The Rivers Run Dry

FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon novels always bring edge-of-your-seat suspense. When a routine case turns deadly, this forensic geologist finds her career on the rocks . . . and her life at stake.

Special Agent Raleigh Harmon is good at her job, but not as good at bureau politics. As one of the few females on the team, she finds herself in a strange land when she's transferred from Richmond to drought-stricken Seattle. When a hiker suddenly goes missing and a ransom note arrives, Raleigh realizes there's no time for transitions. Vowing to find the missing college girl, she must rely on her forensic geology skills to uncover the truth, leaving no stone unturned.

Gritty and poetic, with an evocative sense of place, a quirky cast of characters, a fast-twisting plot, and a compelling, complicated heroine, this superbly crafted mystery will keep you reading compulsively as hope runs short, the clock runs down, and the rivers run dry.

• Gripping suspense
• The Raleigh Harmon novels are best enjoyed in order, but can also be read as stand-alones:
  • Book 1: The Stones Cry Out
  • Book 2: The Rivers Run Dry
  • Book 3: The Clouds Roll Away
  • Book 4: The Mountains Bow Down
  • Book 5: The Stars Shine Bright
• Book length: approximately 110,000 words
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Author and journalist Giorello, whose Christy award–winning debut novel, The Stones Cry Out, made a splash in the evangelical Christian literary community, offers another crisply written crime story featuring Raleigh Harmon, the female geologist turned FBI agent. Agent Harmon is transferred from Richmond to Seattle, disciplined for not following orders. She arrives in Seattle with no sure footing and must quickly adapt to the unfamiliar as she begins the search for a missing wealthy young woman, with no choice but to trust her instincts. But there are distractions: her mom's sanity is iffy, her aunt has clairvoyant friends, and a whole host of fellow officers Harmon can't quite trust yet. As the search intensifies, so does the pressure, and Harmon keenly feels the strain of remaining an unemotional agent while coming into intimate contact with evil personified. With great attention to detail, gritty descriptions and fast-paced action, Giorello's tale of suspense is a sure bet. (Mar.)
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Raleigh Harmon, the Virginia forensic geologist and FBI special agent introduced in The Stones Cry Out (2007), is not having an easy time. Abruptly transferred to the Seattle office, she’s finding that they do things differently here than in her native South and that her new boss seems hell-bent on seeing Raleigh fail. But Raleigh doesn’t have time to worry about personal squabbling: a woman is missing, and only Raleigh, with her unique investigative gifts, can find her before it’s too late. Giorello, a Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist, has made the transition from journalism to fiction writing smoothly: the novel reads as though it were written by a veteran of the genre. Raleigh is a strong, assertive series lead, and, if these first two novels are any indication, she should be around for quite a while. --David Pitt