Quarry

Frankie MacFarlane, Geologist #3

by Susan Cummins Miller

As geologist Frankie MacFarlane prepares for her doctoral dissertation defense, two members of her committee are brutally attacked, one of them fatally. Meanwhile, the case on the supposedly deceased Geoff Travers is reopened, forcing Frankie to deal with the possibility that her former fiancé might still be alive. And, while working on a vertebrate fossil quarry, fellow student Dora Simpson is abducted. For her, time is running out.In the Mojave Desert, amid the arroyos and volcanic mesas of the Cady Mountains, Frankie finds the final pieces to these puzzles—and becomes the quarry.“Fast-paced, yet lyrical and evocative, Quarry yields a cross-section of creatures as fascinating as the fossil beds its protagonist studies. The real mystery for Frankie MacFarlane fans is how to read this book slowly enough to savor Susan Cummins Miller’s skillful prose and characterization.” —Wynne Brown, author of More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Arizona WomenPraise for previous Frankie MacFarlane Mysteries:“A rollicking pentimento of fieldwork gone afoul!”—Geotimes. “Assured and erudite.” —Publishers Weekly. “A gripping thriller, exciting and eager to lure the reader into a labyrinth of human deceit. . . . Attention Hollywood—this is the stuff from which blockbuster movies can be made!”—Midwest Book Review

Genres: Mystery

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2006

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

[TheIron Paw · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent crime novel with an interesting plot. The style more of the suspense/thriller nature than a mystery/whodunit. The characters come across as real (including the various academics), however the antagonist doesn't come across as a bit over the top. Readers interested in geology will enjoy all the geological references - the rest of us can just bleep over all that description. As is frequently my error - I should have started with the first novel of the series, as there was a lot of backstory involving a number of characters that I obviously missed.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

"With crimes of passion striking the quiet University of Del Rio campus, geologist Frankie MacFarlane is enmeshed in the case of a fragile psyche pushed to the edge ...

"Just as Frankie arranges her doctoral dissertation's long-awaited defense, a police investigation has reopened -- alongside unhealed wounds. When her ex-fiance Geoff Travers vanished, expelled by the university for plagiarizing Frankie's research, she should've deduced that his remains -- found later in the desert -- couldn't be legit, either.

"Now an unknown assailant is preying on high-profile geologists. Two members of her dissertation defense board have been attacked, one of them fatally. A fellow student has been abducted from her fieldwork site and, trapped amid the volcanic mesas of the Cady Mountains, has little time left. As Frankie sorts clues, she'll need to keep perspective -- or she'll swiftly become a psychopath's latest quarry."
~~back cover

I thought I would like this book more. It has lots of elements I like: university life, being a graduate student, being a graduate geology student (which in many ways is like being an archaeology graduate student), field work, a mystery, etc. Unfortunately, the plot revolves around a psychopath and trying to figure out what he will do next. And why. Not my cup of tea.

The book is very well written. The plot is clever and excellent for its genre. The characters are believable and interesting. Frankie, our hero, is not a lovely woman thrown into harm's way, who doesn't quite know what to do about it except plunge ahead into very predictable danger. She's a competent, self-assured young woman who is independent and quite used to solving problems and taking care of herself.

I wish I could give this book more stars. It deserves more stars. It's just that I'm not a fan of the psychopathic murder genre. If you are, you'll probably love this book.

[Catsalive · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ★s
Excellent. I really enjoyed this murder mystery & would happily read more by this author. I did read rather a lot about geology, but as it's a "Geologist Mystery" I guess that's to be expected, & most of it is quite interesting.

With crimes of passion striking the quiet University of Del Rio campus, geologist Frankie MacFarlane is enmeshed in the case of a fragile psyche pushed to the edge...

Just as Frankie arranges her doctoral dissertation's long-awaited defense, a police investigation has reopened - alongside unhealed wounds. When her ex-fiance Geoff Travers vanished, expelled by the university for plagiarising Frankie's research, she should've deduced that his remains - found later in the desert - couldn't be legit, either.

Now an unknown assailant is preying on high-profile geologists. Two members of her dissertation defense board have been attacked, one of them fatally. A fellow student has been abducted from her fieldwork site and, trapped amid the volcanic mesas of the Cady Mountains, has little time left. As Frankie sorts clues, she'll need to keep perspective - or she'll swiftly become a psychopath's latest quarry.

[Dallass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprised to find that I'd once again started a series a couple of books in (#3) as Quarry was easy to navigate, and it didn't require you to to have already read the first book in order to figure out what was going on.

Liked the characters, Frankie was solid. Not the type to fall at your feet at the first hint of danger, but not the kick-@$$ completely independent and emotionally distant female protagonist that has become the norm in recent years.

The murder/mystery itself was interesting (and because of the nature of the investigation I will try to find a copy of book 1 as it ties in, but you don't need it to enjoy this story).

Philo was interesting and mysterious, and we definitely didn't get enough time with him. Killeen was rock solid - no pun intended - and I liked his relationship with Frankie. The killer was twisted and not in the usual way either, which was so refreshing.

In short, enjoyed Quarry, and will be checking out more books in this series ;-D

3.5 stars

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#3 in the Frankie MacFarlane series. We understand that both the protagonist and the author are geologists, the book is permeated with their knowledge. Sometimes it is descriptive, sometimes educational, but occasionally it is esoterically overbearing with lists of unfamiliar minerals with no contest other than their being in the environment. This quibble notwithstanding, I look forward to future entries in the series.

Frankie MacFarlane series - As geologist Frankie MacFarlane prepares for her doctoral dissertation defense, two members of her committee are brutally attacked, one of them fatally. Meanwhile, the case on the supposedly deceased Geoff Travers is reopened, forcing Frankie to deal with the possibility that her former fiancé might still be alive. And, while working on a vertebrate fossil quarry, fellow student Dora Simpson is abducted. For her, time is running out.

[Roxann · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting read-geology, phds, etc. Some details was included in field work and describing the scenery. I found it a little difficult to read-this was the third book in the series and many times the author went back to some previous happening in other books. Usually I can pick up a book in the middle of the series and still have some good understanding as to what is happening. This was not the case with this book.

[Grey853 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankie has come to defend her dissertation, and all hell breaks loose. People are dropping like flies around her, run over or bashed in the head. Despite that, there's a definite order to this book that makes it a really engaging read.

Frankie's intelligence and strength comes through in every chapter as she struggles to find out who is trying to kill off the geology department.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

You need to be interested in geology to enjoy this book. Good thing I am! Every paragraph weaves something (term, rock structure, etc) into the story. The story itself is a little improbable but fun. The intra departmental wars of a university geology department were rather ugly but almost believable.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read! This is the second Frankie Macfarlane mystery I've read and it was even better than the last one. Frankie is a believable character and I lick forward to reading more of her adventures!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best written mystery in the genre "mysteries for people with specific careers/hobbies" I've read!

[Jehnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting academic read. But not worth reading if you haven't read the first couple of books in the series. There's too much back story about the main character that's missing.

[Lindig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankie MacFarlane, geologist, series. Really enjoyed this. Will look for others by this author.

[Little Fish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankie MacFarlane's long awaited Dissertation is done, however two people on the Board to hear it have been murdered and she knows unless she discovers who is doing it, she will be next.

[Gail Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting page-turner, with just enough geology to make me feel like I learned something.