Hansen's techniques of characterization are like those of Ross Macdonald: he creates a patterned repetition of action based upon the psychological needs and dependencies of characters and through an unexpected simile pulls characterization and plot together in physical description. In a series of short chapters, each character is introduced, placed within a very specifically detailed landscape or domestic environment and then, as the novel progresses, brought into interaction with the other characters and places Hansen makes the physical environment both actual and symbolic. For example in Death Claims, "area blanca" is the physical setting and spreads its "bleakness" into all who live or visit there. Characterization is one of the strongest elements in the early Brandstetter series, providing a connection between characters, landscape, and the social vision of the novelist.

In later novels in the series, Hansen achieves an almost Dickensian exuberance in his attempts to expand his...