Dead In The Water is the first book in the Welcome Back To Scumble River series...but for me it is my first visit to Scumble River. The original Scumble River Cozy Mystery series has 18 books. Following a publisher change, the series is having a restart/reboot. The author explains in the foreward that there are a few cosmetic changes Scumble River fans might notice, but all the characters from the original series are still there. For me, this is the first Scumble River book I've read, so I just went with the flow. :)

The basics: School Psychologist Skye Boyd is pregnant. Very pregnant. Almost feeling like she could pop pregnant. Just after she and her Police Chief husband Wally have finished decorating the nursery and life seems perfect, a tornado rips through Scumble River leaving destruction in its wake. As if that isn't bad enough, a city councilman is found dead in the rubble of his house. Turns out, the twister didn't kill Zeke Lyons. He was murdered. Bad goes to worse when Wally disappears while investigating the killing. Where is Wally? Did the murderer kill him too? Has evil come to Scumble River?

Although this is the first book from this series I read, it was relatively easy to figure out the characters and understand the plot. There are some references to prior books, but nothing that is central to the plot. I'm glad that Denise Swanson is able to continue her series after it got cut by her original publisher. This is definitely a great start to a reboot of the series. I loved the Wizard of Oz quotes that start each chapter. :)

I have the first book to the original series on my bookshelf and can't wait to start reading it! It will take me awhile to read my way through 18 books, but if this new release is any indication, I'm sure the series is well worth reading! I like Skye as a main character. She is smart and seems to really roll with the punches when things go wrong. Wally is a great character as well. He's a very good police officer, and a kind husband. Nice mix! :)

The mystery moved along at a steady pace, with plenty of surprises to keep it interesting. The ending surprised me...I thought I knew the killer's identity, but I was wrong! I love it when a mystery catches me off guard! The tornado theme didn't overpower the murder mystery portion of the plot, but added to it. It will be interesting to see how the town rebuilds itself in this new series!

The cover art for Dead In The Water is fantastic! It's what first drew me to the book. Definitely eye-catching artwork!

Denise Swanson also writes the Devereaux Dime Store cozy series. For more information on the author and her books, check out her website: http://www.deniseswanson.com/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley. Opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

Non stop happenings from the first page; Denise Swanson is one of my favorite authors! ( )

Wally is held hostage and his 8 1/2 month pregnant wife is determined to find him.

Not up to the other Scumble River books. ( )

DEAD IN THE WATER by Denise Swanson
If you can suspend credulity and don’t mind at least one cliché per page, this frothy mystery is a fast read good for a lazy afternoon. More laws are broken than you can shake a stick at (even by the police).
The characters are mostly stock, but are likeable – except for the biker bad guys who have a heart of gold. The conversations are stilted, but good hearted.
There are only chaste love scenes. The bad words are limited to “geez” and “f***” (yes, there are stars in the print).
The audience this is written for will love every word – but it is not my cup of tea.
3 of 5 stars (This review managed to contain more clichés than some chapters.) ( )

I don't know how this happened, but this is my first book by Denise Swanson. I see her books everywhere.

I am glad to say that I really liked this read. I sped right through and the ending had my heart beating very fast. Especially when the tornado was hitting everywhere, and I mean everywhere.

Good character development with lots of twists.

I will definitely be reading more Denise Swanson books in the future.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. ( )