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When colleague Dora Simpson asks Frankie MacFarlane to fill in as geology professor on a whitewater trip hrough the heart of the Grand Canyon, Frankie jumps at the chance. Eight days. Nearly two hundred miles on the river. One mile deep into the earth. What could go wrong? Everything. Frankie wrenches her knee on the first day. On the second, a solo kayaker forces her to choose between being gutted by a Bowie knife and drowning in the frigid water. Frankie chooses the river. Who wants Frankie dead? And why? As Frankie searches for answers, she discovers that one of her students is traveling incognito, fleeing a forced marriage. Has the Family tracked Molly into the Canyon? How can she escape when the few exit routes will be watched? The threads come together at Phantom Ranch, the only place in the Canyon where bridges link trails descending to the river from the North and South Rims. But will ecoterrorist wannabees bring down the bridges before anyone can escape? With the riveting suspense and acute attention to geological detail that readers have come to love, Frankie faces the Colorado River rapids and the perilous mystery at hand with courage, skill, and ingenuity.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2015
2 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Susan Cummins Miller
12 books12 followersSusan 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 30, 2023
This novel lets you tag along on a wild ride down the Colorado River on whitewater rafting trip, deep in the Grand Canyon. Along the way you will bond with Frankie, a geology professor, who agrees to join the trip as a geologic guide. At home, Frankie is dealing with the stress of someone stalking her, actually breaking into her home, and leaving behind a bugging device. She’s clueless as to who and why. Frankie takes on this river rafting assignment in the hopes that several days on the water will put her into a better mental space. Instead, she is soon separated from her team and finds herself fighting for her life against a sociopathic, determined killer, who has followed her to the river.
Woven into the main storyline is the plight of a young runaway who has left a fundamentalist Mormon group. She is desperate to avoid an arranged marriage to a known wife-beater; a man who is responsible for her sister’s recent suicide. The determined husband-to-be is in hot pursuit, and will stop at nothing to get her back into the fundamentalist fold. Cummins-Miller does a great job exploring the crazed mental inner working of someone who is convinced God has chosen him and is working through him. Chilling.
Because the author is a geologist, the reader is also treated to interesting information about the history of the Grand Canyon and rock types revealed in its walls.
This novel has the heart of a thriller, the soul of a scientist, and the nature of extreme bravery in the face of the terrifying unknown.
Woven into the main storyline is the plight of a young runaway who has left a fundamentalist Mormon group. She is desperate to avoid an arranged marriage to a known wife-beater; a man who is responsible for her sister’s recent suicide. The determined husband-to-be is in hot pursuit, and will stop at nothing to get her back into the fundamentalist fold. Cummins-Miller does a great job exploring the crazed mental inner working of someone who is convinced God has chosen him and is working through him. Chilling.
Because the author is a geologist, the reader is also treated to interesting information about the history of the Grand Canyon and rock types revealed in its walls.
This novel has the heart of a thriller, the soul of a scientist, and the nature of extreme bravery in the face of the terrifying unknown.
December 9, 2018
It’s been a long time coming, but I have finally managed to get the final (I hope not) book in the Frankie MacFarlane series.
However, after the previous story, I was expecting this to go in a whole different direction *cough * marriage *cough* but nope, once again Frankie and Philo spend the majority of the book apart, as Frankie finds herself once more in the middle of a problem, not of her own making, with her poor knee ending up a casualty of an escape. Colour me so not surprised.
The duel storyline’s (Ben and Joseph’s) worked well together at times, but ultimately Joseph’s story overshadowed Bens, which is a shame because that would have made a great story on its own. The ending was a smidge unsatisfactory if I’m honest, however I did enjoy how unsettled Ben got with Frankie all up in his face ;-D
Please tell me there will be one more book because this just left me hanging.
3.5 stars
However, after the previous story, I was expecting this to go in a whole different direction *cough * marriage *cough* but nope, once again Frankie and Philo spend the majority of the book apart, as Frankie finds herself once more in the middle of a problem, not of her own making, with her poor knee ending up a casualty of an escape. Colour me so not surprised.
The duel storyline’s (Ben and Joseph’s) worked well together at times, but ultimately Joseph’s story overshadowed Bens, which is a shame because that would have made a great story on its own. The ending was a smidge unsatisfactory if I’m honest, however I did enjoy how unsettled Ben got with Frankie all up in his face ;-D
Please tell me there will be one more book because this just left me hanging.
3.5 stars
March 21, 2023
4. 25. This was my first Frankie MacFarlane, but I’m ready to start at the beginning of the series. I started with #6 because it was the only one available for purchase. I thoroughly enjoyed the information about the canyon as well as the characters and the crimes. Scary place to have someone looking to kill you.
