The Rivers Run Dry (Raleigh Harmon Series #2)

Standard Detective Fare

The Rivers Run Dry, by Sibella Giorello is a FBI crime novel. Special Agent Raleigh Harmon, a forensic geologist, is assisting local police on the disappearance of the daughter of rich parents. When they receive a ransom note with a finger, Raleigh doesn't have much time to find the missing girl.

The story is pretty standard detective fare. There's the agent who doesn't do well with bureacracy, the wealthy parents who call in the politicians, and the kidnapper who cuts off fingers. I've seen it done before, and this just feels like same old-same old.

Kidnapping is a natural suspense area, but here, it's robbed by the lack of a ticking time bomb. For most of the book, we're told that the victim, Courtney, might just be missing, and that the only reason the FBI is investigating is because the parents complained higher up. The middle sags because it feels like nobody's trying particularly hard to find the girl until they get the ransom note. Once that happens, the story picks up, but it's pretty late into the book.

I'm afraid there just wasn't much in this book that made me want to find out what happened next.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Hard to Get Into

Raleigh Harmon is an FBI agent transferred to the Seattle FBI office for disciplinary reasons. A young rich girl disappears and becomes her first case. I enjoyed The Rivers Run Dry by Sibella Giorello, but it took some getting into and failed to hook me early on. I was also able to figure out who the culprit was before the end of the book,but this may be due to the fact that I think like a writer when I read or view television, even though she did a great job of possible motives for others. I found myself slower to complete this book than usual. I was able to put it aside and let it set awhile. When a book truly hooks me early on, I don't want to put it down. Some of the vivid description was a bit much and made it tedious. The visual imagery is wonderful, but there is such a thing as too much and when this happens, it slows down the flow and causes the novel to be slow-paced instead of fast-paced. I enjoyed the ending until I realized where it was going. I'm impressed with the amount of research she completed to make the novel realistic. My favorite part was when she discovered her mother serving meals to the people who needed help. I knew the moment the trooper came to her aid what was going on, but I thought she'd discover it while they were walking together, and she didn't. All the clues about the touch on her elbow should have lead to something. Instead, she figures nothing out until she sees the cuffs on her wrists. That was a bit disappointing, as she seemed too smart for this.

Enjoyable

I certainly hope she will write another book soon. It would be good to add more about Virginia if possible. Her first book was well written and interesting as well.

Great story with good characters.

This book is the first I've read by this author and I think she does a good job with description and character development.

Raleigh Harmon is a woman in a male-dominated field of FBI forensics. Her specialty is geology. When a local woman (rich family) goes missing, the FBI is called in to help the local police. Raleigh faces discouragement on every side, especially from the man she's partnered with, Jack Stephanson.

But Raleigh earns his grudging respect when she finds needed clues to the case.

I liked the book although it didn't talk much about Raleigh's faith in God -- maybe that was more in the first book. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will say that this book is definitely a good read. I recommend it for anyone's personal mystery library.

If you like mysteries by this author, I recommend any book written by James Scott Bell, Terri Blackstock and Angela Hunt.

Not a Dry Book

This was the first book I've read by this author and I will admit I was highly impressed with it. I liked Raleigh's character very much. She's very no nonsense and is a strong female lead. I really liked her name as it's unique and Southern. Her character is not very feminine, there were times when I honestly forgot she was female. Since it was in first person, the reader sees things the way Raleigh does and she doesn't really give off any hints that give away her femininity. There's not really any romantic subplots in this book, which was fine by me. I was glad the mystery was main plot of the book. The suspense build up was done very well, and the storyline felt like it was a good plot for a TV show. I also liked how Raleigh used her geology expertise to help solve the mystery. It's very nice to see a detective be smart and resourceful and not fall into the trap of being stereotyped.

If there was any qualms in the book, I would have to say it is the ending. To me, it felt like it happened rather abruptly and out of the blue. All of a sudden everything was explained and all loose ends tied up without warning. It felt like sort of a let down to just have it end the way it did. I wasn't expecting that ending but at the same time it felt like a predictable bit to explain things. Other than that, I did enjoy reading this book. Even though it's Christian fiction, it's not preachy at all. The characters do attend church, but it's not in your face and it's actually almost an afterthought in the book. Overall the story has strong characters and an interesting plot that makes for a very good read. I am looking forward to going back and reading Giorello's previous book which featured Raleigh and also to any future books by her.

The Rivers Run Dry is gritty.

The Rivers Run Dry by Sibella Giorello is about Special Agent Raleigh Harmon who was recently transferred to the Seattle office because of politics.
When a hiker goes missing Raleigh is assigned to the case with her mentor who just wants to concentrate on his own cases. He isn't interested in what might be a girl who ran away.
Raleigh investigates mostly on her own which does do anything for her career in terms of office politics. Once again, she is the outsider.
At the same time she is dealing with her mother's anxiety and her aunt's new age way of thinking.
Raleigh is a flawed character. She is three-dimensional and I'm not sure I liked her at first, I liked her by the end. Instead of a spunky strong, character, she was a quiet and strong character. Women are rarely written that way, especially by women authors. She was a refreshing change.
The story was gritty and the author evoked a strong sense of place. I want to hike in the Cougar Mountains. The description was sparse, but effective.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries.

Pretty good book

I was pleasantly surprised by the book, The Rivers Run Dry, by Sibella Giorello. I do not normally read books from the suspense genre but I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to put down.

