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A review by johnw613
Dead in the Water by Denise Swanson
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Skye Denison-Boyd is a school psychologist who is married to Wally, the chief of police in tiny Scumble River, Illinois. When a tornado comes through town there’s more than a natural disaster to clean up after. There’s a murder, and a kidnapping, all while Skye is just about to give birth.
There’s a lot going on in this book, and author Swanson is deft at creating intricate plots and characters we truly care about, especially amateur sleuth Skye and professional sleuth Wally. Unfortunately the book, like her Chef To Go series, is marred by kitchen sink plotting (the book is rife with references to The Wizard of Oz thanks to the tornado plot device, including a character named Mrs. Gulch who happens to live on Kansas Street) and clunky prose that is easy to read but is often awkwardly wordy and belabored. She has great plot ideas but her execution leaves a bit to be desired.
There’s a lot going on in this book, and author Swanson is deft at creating intricate plots and characters we truly care about, especially amateur sleuth Skye and professional sleuth Wally. Unfortunately the book, like her Chef To Go series, is marred by kitchen sink plotting (the book is rife with references to The Wizard of Oz thanks to the tornado plot device, including a character named Mrs. Gulch who happens to live on Kansas Street) and clunky prose that is easy to read but is often awkwardly wordy and belabored. She has great plot ideas but her execution leaves a bit to be desired.