While recovering from a double mastectomy, journalist Jeneva Leopold seeks solitude and healing at her uncle's idle gold mine in the sagebrush desert of Eastern Oregon. Hiking the rocky ridges, swimming in the old mining pond, and ignoring the outside world save for occasional letters, Jeneva gains strength and a new will to live.

As her interest in life returns, so do Jeneva's journalistic habits. And though the locals are at first puzzeled by all of her questions, she soon gets to know a young woman rancher, various miners, a quirky old artifact hunter, and an itinerant priest and medieval scholar. These people and other colorful locals give her the inside story on living in the harsh landscape of sagebrush and coyotes and revealing how the old west is changing under new economics and regulation.

But the Oregon desert is also a place of secrets. The more Jeneva talks with the locals, the more she wonders about her uncle's mysterious disappearance. Why did her uncle and her mother stop talking so many years ago? Does she know more than she is acknowledging? The murder of a young miner sends her on a quest for answers, leading her to an elderly woman artist living in a converted chicken house, a tongue-tied funeral home owner, and a swashbuckling sheriff with rule-bending tendencies.

The appalling business she uncovers shocks the region and nearly claims her life, but it also brings closure to an old family misunderstanding and the enigma of her uncle's fate.

Reviews

*STARRED REVIEW*

"A journalist suffering from severe depression after a double mastectomy moves to the desert country of Eastern Oregon, where she comes to terms with her vanished uncle.

Jeneva Leopold barely remembers her uncle Matthew, who had a falling out with her mother. But her dreams direct her to his abandoned cabin in Billie Creek, where she's determined to heal her body and mind through simple living and strenuous exercise. Although she's avoided getting involved with the area residents, they slowly intrude on her peaceful existence. Rancher Darla Steadman takes her riding; artifact-hunter Skipper Dooley camps nearby and befriends her; and a forest ranger orders her to vacate the cabin. But her real troubles begin when Reese Cotter shows her around his mining operation. Because Reese's brother has run off, Neva takes in his dog. Soon she discovers the body of Reese's helper Roy crushed in a slide, then watches helplessly as Reese is jailed for his murder. Neva's visits to town involve her with some curious characters. Many think she's searching for the gold they're certain her uncle hid before he went missing. Despite Neva's desire to maintain her Zen-like existence, she tries to find out more about her uncle. Unraveling the mystery reveals a gruesome crime and almost leads to her death.

Engaging characters, evocative descriptions of a little-known area and a masterful mystery makes Graves's debut a riveting page-turner." --Kirkus Reviews

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"In Graves's inspirational debut, 45-year-old Jeneva "Neva" Leopold retreats to her Uncle Matthew Burt's abandoned mining cabin in Billie Creek, Ore., for peace and healing after a double mastectomy and the recent loss of her mother. A columnist for the Willamette Current, the resilient, inquisitive Neva also hunts for clues to her uncle's disappearance from his mining claim 15 years earlier. She makes friends in the small desert community with colorful locals, including crusty artifact hunter Skipper Dooley, ex-beauty queen rancher Darla Steadman and miner Reese Cotter. Neva is horrified to discover the corpse of Reese's fellow miner, young Roy DeRoos, and is later skeptical when Reese is accused of murder. Strange events test Neva's courage, leading to a startling resolution that's both macabre and entertaining. (Mar.)" --Publishers Weekly

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*STARRED REVIEW*

"Jeneva “Neva” Leopold, a journalist, is severely depressed after undergoing a double mastectomy. She retreats to the abandoned cabin of her Uncle Matthew in the desert of Eastern Oregon. Using exercise, simple living, and isolation to combat her depression, she begins to heal. She avoids the locals until they begin to intrude on her quiet life. Skipper Dooley, an artifact hunter, camps near her cabin and rancher Darla Steadman takes her riding. As she learns about life in the harsh desert region, she raises questions about her uncle: Why did he disappear years before, and why had he and her mother stopped speaking before that? The murder of a young miner sends her on a quest for more information. As she investigates, she encounters the eccentric inhabitants of the area and learns that the locals are sure that she is searching for her uncle’s hidden stash of gold. Fascinating characters, evocative descriptions of a relatively unknown area, and a first-rate plot make this an outstanding debut. This is a definitely a series to watch." --Booklist

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One of twelve "Hot Releases of 2007"

There are characters of wonderful depth and idiosyncrasy in Ashna Graves's mystery-a free-thinking sheriff, a quirky old artifact hunter, an itinerant priest and medieval scholar and some unforthcoming

family members around whom the story spins-and there is an artfully delineated place: an abandoned gold-mining area in the sagebrush desert of eastern Oregon. Skillfully meld the two, as this author does, and you have an unbeatable combination. Kirkus said the book is filled with "engaging characters, evocative descriptions of a little-known area: and

is "a masterful mystery . . . [and] a riveting page-turner."

The author says that she's "always been drawn to the arid parts of the West, where spaces are vast and the light is alive. The landscape of rocky ridges and delicate green sagebrush is as important as any

character in the book." Protagonist Jeneva Leopold follows in the footsteps of the author. "One winter, when the rains in Oregon's Willamette Valley proved too much to bear on top of a long illness, I

asked a geologist friend if he knew of any empty mining cabin," Graves says. "A month later, I was living in solitary bliss at an idle gold mine like the one in the story. Like Neva, I walked myself back to

health on the rocky ridges. "

Fortunately, she didn't find any bodies along the way. "I hesitated at first to sprinkle corpses through this beloved setting, which is not nearly as violent as legend suggests," she says. "But it is

also true that the West is the land of the tall tale, and certainly mysterious in being both harsh and exquisite." So bring on the bodies and let the mysteries begin.--Kirkus Reviews (March 2007)

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In Ashna Graves' Death Pans Out, a reluctant heroine seeks refuge at the cabin of a disappeared relative, then gets embroiled in a plot that uncovers buried family secrets, an insidious conspiracy, and a corpse.

It's a familiar setup, but Graves finds new gold in dem hills by setting her tale in Oregon mining country and drawing upon personal experience to create a unique protagonist: Jeneva Leopold, a journalist recovering from breast cancer. Of course, what makes the book unusual also makes it quite precious; if you don't dig prose poems about rugged hills and

eccentric codgers, this ain't for you. It's also a bit too thematically tidy. Still, Graves unearths a small, strong gem of a book. -- Jeff Jensen, Entertainment Weekly

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"Death Pans Out" is a promising debut from Corvallis resident Ashna Graves (aka Wendy Madar of Oregon State

University's Center for the Humanities). Journalist Neva Leopold has retreated to her uncle's abandoned mining cabin in Eastern Oregon, steeping in solitude as she recovers from a double mastectomy. She's content on her own, so it's with reluctance that Neva meets the area's quirky residents and is drawn to two mysteries. Why did her uncle disappear many years before? And, in the present day, what's behind the murder of a miner? Those looking for plot-driven action best look elsewhere; Graves' emphasis is on character description and on loving evocations of Eastern Oregon's stark beauty.-- Adam Woog, Seattle Times (4/6/2007)