Skye Denison Boyd is coping with Braxton-Hicks contractions while trying to get her intern prepared to handle the school psychologist duties while she's out on maternity leave. Unfortunately, these issues are about to become the least of her worries. A devastating tornado wreaks havoc on Scumble River, leaving everyone scrambling in its aftermath. The dead body of a local councilman is found, but is the death the result of foul play? Even worse, Skye's husband, Police Chief Wally Boyd, goes missing and no one has any clue where he is.

Can Skye and the rest of Scumble River recover from all of this?

What a brilliant way to reboot a series! Denise Swanson reboots her well-loved Scumble River Mystery series with DEAD IN THE WATER, the first book in the Welcome Back to Scumble River series. Denise Swanson fast-forwards the year the series takes place, keeping the events otherwise right in line with the original series. New readers can jump right in on this reboot, however, as the lives of the Scumble River residents are turned upside down.

I can't rave enough about the characters in DEAD IN THE WATER! I love Skye and Wally and we've read a lot in the earlier series about Skye's mom, Mae. However, DEAD IN THE WATER gives us a better view of Wally's father and I hope we get to see a lot more of him as well as Quentin.

The Doozier clan makes an appearance in DEAD IN THE WATER and you'll want to go back and read the original series just to see all the crazy shenanigans the Red Raggers tend to pull.

Denise Swanson perfectly captures the atmosphere that surrounds a natural catastrophe in DEAD IN THE WATER. I read DEAD IN THE WATER as Hurricane Irma approached Florida and am writing this review in the rebuilding aftermath. While DEAD IN THE WATER isn't about a hurricane, the book digs into the heart of the emotions and miscommunications that can ensue after a natural disaster wreaks havoc.

Denise Swanson is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors and DEAD IN THE WATER is yet another hit from her. I love that Denise Swanson has remained true to the heart of the Scumble River characters and atmosphere in her reboot of the series. If you love quirky characters combined with a darned good cozy mystery, then don't hesitate to give DEAD IN THE WATER a try. You won't regret it!

Book Summary

The first book in a brand new series featuring New York Times bestselling author Denise Swanson's beloved Scumble River setting and characters, Dead in the Water is a gripping mystery that won't let you go until you've turned the last page.

A twister, a kidnapping, and a murder―oh my! Scumble River may never be the same.

For school psychologist Skye Denison, there's certainly no place like home. When a violent tornado devastates her small hometown of Scumble River, she can't see how the community will ever recover―especially since town councilman Zeke Lyons appears to have perished in the twister.

But things get even worse for Skye when her police chief husband, Wally, disappears in the midst of investigating Zeke's death, and evidence arises pointing to foul play. Did Zeke really die in the storm, or was he murdered? And could Wally be next on the criminal's hit list?