{"id":5788,"date":"2016-06-20T06:07:11","date_gmt":"2016-06-20T10:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=5788"},"modified":"2016-06-20T06:20:47","modified_gmt":"2016-06-20T10:20:47","slug":"cold-blood-hot-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=5788","title":{"rendered":"***Cold Blood, Hot Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Maine,

David Nicholls, creative commons license<\/p><\/div>\n

By Charlene D\u2019Avanzo \u2013 This story, billed as \u201cA Mara Tusconi Mystery,\u201d introduces Mara, age 31, whose work at the Maine Oceanographic Institute (MOI) centers on the timely subject of climate change. D\u2019Avanzo deserves credit for taking on the difficult task of making a science topic accessible to a general audience and taking advantage of the possibilities for drama inherent in this contentious field.<\/p>\n

The story holds several key points of friction. First, between Mara and an aquaculture startup corporation up the Maine coast a short distance, which she believes may be fudging its data\u2014anathema for any reputable scientist. And, second, between her fellow climate researchers and an apparently well funded cadre of climate change deniers who increasingly resort to spying, sabotage, and threats of physical violence. She has her personal issues as well: she gets seasick easily and she\u2019s a behind-the-scenes player, deathly afraid of public speaking. At the same time, she\u2019s trying to persuade Maine lobstermen that her research isn\u2019t the threat, but the underlying changes in sea temperatures that could jeopardize their livelihoods.<\/p>\n

As the novel begins, Mara and other MOI researchers head out to sea on their ship Intrepid<\/em> to launch huge data-gathering buoys that will reveal ocean temperature trends. The buoy of her friend and colleague Harvey (a woman) goes into the water without incident. Because Mara is seasick, she turns the launch of her buoy over to Peter Riley, a young MOI PhD. Something goes disastrously wrong with the winch, the buoy slips, and fatally injures Peter.<\/p>\n

An old MOI hand advises Mara to investigate Peter\u2019s death on her own, secretly. She says the organization\u2019s administrators may try to cover up any problems, in order not to scare off potential funders. Thus amateur sleuth Mara starts on a bit of a whirlwind of plot-driven activity.<\/p>\n

D\u2019Avanzo gives Mara a large cast of potential allies and antagonists, almost too many to flesh out in sufficient detail. Partly because the novel is told strictly from Mara\u2019s point of view, we don\u2019t get to know these other characters in very well. Stronger characters would create more unpredictability in the outcome and make me more invested in it.<\/p>\n

When the opportunity arises for Mara to play a more prominent role in the climate change debate, she must weigh the risks of harassment along with the opportunities to make a vital contribution, and her personal strengths against her fears.<\/p>\n

A longer version of this review appeared on CrimeFictionLover.com<\/a>.
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