September 13, 2017
I just finished recording this book for the Arizona Braille & Talking Book Library. It was a bit hard to get into at first, especially with all of the sentence fragments, but it became more interesting as it went along. I also learned a fair amount about Grand Canyon geology.
August 18, 2015
#6 in the Frankie MacFarlane series. A perfect storm of danger awaits Frankie and the geology students she is accompanying on a float trip through the Marble and Grand Canyons. A killer is stalking Frankie, a religious fanatic is obsessed with kidnapping one of the girls in her group and ecoterrorists plan on blowing up a canyon feature, coincidently at the same time her group will be there.
Frankie MacFarlane series - The geology professor heads into the Grand Canyon with her brother Luke, friend and colleague Dora Simpson, and a group of young people to float down the Colorado River and study the rock layers that compose the canyon. Once on the river, Frankie is attacked by a mysterious man, perhaps the same person who burglarized her home before the trip. Traversing the river becomes even more dangerous when Dora reveals that a young woman in the group is traveling incognito, in an attempt to escape a forced marriage to the self-proclaimed prophet of a fundamentalist religious sect. Added to this volatile mix are ecoterrorists who plan to bomb the bridges at Phantom Ranch that link the trails from both the north and south rims of the canyon.
Frankie MacFarlane series - The geology professor heads into the Grand Canyon with her brother Luke, friend and colleague Dora Simpson, and a group of young people to float down the Colorado River and study the rock layers that compose the canyon. Once on the river, Frankie is attacked by a mysterious man, perhaps the same person who burglarized her home before the trip. Traversing the river becomes even more dangerous when Dora reveals that a young woman in the group is traveling incognito, in an attempt to escape a forced marriage to the self-proclaimed prophet of a fundamentalist religious sect. Added to this volatile mix are ecoterrorists who plan to bomb the bridges at Phantom Ranch that link the trails from both the north and south rims of the canyon.
December 30, 2015
Go rafting with Frankie MacFarlane down the Colorado River. Look around and see what she, a geologist, sees. Listen to what she says about the canyon—beautiful descriptions. Now you’re ready to face the killer. About one third of the book describes how Frankie hides from him in the canyon. She knows it much better than he does, but she doesn’t have any weapons and he does. Eventually she escapes and joins her companions.
There are other factions in the canyon besides the murderer. One is a team of eco-terrorists; another is the murderer who is trying to get revenge on Frankie, but we don’t know why; and a man who wants to marry his umpteenth wife as God has so directed. Suspenseful, beautifully written with the setting as another character. A great series with heroine Frankie MacFarlane. Texas Tech University Press
There are other factions in the canyon besides the murderer. One is a team of eco-terrorists; another is the murderer who is trying to get revenge on Frankie, but we don’t know why; and a man who wants to marry his umpteenth wife as God has so directed. Suspenseful, beautifully written with the setting as another character. A great series with heroine Frankie MacFarlane. Texas Tech University Press
September 11, 2016
After a spring visit to the Grand Canyon, I looked for mysteries located there. I found two available at my local library.
The first was Canyon Sacrifice by Scott Graham. It focused on the South Rim of the Canyon.
This novel focused on the bottom of the Canyon, with rafting and a lot of geological information.
And it had a map! I love maps!
I seldom read a series out of order, but made an exception for this one. I don't think I lost much background about these characters, as their backstory was sparingly included.
I have only white water rafted briefly in Alaska, so the detail here is overwhelming. There are several plots that are woven together to form the story and the writing is professional.
I am very interested in seeing pictures of Phantom Ranch, as I have never visited there and it sounded wonderful.
I am interested in reading the previous books in this series.
The first was Canyon Sacrifice by Scott Graham. It focused on the South Rim of the Canyon.
This novel focused on the bottom of the Canyon, with rafting and a lot of geological information.
And it had a map! I love maps!
I seldom read a series out of order, but made an exception for this one. I don't think I lost much background about these characters, as their backstory was sparingly included.
I have only white water rafted briefly in Alaska, so the detail here is overwhelming. There are several plots that are woven together to form the story and the writing is professional.
I am very interested in seeing pictures of Phantom Ranch, as I have never visited there and it sounded wonderful.
I am interested in reading the previous books in this series.
June 6, 2015
Great vicarious kayak trip thru Grand Canyon and story
I do not think anything else could be packed into this adventure. Great escapes, crazed killers, terrific scenery and young love. What more do you want,?!
I do not think anything else could be packed into this adventure. Great escapes, crazed killers, terrific scenery and young love. What more do you want,?!
October 26, 2015
Was so impressed that I am now looking for her other books so that I can read those. The scenery and trip she takes you on is amazing and I so want to travel to where this took place so I can see the beautiful scenery.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews