Delightful storytelling, interesting characters and wonderful plots make this an engaging read from a wonderful writer.

Enjoyable cozy mystery tv at stuck true to form. Simply just wasn’t my favorite theme when it comes to the genre.

This is a cute cozy mystery, but I guessed the ending far too early so it wasn't as satisfying as it could have been.

A great book by a fantastic author. The writing is excellent and the mystery keeps you turning the pages. Characters are well developed. Highly recommend.

Dead In the Water by Denise Swanson is the 1st book in the Welcome Back to Scumble River series, and another exciting addition. Skye and Wally are busy after the devastating tornado, in Scumble River. Councilman Zeke Lyons appears to have died in the tornado, or was it murder? There is so much going on in their lives, it's non stop action. Will they find the killer? I am very excited to have this series back. I highly recommend this book/series to all cozy mystery lovers, weather your new to the series, or a long time follower.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

There was a lot of things I wanted to like about this book. Small town, natural disaster, cozy mystery. Sadly, all of those things fell short. The characters were too over the top. Either too controlling, unbearably rich, unredeemable jerk. Even the main characters pregnancy felt extremely inrealistic. At her age a pregnancy would have been considered high risk, and the way it played out was beyond my ability to suspend belief.

I knew the who-dunnit early on, and the side drama turned into major drama, with the leading lady's priorties feeling skewed and off track. I had a slight desire to know how it played out, so I mostly skimmed and skipped to the end from the halfway point. Otherwise, I honestly would have put it down. I just couldn't connect.

I honestly could tell by the writing of the first 2 chapters that it wouldn't be a good fit for our box and had to put it down. I may read it again in the future!

I've enjoyed the Scumble River series for years, and Denise Swanson's decision to "reboot" the series to bring in more modern elements was a great decision. The characters and settings are still delightful, but the references to modern technologies make the series a lot more readable.

Thank you for the chance to read and review this book. I read the first 20 pages but I'm just not interested in this book anymore. I was bored and it couldn't keep my attention.

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.

School psychologist Skye Denison-Boyd is awaiting the birth of her first child. But her world is turned upside down when a tornado devastates her small hometown of Scumble River. Illinois. Their home is heavily damaged and luckily there are no fatalities until her police chief husband finds the body of town councilman Zeke Lyons. At first, it appears that Zeke had died during the storm but some strange burn marks on the body raise Wally's suspicions. Then Wally disappears in the midst of investigating Zeke's death. Skye, with the help of Wally's millionaire father Carson, is determined to find Wally.

With a new publisher, this is a welcome reboot of the Scumble River mystery series.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Sourcebooks with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Returning to Scumble River, with a 'rebooted' new series filled with many old friends was a huge success. Wally and Skye are preparing for the birth of their child when a late summer storm hits Scumble River with a vengeance. With nods to the twister and storyline in the Wizard of Oz, the townspeople band together for cleanup, rescue and investigation. When Wally goes missing, Skye is on a mission to find him long before he's needed for birthing duties.

Skye Denison enjoys her job as a school psychologist and police consultant in Scumble River, Illinois. She’s preparing for her upcoming maternity leave when a devastating tornado strikes Scumble River, doing unspeakable damage to the town. Even worse than the material damage, town councilman Zeke Lyons has died. Before Skye’s husband Wally, the town’s police chief, can determine if Zeke is a victim of the story of foul play, Wally disappears! The very pregnant Skye was already frantic recovering from the storm and waiting to hear that all of her friends and family are safe after the storm, and now she must find her missing husband before it’s too late.

Dead in the Water is described as the first in the new Welcome Back to Scumble River series. The book has the same setting and the characters are the same age as before, but the timeline has changed. The books will now be set in the present instead lagging a few years behind, which could be confusing. If you have read other books featuring Skye and Wally, you will enjoy the new start to the series, and if you’re new to Scumble River, this book is a great place to start.

The writing is solid and the characters’ worry and the town’s recovery from the tornado seem realistic. The author has added a clever touch to the book’s tornado theme by beginning each chapter with a quote from The Wizard of Oz. Skye isn’t working during this book, so there aren’t the usual scenes with her counseling her students, which I always enjoy, but there is plenty of other action taking the place of her work to keep the reader’s interest. The search for Wally is suspenseful and the tension will keep you eagerly turning the pages to find out what happens next. Readers will easily connect with Skye and her concern for her husband. Skye’s mother and Wally’s father, who have often been overbearing and unlikeable in previous books, are both supportive and kind to Skye during this time of crisis. If the books that follow this one in the Welcome Back series are as good as this one, readers have a lot to look forward to.

~ Christine

Skye and Wally have been happily married for 8 months, they’re over the moon especially since Skye is so pregnant. When the book starts though, a tornado is hitting their little town of Scumble River, destroying their house and everything in it. Wally, who’s the chief of police has lots of work to do, including following the orders of the asshole mayor of the town. That’s actually how he founds a dead body in a destroyed house, except the man wasn’t killed by the twister, he was murdered.
That’s only the beginning of the trouble for our two heroes who have to solve the crime before it’s too late.

This book was ok. I think it’s primarily for the people who have read the main series of this author though. Even if this is a new series, the characters are from an old series which was transposed to present day. As a brand new reader, I could tell I was only picking up the story and the characters in the middle of something. It felt like I was reading a sequel not the first book in a series. That was a shame.
It’s also what kept me from fully connecting to the characters. I couldn’t relate to them and found them mildly annoying. I mean all the deductions Skye made seemed obvious to me and I was yelling them at her long before she figured it out.
None of the later twists really surprised me, but I was taken aback by one twist towards the beginning.
All in all, an enjoyable unstressful mystery that’s very fast to read and easy to elucidate.

