Geologists and Geologic Content in Genre Fiction: Part 2

"Geologists... go up to some rock and figure out a story, another rock, another story, and as the stories compile through time they connect — and long case histories are constructed and written from interpreted patterns of clues. This is detective work on a scale unimaginable to most detectives..." (McPhee 1981)

Introduction

The epigraph above is from Basin and Range, a non-fiction account of John McPhee's travels across the USA and through the Basin and Range province with several geologists. McPhee's words underscore the forensic nature of geology (Murray 2004; Ebert 2012) and hint at the parallels with mystery novels that feature geologists and geologic content.

This is Part 2 of a 2-part series that examines the portrayal of geologists and geologic content and concepts in recent genre fiction. Part 1 discussed the novels of Sarah Andrews, Jack DuBrul, Sibella Giorello and Toni Dwiggins. Part 2 continues this exploration of geologists and geologic content as depicted in the novels of Samuel Marquis, Susan Cummins Miller, John B. Olson, J.P. Totman and Sharon Lyon. Part 2 also highlights some common threads among the 46 novels described in this series.

Samuel Marquis

The two "geocentric" novels of Samuel Marquis, Blind Thrust and Cluster of Lies follow the adventures of environmental geologist Joe Higheagle, supported by his grandfather, a Cheyenne Contrary and Chief. Both books deal with the discovery of illegal disposal of hazardous wastes via deep well injection in Blind Thrust and by dumping and burial in Cluster of Lies. Marquis descriptions of geotechnical sampling and analysis of samples are detailed and reflect the author's background in hydrogeology. Geologic evidence is front and center in Marquis's work and is integral to each case.

In both books, Joe Higheagle is confronted with geoethical dilemmas. In Blind Thrust, he wrestles with his commitment to client confidentiality versus bringing the client to justice. Higheagle's quest for justice in both novels leads him to criminal trespass and possible charges of breaking and entering as he seeks evidence of illegal disposal of hazardous materials. As such, the ethical message is somewhat mixed.

Both of Marquis' novels are more action/adventure than mystery, similar to the Philip Mercer novels of Jack Du Brul. In Marquis' books the reader knows early who the guilty parties are and how they plot to keep Higheagle from bringing them to justice. Marquis' novels are generally well written, though better editing could be desired. For example, the traditional Cheyenne decorations on Chief Higheagle's antique rifle are described verbatim three times in Blind Thrust.

Susan Cummins Miller

Susan Cummins Miller was a field geologist with the United States Geological Survey and taught geology before turning to writing. The protagonist in Miller's novels is Francisca (Frankie) MacFarlane, who starts as a grad student doing dissertation research and then is a professor of geology at a community college in Arizona. Miller paints vivid pictures of local geology, landscapes and surface processes in the settings of each of her novels.

Miller drew on her experiences as a field geologist to provide detailed descriptions of field work, geologic mapping and structural geology in Death Assemblage. Detachment Fault includes a good description of fold/fault mountains with a granitic core and of surface processes. An example of the usefulness of topographic maps is also provided in this novel. At the end of chapter 31 of Detachment Fault, there is a nice description of surface processes and the constancy of change. In Hoodoo, Cummins emphasizes the centrality of observation in geologic inquiry and protagonist MacFarlane uses geologic reasoning to unravel parts of the mystery. Set in the Mojave Desert, Quarry contains a realistic description of the stress involved in defense of a Ph.D. dissertation. Quarry also contains descriptions of the geology and landscape of this area. In this novel, a serial killer has targeted the faculty members in a geology department.

Susan Cummins Miller's later novels Fracture and Chasm are action-packed adventure stories in which geology plays a relatively insignificant role. Fracture is a set in California, though the storyline could take place in any area prone to seismic activity. The geology and landscape of the Grand Canyon play a central role in Chasm. In this novel, the focus is on Frankie MacFarlane as heroine rather than geologist.

The only misconception of note in Miller's novels occurs in the fifth chapter of Chasm. In marveling at the lithification of sand into sandstone, Miller refers to the "time, heat and pressure it must have taken to turn this into a rock layer" thereby perpetuating the same misconception regarding the process of lithification that Sibella Giorello presents in The Stones Cry Out (see Part 1 of this series.)

John B. Olson

Paleontologist Katie James is the protagonist in Olson's Fossil Hunter, an action/adventure story reminiscent of the novels of Jack Du Brul. Despite the occupation of protagonist James as a paleontologist, there is very little geology involved in this story.

J.P. Totman

J.P. Totman is the nom de plume employed by renowned sedimentary geologist Judith Totman Parish. Parish's geologic expertise is quite evident in her two novels Revenge of Time and The Chinle Conspiracy. Both of her novels are built around the protagonist team of Jane Barnes, a retired geology professor and her husband Craig Burrows, a retired FBI agent.

Revenge of Time is centered on a serial killer who sacrifices victims on rocks representing each period of the geologic time scale, a connection that is first recognized by an undergraduate geology major, who is related to one of the protagonists. Revenge of Time provides very clear descriptions of the principles of stratigraphy and the criteria that geologists use to delineate the periods of the geologic time scale. A lucid description of the concept of facies and facies relationships is also included.

