Quicksilver

Forensic Geology #1

by Toni Dwiggins

** A harrowing hunt in the California gold country **
* Second Edition, Revised and Expanded *
_______________
A young man disappears in the Mother Lode wilderness. He leaves behind a gold-flecked rock and a vial of toxic mercury. He is a misfit in the modern world, a throwback to the Gold Rush days.

A venture capitalist--whose gold country is Silicon Valley--hires forensic geologists Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws to track his missing brother.

Following one of the 'lost rivers' of California, Cassie and Walter plunge into the dark history of the legendary lands, into the dark past of the brothers, into a poisonous sibling feud that threatens both lives and the land.

And they are not the only ones on the hunt.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Geology, Suspense, Crime, Action

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2013

Reviews

[Marley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Quicksilver for free download on Kindle and thought what the heck. Try it. It turns out to be one of the strangest books I've ever read--which is a compliment. And compelling. Who knew geology could be this much fun or "mysterious?" We get right into the story and there's never a dull moment. The Shelburne brothers are compellng, each crazy in their own way, who carry "sibling rivalry" to the limit. If you don't know anything about geology, don't worry. Author Toni Dwiggins does, and she makes it painless. At the end of the book she also gives us some nifty sites to learn more about gold mining and mercury, and also some maps of the territory in the book. I'll be reading more of her work.

[Catherine Nobles · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many reasons, Quicksilver is a wonderful story. I greatly enjoy science based thrillers but I had never read anything that featured geology; the concept of forensic geology intrigued me even more...neat CSI stuff. Having read three of Toni Dwiggins' books so far, I can say all of them are a mixture of good science--LOTS of good earth science--intrigue, pathos, humor--a good bit of that too--and tragedy. And of course, lots of suspense. Quicksilver is no exception.

At its heart, I think, Quicksilver is a tragedy, for several reasons. At the forefront, is the tragedy of the Shelborne brothers, so different...one having grown up feeling inferior to the other, the other aware and taking advantage. Always competing, trying to outshine the other in the eyes of their father. One obsessed with fulfilling his father's dream of finding the gold his father didn't before he died. The other obsessed with money and success. Ms. Dwiggins described the one who didn't quite live up to Dad's expectations... "Henry was a damaged soul. A wounded soul, betrayed by his father and his brother, not an asset in their world, surely not an asset in anybody's world. Hurt to the core. A man in the wrong century. And all he wanted now, here, was an apology from his brother."

Betrayal of the earth is the other big tragedy, what humans did to the earth in their obsessive greed for the yellow stuff. I was totally unaware of the problem with mercury in gold mining, and Quicksilver made a huge, dramatic impact in my mind about the issue of mercury poisoning, the long-term effects, and the enormous difficulty in ridding the earth of mercury contamination. Further Google investigation of the matter enlightened me regarding the severe environmental problem with mercury which continues to this day.

Quicksilver may be a fast-paced fictional thriller, but it brings to life an environmental issue and piques an interest in earth science in a way that is so entertaining that it doesn't seem as educational as it really is. All of Ms. Dwiggins' books have this characteristic. She makes learning fun.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable introduction to The Forensic Geology series. Interesting locations that were quite new to me made me slow down and try to build a vision for Cassie and Walter to climb through. Nice twisty plot that surprised me. Even the characters broke out of their expected roles, adding just more goodies to this prequel.

I do wish there was more geological background. Not a college course but more information about the locations where the story is situated. I had to wiki quite a few terms to understand some of the scenes and the importance of certain geological forms that were pivotal to the unfolding action.

I enjoy scientific procedural novels so "Quicksilver" was right up my alley. Good read but not for everyone. I am looking forward to reading more in her next books.

[Kessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept using geology and forensics, however I did not quite get it. The two main characters, Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws seemed to spring up out of nowhere and I did not understand where they where coming from; what their role was until I read further along in the book. The environmental side was fascinating and the quicksilver poisoning of the land very relevant. Luckily I read a review in which someone mentioned that the other books were better so I will read the next one.

[Michael Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first in a forensic geology series. A person with an interest in thrillers and geology may be drawn to it, which is exactly why I chose to read it. However, I was disappointed, forcing myself to finish it. Too much detail about geology and gold mining. I am a geologist. I would have preferred more attention had been given to the story and to editing. I cannot recommend it to others.

