TSS: the rivers run dry by Sibella Giorello

It was early October when I drove east toward the mountains outside Seattle with tainted emeralds on my mind.

Title: the rivers run dry
Author: Sibella Giorello
ISBN: 9781595545336
Publisher: Thomas Nelson/2009
Pages: 317

Raleigh Harmon is a geologist as well as a good FBI agent. But she is not good at work politics. As it is thought she is not good at taking orders, she is shunted out to drought stricken Seattle from Richmond as a disciplinary action. Raleigh Harmon does not let it unfaze her. As she soon as she arrives, she finds that a hiker has gone missing. A hiker who belongs to one of the rich families and her parents don't want it publicized. Initially there is no ransom note. But the note does turn up. Raleigh in her own way looks for clues about the missing girl, taking the help of forensics. Everyone else considers it as a open and shut case but singlehandedly she vows to find the missing college girl.

On her way to it, she also discovers many skeletons tumbling out of the cupboards, those truths which had been hidden carefully by the missing girl's parents. Her bosses are not very cooperative but she does not let that come into her work. She gets to the bottom until she unravels what happened to the girl, Courtney, who also is a gambling addict.

Raleigh is a very likeable character. She has enough problems of her own. Her mother's behaviour at times borders on the weird. And her aunt has a clairyovant for a friend, who seems to be after Raleigh predicting danger for her. But Raleigh is least fazed by all of it. She is good at her job and she also is not one for giving in to emotions. She is rational and practical. She is also not above asking for help when she needs it.

Giorello's writing is very visual. Her use of imagery is astounding. The poetic language would have kept me on, no matter what. She also knows what she is writing about. It is a well written novel, with a sense of place, fast-moving plot and a very endearing, no nonsense heroine. This book also talks of spirituality but in no way it is jarring. I for one would look out for more novels from this author. I simply fell in love with her poetic prose.

Thanks to the publisher for this book.

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