Tensleep: An Em Hansen Mystery

I picked up this book earlier this week at a used-book store and was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the mystery good, but a female sleuth who did not irritate me (as so many other feminine sleuths do, e.g. Kinsey Milhone, Stephanie Plum, Kay Scarpetta, and yes, Miss Marple, too). I'm no geologist but unlike the PW reviewer I have no quarrel with the jargon in this book, nor do I need it all explained to me. I grasped more than enough to lend color to the story, but was not so overwhelmed with inconsequential minutiae that I was in any danger of confusing this work with the relentlessly pedantic Patrick O'Brian (who impresses so many people with his fabulously tedious vocabulary that they have come to consider his work as literature). I am curious as to whether the author can keep me interested in this heroine over the course of multiple books - so few series really hold up well as the lead character progresses (or does not). Certainly the setting has the ring of authenticity rather than merely fine research, and the author has a knack for the occasional turn of phrase that can make mystery occasionally magical - not so much that the author seemed to be reaching for poetry, but enough to capture my fancy and make me eager to turn the page. I'm looking forward to reading A Fall in Denver next.

A hot babe on an oil rig, what more could you want in a mystery novel?All of the novels in the Em Hansen series refer back to our young heroine's experience on the oil rigs of Central Wyoming. If you are a fan of the series, Tensleep is a must read. I am really surprised that this, Sarah Andrews first (and in some ways best) novel is out of print. The book is great. It is worth the $$$$ you will have to pay for a used copy.In Tensleep, Em Hansen begins to discover her inner talents as an investigator. With a shiny new degree in geology, Ms. Hansen lands the traditional male job of mudlogger on a drilling rig. While handling all the garbage dished out by the good ole boy network in drilling, our young heroine finds more than she bargained for: The rig she is working is plagued by mysterious deaths and sabotage.The work is fascinating, as Sarah Andrews describes the politics and processes of drilling for oil. Sarah Andrews makes excellent use of drilling as a literary device. Em Hansen must solve both the mysteries of the oil company and that of the Tensleep formation. In my humble opinion, Tensleep is one of highlights of the Em Hansen series. I hope the publishers get their act in gear and print up a new edition for Sarah Andrews fans.

Sara Andrews has written a series of wonderful, human-scale mysteries about a woman geologist who has a habit of running into murders. She is a very approachable character, vulnerable, smart, dedicated, and hopeful-a very nice profile of a professional woman in a "non-traditional" field. In all her dealings with co-workers, family, lovers, and friends, she is entirely believable. A good read and a good series...I've read them all now, except the newest, which I just found had been published.

I, too, am a female geologist working in the oil industry. I actually began reading this book while I was out on location at the wellsite. I was riveted by the very first sentence! I began looking over my shoulder, wondering if the driller or mudlogger had murderous thoughts. Her description of the mechanics of drilling wells and explanations of geology were accurate yet easily understood by those not familiar with either geology or drilling. I enjoyed reading about another woman handled being the lone woman in a male-dominated field. I'm hooked and will be reading the rest of her books

This was a fun and nostalgic book for me to read. Like the main character, I, too, am a female with a geology degree. Although I never worked as a mudlogger, I did spend a summer at a geology field camp near Greybull, which is mentioned in the book. If you love Wyoming like I do and are interested in the mechanics of well drilling, then the setting adds much secondary interest to the main story line--two suspicious deaths within a week. I plan to read more of this author's books because so many of her experiences parallel mine and it's fun to see the world through another female geologist's eyes.