at GREAT length - about the sacred science of geology, and she considered it her task in life to rescue the afore-mentioned "lad" from his belief in God over science. Expressing one's beliefs is one thing. Being patronizing and offensive about the views and beliefs of others is another.

Yes, it's fiction, and yes, the writer has the right to set forth her own views. I also have the right to express mine. However, I will take the high road and be nice about it. I just won't read any more of her books.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Rivers, oceans, streams, lakes—it doesn't matter what shape it takes, Em Hansen is terrified of the water. She hasn't shared her phobia with her new husband, Fritz, and when his best friend, Tiny, organizes a month-long, private, white-water rafting trip through the Grand Canyon as a wedding gift, she can't tell him how awful the trip sounds. Fritz and Tiny cobble together a party of fourteen people for the trip, but at the last minute, Tiny finds himself in the hospital and has to miss the trip. He fills his spot with George "Wink" Oberley, ostensibly a geology Ph.D. candidate at Princeton and expert river rafter, but Em immediately suspects there's more to his story.

Then the rafting trip Em had been trying so hard to enjoy veers further off course than she had ever expected: Someone disappears from their party, and a dead body washes up downstream. Now it's up to Em to figure out what happened—and whether she and her husband and stepson are sharing rafts, food supplies, and tents with a murderer.

Rock Bottom, the latest in Sarah Andrews's beloved Em Hansen series, will delight readers with its breathtaking scenery and riveting mystery."
~~front flap

Wow -- this book was a real nail biter! Great characters, great plot! Suspenseful ending! I hope this isn't the last book in the series.

[Sherry · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really looked forward to reading this book, mainly because of the location. Unfortunately, I found the protagonist so thoroughly unlikeable, even the location couldn't rescue this book for me. The writing was competent, but the plot was slow and plodding, and the supporting cast of characters never did come to life. The protagonist's relationship with her stepson created the first big hurdle for me. She was so cold and unfeeling toward the kid, I just wanted to pack him up and send him home to his mother. In this story, the protagonist and her husband have been married only a few months, but the protagonist didn't seem to care much for him, either. I found much of the dialogue stilted and unnatural. All in all, the book was a disappointment.

[Rachel Brainerd-L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this - I love rocks and powerful female leads.
First, I enjoyed the premise of Em's academic and experiential knowledge in her field, and of course, the murder mystery angle. I love the setting - towering rock faces, camping, white water rafting... The relationship dynamics between newly marrieds, father-son, step mom - step son etc.

It started off slow, and I felt quickly underwhelmed with what could have been. I quickly glazed over the lengthy passages detailing the rock formations and historical timeline (which I typically would be interested in) due to the overly heady words and what felt like some sort of agenda?? I got tired of reading about the evolutionary debate with the son. I did appreciate the honest inner dilemma of both Em and her stepson about religion and science, but it became too over-worked, as if every single conversation they had revolved around that one topic. Em definitely started to feel patronizing and dismissive towards his upbringing (while it was phrased in the 'radical conservative anti-science' trope), her relationship towards him felt more like a challenge than a complicated but compassionate relationship.

All of the religious characters in this story were portrayed as backwards, radical, hill-billy & ignorant - no redeeming factors. Even the young girl in the religious group who seemed to have genuine 'faith' was written to be ignorant, blind, and offensively vapid. Not trying to defend any of the realities / abuse / brainwashing that occurs in radical cult-like religions, but truly - just as in scientific research, you have to consider all of the variables and approaches, and none of the other realities of religious belief were given a chance to voice their truths in this book.

I finished the book, and was a bit disappointed in the ending. It wasn't a big surprise. I did like the writing from the law enforcement perspective - and the little snippets of investigation, but once again - they were overshadowed by the overly intellectual and patronizing rants (not even conversations) from Em.

