The Rivers Run Dry

By Sibella Giorello

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

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Mar 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781418578176

Reviews for The Rivers Run Dry

[msh09_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book of Giorello's that I have read. Her style is a little different and it took me a little getting used to, but it fits the character of Special Agent Raleigh Harmon. I enjoy the characters and the storyline. There was a good twist at the end. Definitely entertaining.

[cheryl.russell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Raleigh Harmon, is a forensic geologist and an special agent with the FBI. A disciplinary transfer moves Raleigh, along with her mother, from their hometown of Richmond, Virginia, to Seattle, Washington, a move she's having trouble adjusting to in more ways than one.

When a hiker goes missing on Cougar Mountain, the Issaquah police department puts in a request for an assist. Raleigh is sent to collect any forensic evidence, which isn't much. Her training agent, Jack Stephanson, tells her to file case when she's done because there isn't a case to investigate. But the missing hiker is Courtney VanAlstyne, daughter of wealthy parents who are convinced their daughter has been kidnapped. Without any evidence, the FBI can't get involved, until the VanAlstynes call their senator. The case that wasn't a case lands on Raleigh's desk. The determined FBI agent, driven by the memory of her murdered father, begins to sift through information. Bit by bit, clues begin to emerge that tell a story that clashes with the VanAlstynes story. An unmistakable piece of evidence appears and the case takes on life and death dimensions.

I become hooked on Sibella Giorello's writing in her first book, The Stones Cry Out. The subplots involving secondary characters are as engaging as the plot that drives the book, giving the story depth and bringing life to her characters. As a journalist, her work was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the ability has carried over into her novel writing. I'm planning on reading more of her work.