[Diana in SC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gold-hunting and suspense
Audiobook version: 4 stars overall, 4 stars story, 5 stars narration

This was a solid mystery/thriller, but the plot is a little weaker than later books in the Forensic Geology series. I enjoyed it as it went along, and I liked the little thrill of the gold hunt, but I couldn't make myself care that much about the Shelburne brothers' issues and the larger case. The climax did bring some more thrills, thankfully.

This audiobook is a nice introduction to Cassie and Walter and their geological and deductive methods of crime-solving. As a geologist, I absolutely love the completely accurate geology, chemistry, and ecology in this series. The narrator did an excellent job, making every character sound distinctive and with perfect pacing. The books in the series can be read as standalones or in any order.

I requested and received a free audio copy via the publisher, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review. #TheFlockVIPReviewTeam #FiresideAudio

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the setting (Sierra Nevadas, opens in Mammoth Lakes!) and description. I was intrigued by the premise of forensic geology--using rocks to solve mysteries? Sign me up! There was a lot of geology vocabulary and detail. I like the subject, so that didn't bother me, but it might be too much for others. We were dropped right into the mystery and it would've been good to have a little more background on our protagonists--how did they end up together, why Mammoth, was this their first case, how did they get into forensic geology in the first place etc. The mystery itself was predictable (though I didn't see the final relationship reveal coming, which didn't matter too much), but that didn't bother me. I guess I'd been reading a number of bad books back-to-back, so an easy mystery was just fine. I think there are good bones here, and with some polish, it could be really good. Seems like the next ones in the series are better, so I'm looking forward to that.

[L.D. Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out-of-the-Box Mystery

Thoroughly enjoyed this thrilling jaunt into the wild outdoors. I have a hard time deciding if this is just a Mystery or a Thriller. I usually check the Thriller box when the main character's life is in danger. I think that is true for the most part, but not in the sense of a Steve Berry or even Dam Brown. Regardless, the pace mostly clips along, keeping you turning pages. I do with one of the villains was more fleshed out. They had interesting quirks and their weirdness was a big draw, but as the plot wraps up their connection to it all seems to come out of nowhere and I was left with too many questions to feel satisfied. The setting of this book is joy and I love all the detail the author added about mining, geology, and the environment. Will be picking up the next one despite a few nagging gripes.

[Sue Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love rocks. I collect rocks. Other people go on vacation and bring home t-shirts and trinkets. I bring home rocks. I love mysteries. This should have been the perfect book for me. You didn't have to bore down too deep to discover the book was just plain boring. The characters were boring. The mystery was obvious and boring. I managed to bore my way through it. Since I already have the third volume in the series (Amazon tells me I purchased it in 2012, but I don't remember having read it) I'll give that one a try and hope that by the third book the author found a way to make geology as interesting as it should be!

[Brenda Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Mystery! Audiobook Review 🎧
I love Cassie and Walter and really enjoy all the books that they are in.  This was a mystery about the search for a man lost in gold country.  It was interesting learning about the geology in this story.  I found this story easy to follow, even with all the twists and turns in it. I went through different emotions with the characters in this book and was sad a few times.  This was a great book with excellent narration by Nellie Scott.  She had distinct voices for each character and made the story enjoyable to listen to. 
#AudiobookObsession #TheFlock

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who would have thought there would be such a profession as forensic geologist? The story concerns two such folk who solve mysteries using their estimable scientific knowledge. A good opportunity to learn about such things as chiastolite hornfels, auriferous graves and andesite breccia. However, the characters behaved and responded in improbable ways, and the choppy writing style made it a bumpy read. E.g., " I peered inside. No light. The sound of flowing water. A blast of cold air. I shivered." That can get tiresome

[Janis · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you think forensic geology you think dirt in the cuff of a pair of pants or from the wheel well of a car - to help solve a crime. In this case our forensic team is using their skills to locate a confused suicidal man lost in the mountains while in grips of Gold Fever. Are they too late or is there more to this case than meets the eye. A good read, more background on the characters would be great but it is the first in the series so hopefully we learn more as the series progresses.

[Steven Howes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Given my work experience in dealing with resource issues involving geology, geomorphology, and soils, a book about forensic geology was quite intriguing to me. However, I found the story and characters to be a bit lame. I think many readers with little or no understanding of geology, hydrology, and mining may find some of the technical jargon hard to follow. One thing a potential reader may come away with is the impact that historical gold mining has had on the environment.