Skye Dennison-Boyd is back, with an exciting new Welcome Back to Scumble River series.
She is pregnant and very in love with her husband of eight months, police chief Wally Boyd. New readers will be introduced to Scumble River as the author seamlessly weaves together past and present. In this addition a terrible storm is afoot and a tornado descends on the town. Skye is soon devastated to learn her husband has disappeared after a murder occurred. Skye immediately is on the case and determined not only to find her husband but to find answers to the crime . As the town recovers Skye has lots of assistance from her friends and from the town.
What I love about all of the authors work is how she crafts a great mystery with wonderful characters . The seamless transition to solving murders is flawless and captivating to the reader. I love this new addition to our beloved long time characters. Very well done I highly recommend this book for all mystery lovers . I look forward to the next in series.
I was gifted a ARC that did not influence my review.

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!

A tornado storms through the small town of Scumble River leaving the town nearly destroyed. As the town tries to pick up the pieces of their broken lives, police chief Wally Boyd discovers a dead body amidst the rubble. The body turns out to be a local councilman. Wally investigates what looks like a case of murder and not by a tornado. During his investigation, Wally disappears leaving his very pregnant wife, Skye, frantic and desperate to find him.

Skye is beyond frustrated as the entire police force are busy dealing with the destruction from the tornado. They can't spare the manpower to search for Wally. Skye has no choice but to do it herself with some help from family and friends. She needs all the help she can get as she investigates both the murder and her husband's disappearance.

What a wonderful visit with my old friends from Scumble River. Denise Swanson still has it! She brings the close-knit community of Scumble River to life with a cast you truly care about. I read the original series way back before I knew “cozy mysteries” were a genre unto itself. I still have a couple more to read from the original series, but I didn’t mind skipping ahead to this brand new series, “Welcome Back to Scumble River”.

For those not familiar with the original series, not to worry. The author provides plenty of background info throughout the book to fill in the blanks. This new series is a great start for new fans, as well as a welcome return for old fans. You definitely do not need to read the original, but I think you'll want to. It's a fun, warm series...cozies at their best.

This is a timely story since there are hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes happening all around the world today. The author paints a realistic, vivid and frightening picture of what people go through after experiencing such a disaster. I found myself caring about the town as much as I do for the characters.

The ending is explosive and the killer reveal took me by surprise. I felt as if I lived this whole experience with Skye. It even left me teary-eyed, which rarely happens to me.

Denise Swanson never ever disappoints me. I devoured this book and enjoyed every minute of it. Skye is one of my favorite amateur sleuths and I’m thrilled her story continues.





FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Dead in the Water by Denise Swanson is the first book in the Welcome Back to Scumble River series. Skye Denison-Boyd is at home when violent storms strike the area. Wally rushes home to get Skye into the basement (along with Bingo, the cat) when the tornado sirens ring out there warning. After the storm, they discover that their home is destroyed. Three separate tornadoes struck Scumble River leaving devastation in its wake. The mayor has Wally check on their newest councilman, Zeke Lyons who got separated from his family. Wally finds Zeke dead in the bathroom of his home and knows his death cannot be attributed to the storm. Who took advantage of the tornadoes to wipe out mild mannered Zeke Lyons? Wally has a full plate with a murder investigation, rescuing citizens, the burglaries occurring around town, his limited staff, and a pregnant wife. Wally heads out one afternoon and fails to return. Sergeant Roy Quirk, Wally’s right hand, does not have the staff to hunt for Wally. Skye calls Carson Boyd, Wally’s father, who flies in from Texas to help her. What happened to Wally? Will Caron and Skye be able to find him in time? To find out what happens, pick up a copy of Dead in the Water.

Dead in the Water is the first book in Welcome Back to Scumble River series, but it is actually a continuation of A Scumble River Mystery series (with some changes). This was my first visit to Scumble River, and I had no problem reading Dead in the Water. Ms. Swanson provided the needed history on the main characters. There are quite a few characters mentioned in the beginning (as Skye checks in on family and friends), but it settles down to a manageable level. My rating for Dead in the Water is 4.5 out of 5 stars (I downgraded a little since I accurately solved the mysteries). Dead in the Water is an engaging and entertaining story. It has lively and quirky characters (except the mayor who I hope gets ousted in the upcoming election). I thought the story was easy to read, had a good pace, and just the right amount of humor. The two mysteries were interesting with one being more complicated than the other. I believe many readers will be surprised by the killer’s identity (depends on your sleuthing prowess). I thought the method of murder was clever. The suspense ramps up towards the end of the book which had me up late turning the pages. The ending is sweet and will leave you smiling. I will definitely be reading the next installment in the Welcome Back to Scumble River series.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Princess Fuzzypants here:
For some reason, I was not able to get on with this series the first book I read but I decided to give it another go. Sometimes things don't click. Sometimes they do. I am so glad I tried again because I really enjoyed this book and will go back and try the other ones.
A terrible tornado demolishes the little town of Scumble Falls including Skye and Wally's home. The fact that Skye is about to pop out a baby very soon and is massively pregnant does not make things easier. And then, while everyone is trying to get back on their feet, Wally disappears and no one knows where he might be.
Both Skye and Wally are well drawn and believable characters. So are the others who surround them. It makes the tension greater and the book more enjoyable. I especially like that while Skye is deeply involved in finding Wally, anything she does is realistic and intelligent. I dislike when my heroes or heroines veer into the absurd. The reader can share the experiences of the people dealing with the tragedy because it is so true to life.
I won't spoil all the twists and turns and surprises but I will recommend this book.
I give it five purrs and two paws up.