Overall - worth a quick read, but it doesn't entice me to read more from Sarah Andrews, or the Em Hansen mystery series.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caveat: My first major in college was geology; I always head to the new books section in the Library first. I just took a floating trip down the Grand Canyon with a geologist! Years ago, I passed up a chance to float the Canyon with the Department of Earth Science (Montana State University) geologists on one of their annual trips.
This story was well-done from the scientific point of view: the narrator was explaining the geology to a thirteen-year-old boy, which makes a complex topic more understandable to the average reader.
The characters are heart felt, even in scientific trappings, and the action was well-paced. It is the last in a series of books with Em Hansen, forensic geologist, at the helm. I much prefer to read a series in order of the stories' timeline, so I have to pay the piper, so to speak, for grabbing this book up. Now, I am going to read the others.I most particularly liked the expressions of the scientific process that Em had to create in order to share with a youngster who was raised on Creationist philosophies, and her struggle to do this in a respectful way. She was more creative than the average scientist who might have just lectured defensively. Along with this, an accurate depiction of roles of two branches of the National Park Service: Protective and Naturalist, was embedded in several characters. All of this is a lot of threads well woven to create an interesting and exciting story.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE REAL EM? Did the same writer actually write this book? I have always liked the Em Hanson books because they were a little different from the average murder mystery. This book bore little resemblance to the previous books and Em definitely was not her usual quirky inquiring self. While the setting was interesting, the mystery was very weak. I mean what has happened to Em. She gets married and has just been absorbed into her husband. The Em that I know would have fully examined the murder victim's leaky boat. She would not have just accepted everything at face value.

I thought the step son was a terrible character and only there so that the author could pontificate on science vs. creationism. The whole arrest of the husband was stupid. In fact the whole book was just ridiculous and not like the other books. I gave the book one star and that was really more than it deserved. Please bring back the real Em and while you are at it, please find the real Sarah Andrews.

[Cosette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Too many agendas and too much baggage.

[Chora Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little read. It wasn’t developed well, which was my issue with it. And everything resolved way too nicely. I thought it was way too neat for a sexual assault case, but that’s just my personal opinion. It was interesting, and I learned things about geology, but it was too far from reality for it to be a realistic fiction book.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've had earthquakes, killer dust, poisonous ores, sinking aquifers and more, and at last we get to some good old sedimentary rock, in the Colorado River canyon. Em Hansen on the job, reluctantly, due to her fear of water. Fun to see the evolution of interpersonal relationships between Em and the other main characters.

[KT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't give it a lot of stars because I don't like mystery books (read this one because of a library reading program - figured I'd try it). Decent writing, tho, and bonus points for the science it contains. Barf points for the smarmy end of the book.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good read - enjoyed learning about the Grand Canyon to prepare for our trip in the future.

[Laura Chatfield · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely not her best book! Stilted dialogue and little mystery to the story. Poorly written.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good mystery by Sarah Andrews featuring her “forensic geologist” Em Hansen. I liked how the story was told via two separate paths, out of time with each other, and using different ways to tell the story. So while the primary story involved Em, her new husband Fritz and her stepson Brandon going on a rafting trip down the Grand Canyon, we learn early on, through the eyes a National Park Service investigator, that one of the party has been murdered. In the meantime, the rafting party continues, unaware that a murder is in their future.
It may be that the story had to be written this way, as there is precious little investigation goes on – the book is mostly a paean to the wonders of the Grand Canyon and its rock formations, as seem by Em and explained to her Christian-fundamentalist-leaning stepson.
Anyway, an obnoxious late addition to the party, known as “Wink”, turns up dead, and the prime suspect quickly becomes Fritz. Honestly, nobody reading the book would really expect him to be deemed the real culprit; and indeed the real murderer seemed quite obvious when exposed (again without any real investigation).
But this book is not really about the investigation – somehow it is more like a travel book, with a murder inserted in it. I liked it a lot.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's great to read another Em Hansen book. Some new bits of geology that lend to Hansen's well-rounded experience. But geology, much less forensic geology, isn't really a significant part of this story compared to many of the previous books. And when geology comes up in the book, it comes across as deliberate, interspersed to continue the geology underpinning of the series. I also would have liked to see more depth to the characters - there remains little explanation of much of the antagonist's behavior - and there is much more to explore with his past, marriage, professional life, children, etc. A lot of the commentary (i.e., about climate change) is portrayed as black and white without shades of gray - without the debates within debates. This was a good story that could have been much bigger.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this in the new books section of the library and was instantly pulled in by the topic (Grand Canyon rafting) and lead character (female geologist). But I didn't know it was book 11 in a series, so I missed all the references to previous characters and events. However, I liked it well enough that I started over at book 1 in the series. I might have to read this again once I've caught up in the series. It was an entertaining story of a rafting party through the Grand Canyon - probably something I'll never do, so it was nice to experience it in that sense. It was a good story of how a bunch of strangers really will get along on a trip, especially when one of them disappears and a body turns up downstream.

