Death Assemblage

Frankie MacFarlane, Geologist #1

by Susan Cummins Miller

The mountains west of Pair-a-Dice, Nevada, hold mysteries geological, historical, and personal. Geologist Frankie MacFarlane has mapped the Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the range for the past three summers. In the final week of her dissertation fieldwork, she searches for an elusive final key to her research: a limestone marker bed—a death assemblage of fossil ammonoids—hidden by dangerous, shifting talus. But as Frankie strives to piece together her geologic jigsaw puzzle, the denizens of Pair-a-Dice, her base of operations, embroil her in a web of ancient and recent murders, a manhunt, kidnappings, and blackmail.A thirty-truck town, fifty miles from anywhere, Pair-a-Dice boasts two restaurants, three bars, seven pool tables, twenty-one slot machines, and a motley assemblage of misfits, including Diane Laterans, a punk schoolteacher who wears her Phi Beta Kappa key from her ear; Isabel Elorrio, crusty ex-marine and motel proprietor; Lon Bovey, rancher and would-be congressman; Walker, a mute handyman; the Anderson brothers, hooligans claiming kinship to infamous Bloody Bill; and a stranger, E. J. Killeen, U.S. Army, retired. Two bodies are discovered near Interstate 80, disrupting Frankie’s research. Are the killings linked to Killeen, to the new waitress in town, to Frankie’s ex-fiancé, who disappeared four months ago, or to older violence, the clues of which Frankie discovers in the mountains?Frankie’s environmental sensibilities and her grasp of geologic and human continuums make her truly a woman—and sleuth—of the new millennium.

Genres: Mystery

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Susan Cummins Miller is an American author of mystery novels.

Miller was born and raised in Southern California and lives in Tucson, Arizona. Before writing full time, she worked for the U. S. Government (primarily with the U. S. Geological Survey), conducting fieldwork in California, Nevada, Idaho, and Utah. She subsequently taught introductory geology and oceanography at the college level and offered short courses in writing, geology, paleontology, and oceanography in Tucson area schools. Miller is currently a Research Affiliate of the University of Arizona’s Southwest Institute for Research on Women and a SIROW Scholar. Her poetry has appeared in Sandcutters: Journal of the Arizona Poetry Society; Oasis Journal (2003-2008); and the anthology What Wilderness Is This: Women Write About the Southwest (University of Texas-Austin Press, 2007). Miller's mysteries and nonfiction have been published by Texas Tech University Press.

Series:
* Frankie MacFarlane, Geologist

Reviews

[Kate]

"The first of the Frankie MacFarlane Series The mountains west of Pair-a-Dice, Nevada, hold mysteries geological, historical, and personal. Geologist Frankie MacFarlane has mapped the Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the range for the past three summers. In the final week of her dissertation fieldwork, she searches for an elusive final key to her a limestone marker bed―a death assemblage of fossil ammonoids―hidden by dangerous, shifting talus. But as Frankie strives to piece together her geologic jigsaw puzzle, the denizens of Pair-a-Dice, her base of operations, embroil her in a web of ancient and recent murders, a manhunt, kidnappings, and blackmail.

"A thirty-truck town, fifty miles from anywhere, Pair-a-Dice boasts two restaurants, three bars, seven pool tables, twenty-one slot machines, and a motley assemblage of misfits, including Diane Laterans, a punk schoolteacher who wears her Phi Beta Kappa key from her ear; Isabel Elorrio, crusty ex-marine and motel proprietor; Lon Bovey, rancher and would-be congressman; Walker, a mute handyman; the Anderson brothers, hooligans claiming kinship to infamous Bloody Bill; and a stranger, E. J. Killeen, U.S. Army, retired. Two bodies are discovered near Interstate 80, disrupting Frankie’s research. Are the killings linked to Killeen, to the new waitress in town, to Frankie’s ex-fiancé, who disappeared four months ago, or to older violence, the clues of which Frankie discovers in the mountains? Frankie’s environmental sensibilities and her grasp of geologic and human continuums make her truly a woman―and sleuth―of the new millennium."

I gave this book 2 stars because it was pretty bloody at the end. The book was well written, and the author obviously has extensive geologic knowledge, but the graphic descriptions of gruesome violence turned me completely the book and the series.