[Alibi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story had very interesting/unique characters and taught some geological information. I found some of the goldrush information very interesting and found myself curious about whether there were truths in the stories. There was suspense and definitely some twists and turns that I didn't see coming, although I was always confident things were not as they seemed many times given the strange nuances of some characters. Narrator helped bring the characters to life.

[Siobhan D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the narration of Nellie Scott

We have tragedy, we meet the Shelborne brothers. Both have different feelings on how they grew up. One having grown up feeling inferior to the other, while the other brother takes advantage of this. Both of them competing for their father's attention. Looking for the gold in mine that their father was obsessed over.

Obsession, greed, tragedy of man and earth.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting story by new-to-me author Toni Dwiggins. It's a stand alone in the series with no cliffhanger. I'd be interested in listening to more by this author.

The audiobook was narrated by also new-to-me narrator Nellie Scott. She did a great job with the narration and I'd listen to her again in the future.

I received a copy of this book at my request and the opinions here are my own.

[Maddy Gold · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise but I really hated the writing style. Anytime there could have been tension, it was ruined by Cassie’s endless internal monologue.

And Golden Gail? The fittest, smartest, fastest, fittest person on the mountain? Did I say fittest? Because she is. The fittest. She works on her fitness. To be the fittest. Walter might be fit for an old man, but Gail could take him. Cassie looks fit, but Golden Gail is fitter. And obsessed with gold. Thus the name.

Fit.

[Liana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up at the Redmond Airport "Fly-brary" and chose it because it takes place in the NorCal area where I grew up. I formed no alliance with characters, especially not the swoony, albeit strong, female co-lead. The geologist jargon did nothing to appeal. Characters so odd as to be unbelievable.

[Carol L. Easley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being somewhat of a science nerd and in honor of my late daughter who was a geologist, I was excited to find this series. Unfortunately, I read looking for a tangled and compelling plot. I just never found it in this book which became a dogged challenge about a third of the way through. But I soldiered on and never found it. Not for me...

[Laura Poppenwimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept for a forensic investigation, using geology. The main characters are interesting and well developed. The descriptions of the scenery puts you right in the scene, the only thing missing is the smell. The plot line doesn't follow a straight line but meanders to a satisfying ending. I have read others in this series, they do stand alone and don't need to be read in order.

[Jeff Cochrane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quicksilver

Meh. Interesting? Plot. No character development. All we know about the female main character is that her brother died, for example. I gave up on it a couple of times but went back and finished it. It was a struggle. No interest in reading anymore of the series. Not recommended.

[Gazelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audio was a quick listen. I did find that it took a little more concentration than some books I've listened to. I think it was because it was a mystery with geology that I needed to pay more attention to make sure I didn't miss anything. I found the characters very interesting and if you like a mystery/suspense then you might enjoy this one.

[Tina Merritt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A geology mystery really caught my attention at first. However the science didn’t feel like the highlight of the story. The mystery never felt solved even though it does get solved and the ending scene isn’t as impactful as ending scenes should be. The narrator was great and the story wasn’t bad it just wasn’t omg good.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast read- I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this book. Exciting and educational! I actually looked up some geology terms like "chiastolite hornfel" so I had some clue what the formations I was reading about looked like!

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my next career, I want to be a Forensic Geologist!
This story really appealed to my life long interest is geology/geography and was well written. I really enjoyed it. 3.5 stars
I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

[mk jones]

Science. Gold. Mercury.

Get rid of your questions and let the reader make them. They are a total distraction from the story. Several authors are doing this now and why do you think it is necessary? Good beginning. loved the science. Off the track with the last few chapters.

[Steve Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

The characters in this story are well fleshed-out and, for the most part, believable. Henry seemed to be a bit overblown. I very much enjoyed this book and intend to immediately start book 2 of the series.

[Buck Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a geology rockhound, I found this book pleasurable and learned a bit about gold hunting. The story line kept me interested, and just enough drama and mayhem to keep me wanting to read more. I will probably read more of her stories.

[Joanna Dyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Forensic Geology Series, Quicksilver

Enjoyable read and a nice twist on the usual thriller formula; coming from Colorado, geology is always of special interest. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. If Ms. Dwiggins does not personally have forensic geology expertise, she fakes it very well.