Death Pans Out
A Jeneva
Leopold Mystery
Ashna
Graves
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-373-6 (1590583736)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-373-9 (9781590583739)
Publication Date: March 2007
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): While recovering from a double mastectomy, journalist
Jeneva Leopold seeks solitude and healing at her uncle's idle gold mine
in the sagebrush desert of Eastern Oregon. Hiking the rocky ridges,
swimming in the old mining pond, and ignoring the outside world save
for occasional letters, Jeneva gains strength and a new will to live.
As her interest in life returns, so do Jeneva's journalistic habits.
And though the locals are at first puzzled by all of her questions, she
soon gets to know a young woman rancher, various miners, a quirky old
artifact hunter, and an itinerant priest and medieval scholar. These
people and other colorful locals give her the inside story on living in
the harsh landscape of sagebrush and coyotes and revealing how the old
west is changing under new economics and regulation.
But the Oregon desert is also a place of secrets. The more Jeneva talks
with the locals, the more she wonders about her uncle's mysterious
disappearance. Why did her uncle and her mother stop talking so many
years ago? Does she know more than she is acknowledging? The murder of
a young miner sends her on a quest for answers, leading her to an
elderly woman artist living in a converted chicken house, a tongue-tied
funeral home owner, and a swashbuckling sheriff with rule-bending
tendencies.
The appalling business she uncovers shocks the region and nearly claims
her life, but it also brings closure to an old family misunderstanding
and the enigma of her uncle's fate.
Review: Death Pans Out, Ashna Graves' debut
novel introducing journalist Jeneva "Neva" Leopold, is a quiet,
absorbing mystery that captures the remoteness of the high desert of
Oregon in a way that complements the engaging characters and a
decidedly chilling plot.
Following a double mastectomy and subsequent depression, Neva escapes
to a mining cabin in eastern Oregon formerly inhabited by her uncle who
disappeared 15 years ago. The remoteness of the region and minimal
conveniences of modern living have a startling effect on Neva: she
rapidly recovers from her depression and her long walks around the area
have rejuvenated her body.
Meeting up with some of the local residents and discussing their lives
stirs up her journalistic instincts. She begins by investigating the
circumstances surrounding the disappearance of her uncle. How could
someone who knew the area well have so completely vanished? The recent
murder of a young miner and another gone missing don't seem related to
her in any way; men had always killed for gold, she says. Yet the
mysterious appearances in the middle of the night of a truck rumbling
along the old mining roads are hardly coincidental and suggest there
may be something more sinister happening than anyone is aware of.
The mystery is terrific and the characters are colorful and well drawn.
But the real appeal of Death Pans Out
is in the way Graves engages the imagination of the reader with her
descriptions of the region and Neva's exploration of it. There isn't a
lot of dialog; Neva spends most of her time alone. But she is hardly
lonely. Her joy at discovering her new environment and her recovery in
it is expressed as inspired and eloquent narrative. Following the
resolution of the mystery, the conclusion is both poignant and
appropriate.
As a stand-alone effort, Death Pans
Out is wonderfully complete. However, it would be even better if
Graves brings the captivating Neva back for a subsequent mystery.
Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of Death Pans Out for this review.
Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Death Pans Out? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Death Pans Out
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), March 2007
ISBN-10: 1-59058-373-6 (1590583736)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-373-9 (9781590583739)
Omnimystery keywords for Death Pans Out ...
Location(s) referenced: Oregon.