The book is about an FBI agent named Raleigh Harmon who has been relocated to Seattle. She lives with her mother and aunt, who are both fabulous characters in the story. I can picture these women in my mind and I love the eccentricities they bring to the story. She is investigating the disappearance of a woman. The crime unfolds into a unpredictable and suspenseful story. I consider myself pretty good and predicting the end of books, but this one was hard to guess. I loved that the book was suspenseful and chilling, without being gruesome or overly graphic.

I would have loved for their to be a bit of romance in the plot. Raleigh is such a like able character and I am a sucker for a love story. I also felt some of the interactions with Raleigh and the other FBI agents were somewhat cliche and predictable.

I think that Sibella Giorello is a very talented author who has a bright literary career ahead of her. I look forward to reading additional novels written by her. I would love to see Raleigh turned into a series.

Great book by Sibella Giorello

Raleigh Harmon, a Special Agent, is sent to Seattle for punishment. She didn't follow the rules at her last posting. Oh she was successful in her case, but it is felt that she needs to follow rules. She's one of few women on her team, and the boys like treating her like crap. But she gets her chance when a local girl goes missing.

I did think that the story was unique. In this day and age of CSI and attendant wanna-be-CSI it is difficult to find a different forensic story. I liked the fact that the science was all about rocks and soil composition. I enjoyed the detail that was given about mining in that area.

From the people that appeared in this novel, it wouldn't surprise me if this was the first of a series dealing with Raleigh Harmon. Well I hope it is the beginning of a series. If there is a second one, I'll purchase that!!

Great mystery, great author

Raleigh Harmon's life is not going well. A disciplinary transfer lands the Southern FBI agent far from home in Seattle with an egotistical supervisor. Add to the mix her mom, who has moved with her to live with the quirky sister of Raleigh's deceased father, and the disappearance of a young hiker who may have been kidnapped, and things gets a little crazy.
I really enjoyed "The Rivers Run Dry." It includes quite an interesting cast of characters, from Raleigh's New Age aunt and her friend Claire the Clairovyant, who is all too eager to help Raleigh solve a case - and leads to to some pretty funny episodes; to the ever-evolving list of suspects in the disappearance; to Raleigh's quirky co-workers and sometimes confusing boss. Not only is a great mystery with lots of surprises, but Sibella Giorello's writing style is beautifully descriptive. You can picture each scene is vivid detail. So often, especially when reading a mystery, I feel compelled to keep going simply by the plot - rarely do I find a book with not only a good plot, but one whose poetic language drives me to keep reading and keep enjoying it. This was a great introduction to Giorello's work, and I look forward to reading her next Raleigh Harmon novel, due out next year.

Difficult to Enjoy

Raleigh Harmon is an FBI agent with a background in forensic geology who is transferred in disgrace from her Virginia FBI post, to the rainy location of the Seattle FBI office. Agent Harmon gets given a seemingly bum case about a missing hiker, which turns into a full fledged kidnapping. I'll stop here for fear of giving too much away, but let me tell you- if you've read one missing person FBI crime drama- you'll probably have a good idea of what happens next.

I really wish I enjoyed The Rivers Run Dry by Sibella Giorello. It took quite a bit of internal strife, constant questioning of my intelligence and a few evenings when I forced myself to complete what I'd begun. While beautifully written, it was difficult to trudge through and held very little appeal for someone who prefers her cop dramas to be less about description and prose, and more about an original plot and substance. Nothing in the novel is simply red, or black, in fact while the descriptions make the details in the scene pop off the page and into your mind, they also get a bit out of control and hamper the flow of the novel. As a writer I was impressed with her ability to create a vivid image, yet as a reader it grew tiresome and annoying very quickly. The sad part is: By the time I became fully immersed in the plot of the story, the novel was pretty much over and nothing was a surprise.

Raleigh Harmon to the rescue!

Author Sibella Giorello describes life through the eyes of a newly transferred female FBI agent living in a world typically dominated by men. Transferred to the Pacific Northwest, southern bred Raleigh Harmon, geologist turned FBI agent, receives her first assignment in the Violent Crimes unit. When a hiker goes missing, Raleigh must work around the clock to find out if the hiker was kidnapped or walked away of her own accord. Discounted by her own colleagues, Raleigh pushes to find the missing hiker even when doing so means going against direct orders and medical advice.

Although I appreciate immersing myself in the setting of the book, I found there to be too much detail in the account of the mountains, minerals, rocks, etc. The plot itself was amazingly well written with so many unexpected twists and turns that the added description seemed superfluous to me.

Giorello does an excellent job of weaving Christianity into her novel without coming across as "preachy." As Raleigh struggles to prove herself to her supervisors, she continues to learn that she must rely on her Heavenly Father. Her mother's search for her own faith and her aunt's escape from the religion forced upon her as a child depict many of today's families at different points in their quests for that true relationship with the Creator.

Overall, the plot made this book a must read. Raleigh's tenacity for the truth and tender heart for others made her a believable character that I want to meet again.

Exciting, thrilling, and edge of your seat reader!

The River Runs Dry by Sibella Giorello is an excellent story full of suspense and adventure. Join Raleigh,an FBI agent as she investigates the disappearance/kidnapping of a Seattle woman. New to the Seattle office, Raleigh learns about the local land and people as she investigates the case her way--sometimes breaking the rules. As the investigation continues, Raleigh becomes the possible second victim.
Sibella Giorello writes a tale of adventure that I could not put down. The excitement comes off each page and draws you in more and more. The mix of Raleigh's career life and personal life reveals the depth of the character and makes her seem so real. I recommend this book to anyone who loves police/crime dramas. 4 stars and a must read!
Review written by a Thomas Nelson book reviewer, see http://brb.thomasnelson.com for more information.

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