From Publishers Weekly This debut， set at a Wyoming oil-drilling site， introduces a refreshing and less-than-voluptuous heroine ("plain" and "lumpy" she calls herself)， but the narrative stumbles irretrievably over dropped bits of inadequately explained drilling lore. Em Hansen works as a mudlogger among a mostly coarse crew of working men. Though she suffers the ill will of the majority， Em is doggedly attached to her work， which apparently involves recording data about mud samples， even as the arrival of a coolly elegant woman geologist increases the sexism quotient. The first death claims Em's mentor Bill， a careful man whose car skids out of control; next to go is young Willie， apparently crushed to death by wild horses. Although remaining an outsider among the crew， Em sets out to investigate the cause of the deaths， which may be linked to the oil field's profitability. The surfeit of oil-drilling lingo， the men's hostility and Em's continuing emphasis of both her unattractiveness and her excluded status combine to sabotage the novel's promise. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Library Journal As one of only two women connected with an oil-drilling rig， "mudlogger" Emily ("Em") Hansen endures sexual innuendo， a drunken trailer-mate， and long hours. But then two suspicious deaths within a week make her even more leery of her surroundings. Afraid at first to articulate her misgivings， Em limits her actions to visiting the "crime" scenes， then taking notes， and finally sharing her concerns with a trusted co-worker. This first novel features steady， thoughtful prose; increasing violence; and a Wyoming landscape. For larger collections.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Editorial Reviews