The first chapters in The Chinle Conspiracy are a fictionalized, but very realistic exploration of life in graduate study in the geosciences as seen through the eyes of three graduate students. The Chinle Conspiracy also delivers a very authentic view of the life of an academic geologist, including aspects of teaching, fieldwork, lab work, conferences, field trips, etc., a reflection of the author's career as a professor of geology. Geologist Jane Barnes, uses deductive reasoning to solve the crime, though none of the evidence is geological with the notable exception of the murder weapon – a geologist's rock hammer.

Sharon Lyon

Sharon Lyon holds a bachelor's degree in geology. Her debut novel Fossil Woman introduces a new kind of female protagonist. Student and later paleontologist Henrietta Ballantine does not solve a crime or face harrowing situations like the other protagonists described above and in Part 1 of this series. Rather, Henrietta's heroism comes in the form of persistence in the face of obstacles. Although Fossil Woman may be viewed as a coming of age story or as a tale of the struggles of a woman in a male-dominated profession, it is also a story of following one's passion and the joy of discovery in science.

Some geologists view themselves as time travelers, blurring the boundaries between the present and the ancient past, millions or even billions of years ago. The structure of Lyon's novel Fossil Woman illustrates this temporal fluidity as the stories of young Henrietta, mature Henrietta and a Pleistocene hominin woman are interwoven. Throughout Fossil Woman, Lyons accurately describes various geologic features and processes. She also elucidates fundamental concepts such as superposition with accuracy and elegantly simple prose.

Lyon's second book in the Fossil Woman Series is entitled Fossil Thief. As the title indicates, conspiracy and the theft of a valuable fossil are at the center of this story. Here, Lyon's protagonist Henrietta Ballantine is caught in a web of deception, promulgated by other geologists who are the criminals in this tale. From descriptions of well logs and paleosols to ichnology, paleobotany and Cretaceous ecosystems, Lyon continues to portray the geology in her novels clearly and accurately. As Layou (2024) indicated in her reviews of the Fossil Woman Series there is a hint in Fossil Thief that suggests that a third book in the series may be forthcoming.

Common Threads

One of the most striking features of the geology- and geologist-based novels discussed in the two parts of this series is that the majority of the protagonists are women geologists. The exceptions are Marquis's Joe Higheagle and Du Brul's Philip Mercer. Perhaps this is not surprising as six of the nine authors discussed in these essays are women. Sarah Andrews' heroine Em Hansen and Sibella Giorello's Raleigh Harmon are strong women but both are plagued with self doubt, despite their accomplishments and successes in resolving criminal investigations. In contrast, Susan Cummins Miller's protagonist Frankie MacFarlane is self-assured, poised and more than capable of defending herself. Toni Dwiggins' protagonist Cassie Oldfield is smart, doggedly determined, and intuitive but exploration of her character is secondary to the forensic geology in the six novels of Dwiggins' series. Sharon Lyon's heroine Henrietta Ballentine is more reserved, but she is every bit as smart, intuitive and determined as Toni Dwiggins' Cassie Oldfield.

Toni Dwiggins and J.P. Totman both employ a female and male duo of sleuths. Dwiggins' protagonists are the young forensic geologist Cassie Oldfield and her mentor, the more senior Walter Shaws. Totman's protagonists are retired geology professor Jane Barnes and her husband retired FBI agent Craig Burrows. The women in these duos hold center stage, whereas the men are "supporting actors". However, the partnership is more equal in Dwiggins' Forensic Geology Series than in Totman's novels.

A majority of the novels described are set in the western United States. Several novels of Sarah Andrews and the novels of Susan Cummins Miller, Samuel Marquis, J.P. Totman, Toni Dwiggins and John B. Olson are set in western states. Three stories, Andrews' Rock Bottom, Miller's Chasm and Dwiggins' River Run are situated in the Grand Canyon. Exceptions to the western settings include Sarah Andrews' Earth Colors (partly in Pennsylvania), Killer Dust (Florida and the Bahamas), and In Cold Pursuit (Antarctica). Some of Sibella Giorello's stories are set in the western United States, though a few take place in Richmond or elsewhere in Virginia. Du Brul's tales take Philip Mercer all around the globe, but there is a very exciting scene in Du Brul's Havoc that takes place on the Niagara River in Western New York State.

Summary and Conclusions

Perhaps it is just a passing fad, but the past thirty years have seen multiple authors employing geologists as central figures in mysteries and action/adventure novels. Several of these authors are geologists or have some background in geology. Some of these works include vivid, descriptions of geologic settings and some include fundamental geological principles or concepts. Several authors describe geologic features and principles accurately, though some authors include misconceptions regarding the geology in their stories. Such misconceptions are unfortunate in that the non-geological reader may internalize these misconceptions and leave some books with incorrect understandings of our Earth.

Acknowledgments 

The two parts of this literary exploration benefitted from the helpful suggestions of Nancy Elliott and Christy Doyle on earlier versions. Thanks are owed to Karen Layou for her book reviews (2022, 2024), which brought Sharon Lyon's novels of the Fossil Woman Series to my attention. The editorial skills of Redina Finch are gratefully acknowledged.

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