[Hazel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in the series I've read. I think there are about ten earlier ones. I picked it up because it's set on a self-guided Colorado Rover trip through Grand Canyon. On our 20-odd trips we've joked and played around with scenarios for murder mysteries set there but have never got very far. She has plotted out a reasonably convincing tale with some good sub-plots, science-geology vs religion-creationist and while there is maybe a tad too much explanation about the workings of a river trip instead of just showing it to us, I enjoyed it enough to read three of the earlier books in the series.

[Sheppard Hobgood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a natural for someone who has taken a few geology courses and multiple trips down sections of the Colorado River. I liked it. The only mystery I read previously was the Maltese Falcon and I'll add to my mystery reading in the future. There is always at least one super jerk on any river trip with ten or more people and there are always people who will go to any length to spend as much time on the river as possible. Although the bad guy, Wink, may seem a bit unbelievable, his ilk are out there! Beware the last minute add-on. Let's face it, this book was likable but lame.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

So disappointed in the lastest Em Hansen novel. This was more a creationism vs evolution book than a murder mystery solved by geology (which, by the way, was not solved by geology but by an eye-witness to the murder!). It was all blah blah the Grand Canyon is evidence of the Great Flood vs some nifty geological explanations, but the murder was literally solved in about 4 pages, and not because of Em Hansen. Lame!

[Deedeebee · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this latest Sarah Andrews book her series character Em Hansen, a forensic geologist, is off on a month long white water rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. She is on the trip with her new husband and his 13 year old son. The rest of the party is made up of fourteen people and one last minute addition to the party who is not quite what he claims to be. This book has wonderful descriptions of the breathtaking scenery and geology and who done it mystery.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good mystery that gave away some answers early on, but still had a few surprises in store as the story progressed. I particularly enjoyed it because it brought back memories of my raft trip on the Colorado River a few years ago. There was enough geology to keep rock fans happy, without scaring off people who were not interested in geology. It may have been a little hard on some religious groups,but had some good insights into how teenagers think and feel.

[Ken Schloman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story line that appeared to die at the end. Solution to the mystery seems to be put together quickly s a way to end the book. I like the geology and the main character--- the author puts a lot of work into these areas. This story line pits the science of the Grand Canyon versus religious fundamentalism but does it in such a way that is not preachy. Again, I liked the book but the ending left something to be desired.

[Curt Stratman · Rating 5 out of 5]

After 4 or 5 years away, geologist Em Hanson has returned! This is simply another in a long line of great reads by geologist/author Sarah Andrews, and although the wait was long, it was well worth it. By all mean, buy this book! Then, after you've read and thoroughly enjoyed it, go back and start at the beginning of the series. There are eleven more great reads, just like this one!

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of a mystery series, with the main character being a geologist, hence the title name. There were some interesting characters and story line here, pretty much your basic murder mystery. A few places here and there that made me say, "Hmm...", but I don't have to agree with everything I read.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished a 9 day canoe trip down the Green River in country with very similar geology and river life without the rapids. I enjoyed the descriptions of the river and the formations. However the story was a little weak and the dialogue/ interactions were not very satisfactory. It got poorer towards the end with a bit far fetched ending.

[Robin Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the read. Made me want to raft-trip down the canyon. Enjoyed the brief delving into science vs belief discussions.

Merged review:

Loved the descriptions of the geology of the Grand Canyon--probably one of the few things I've read to make me want to take that rafting trip myself (without the bad guy along, of course).

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read all the Em Hansen books and have loved them. It has been a long time since the last one and this one was worth the wait. She weaves the mystery with lots of talk of geology, ecology, and evolution/creationism. Sometimes it was a lot of geology, but it was all interesting. I have not been in a raft in the Grand Canyon but I am familiar with the area and that made it more special.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I regret that I have not yet been to the grand canyon and I have never taken a geology class. So I forgive the author for, what some reviews call, an excessive edification agenda. I actually appreciated the science background and the travelogue of the river rafting trip. I will read another in this series.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! It really brought out the emotions with some of the confrontations between Fritz and Wink. I couldn't stand Wink at times. Loved the location, such a great adventure story. The Grand Canyon would be an awesome trip. Haven't read her books in a while. Thought I had read them all. Really like her books.

[Alma Kucymbala · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always Sarah Andrews is a good read. I especially like fiction set in the natural landscape and this did not disappoint on that count, but sometimes the action seemed contrived and the characters simply cardboard cutouts.

[Donna Herrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

thanks for explaining the geology to me in the midst of an unfolding mystery! i would have lked to see this book illustrated with photos nd rough sketchees