[Dallass]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Frankie MacFarlane is a very independent, intelligent, and outgoing woman who is working at finishing her dissertation, when she becomes unwittingly entangled in a murder mystery.

Interesting characters, Killeen was very mysterious, and a good old whodunit mystery to solve made this a fun and fast paced read.

3½ ★ read

[Linda]

3.5

[Robert Enzenauer]

Wow! I really enjoyed this book. It was recommended to me by a college colleague who is also a PhD geologist. First in a series, I have aloready purchased the second installment. The heroine of the book is an incredible female geologist, that centers around the moungtains of Nevada. The characters are very interesting and the plot is complicated. Lots of details about rocks and the earth. Good plot; Interesting characters. The story move sure and steady. I look forward to the second book in the series.

[Ed]

#1 in the geologist Frankie MacFarlane series. The series debut has Frankie wrapping up her dissertation research looking for definitive proof in the form of a death assemblage of ammonoids when she is interrupted by murder. Intriguing series premise.

Frankie MacFarlane series - Pair-a-Dice boasts three bars and an assemblage of misfits, including Diane, a schoolteacher/hooker; Isabel, ex-marine and motel proprietor; Lon Bovey, rancher and would-be congressman; Walker, a mute handyman; the Anderson brothers, claiming kinship to infamous Bloody Bill; and a stranger, E. J. Killeen, U. S. Army, retired. Two bodies are discovered near I-80, disrupting Frankie's research. Are the killings linked to Killeen, to the new waitress, to Frankie's ex-fiance, or to older violence, the clues of which Frankie discovers in the mountains?

[Lillian]

I heartily approve of a mystery that incorporates geological dissertation research. I had some trouble with the large cast of characters; some characters that seemed to be minor for most of the story became critical later on. This caused me to search back through the book, trying to remember who each person was. There were multiple mysteries to solve. I think I will want to check out the second book in the series; there's a high likelihood that Frankie MacFarlane's character will get better and better.

[Grey853]

Frankie's a geologist working out of a small desert town. She gets involved in murder. There's a lot of action for one book, but there's also a lot of info about rocks and geology, almost too much for a novel. Still, I liked the main character. Problem was, there were a lot of characters in the book and many weren't really developed.

Not a bad start to a series, so I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Leif Anderson]

I couldn't help comparing this to Sarah Andrew's Em Hansen novels as I started reading, but the two series really are different enough that I was quickly engaged enough to forget the differences and similarities and just enjoy this book for its own sake. I liked the mystery. It was not too convoluted, and not too simple minded, either. There was a good amount of action but the story didn't depend solely on the action for plot advancement. It was short and enjoyable.

[Deb]

first book in a series...met the writer at the mystery writers conference in Santa Fe. She is really nice to talk with and very smart. She is a field geologist and her book is about a woman geologist, Frankie MacFarlane, who is in a small town in Nevada called Pair-a-Dice for the summer. Of course, there is a murder, she is caught on a mountain in a torrential downpour, and lots more happen to Frankie before the book ends. It was quite a fast read....looking forward to the second book.

[Karen]

This book had a wonderful plot and smooth professional writing, but too many geological distractions and padding. That is, if you are looking for a mystery.

If you are looking for a geologic research paper, this may be what you want.

The ending turned into an action adventure story. Somewhat distracting for a mystery, but excellent if you like superheroines facing constant danger.

I borrowed a copy of this from the public library.

[Lancy]

I was neighbours with the authors father and came across this book while at his home. I read his book and really enjoyed it..so much so I bought a copy of it to send to my mother and also one of her other stories.

[Little Fish]

This is Susan Cummins Miller first book and it is a good Mystery.

Frankie MacFarlane is a Geologist, (As is Susan Cummins Miller) and gets involved in a Mystery, other than the rock kind.

It is a very good book!

[Virginia]

Fabulous book! Frankie's great and the mystery and setting ("Pair-a-Dice" NV) is fantastic. Bought the next three books.

[Sandi]

I kept gettng the characters confused. I didnt feel they were fleshed out enough. Also was very bored with the geological information. Just not my thing, I guess.

[Lindig]

placeholder so I won't forget title/author.

[Andy Plonka]

This one has a small amount of info about geology which was interesting, but the mystery element was not as exciting as I had hoped it would be.