Skye is back again and this time the mystery hits close to home. On her first day back a little old lady disappears and a parent is suing the school. If that isnt enough there is the problem of the suing parent turning up dead. Well its back to crime solving for skye and her hubby the sheriff. I love the characters in this series. They seem like people from anytown usa. Everyone knows somebody like them. The story is very well crafted with a few twists and turns thrown in for good measure. This is definitely one of the better books in the series. I enjoyed it very much.

In this third book of the series Skye is looking forward to having her new home finished, living in an RV has its challenges especially with two babies to care for. She is also getting prepared to return to work and isn't sure how she feels about leaving her babies, finding the right person to care for them hasn't been ideal. During her first trip back to the school she is met with an angry parent who is ready to sue and Wally ends up needing her help with a missing persons case. The next day Skye gets a panicked phone call and rushed to help but ends up finding a dead body instead. It looks like someone wasn't happy with the disgruntled parent and killed her. Skye can't help but get involved in looking for the killer, she wants to make sure the right person is caught. Follow along and see if she can gather up the proper clues that will help her come to the right conclusion. Will she be able to find a killer and will Wally ever figure out what happened to the missing woman?

This is the third in a new reboot of an older cozy mystery series. It is the first one that I have read. It was definitely confusing to walk into the middle of this story, because that is how this book reads. You really must need to have read earlier books to understand the dynamics of the characters and their relationships.

I say that because there were good guys and bad guys. The good guys, school psychologist, Skye Denison-Boyd, and her husband Wally, who is the chief of police, do a lot of bad-talking about various other characters. I am sure that they deserve it but if starting the series with this book, it doesn’t make as much sense as it should. It was unnerving to have these two professionals acting so unprofessionally and making so may snarky comments about others, at work, and on an on-going basis.

Skye is the mother of twin babies but seems to be out and about quite a bit of the time. She is relying on other to take care of her children while she goes and investigates murders.

The murder whodunnit was interesting but the story was difficult to follow without having read the earlier books. I’m sure that for fans of this series, this book is a welcome addition.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Skye is still living in the trailer along with her husband and the 2 growing twins. Her maternity leave is coming to an end and she still is looking for a nanny. Now Wally has called her to help on a missing elderly woman plus she’s trying to help the intern at school with an unhappy parent. When the parent turns up dead things really heat up.

Join Skye in solving the multiple mysteries while juggling the twins. Great book!!

This is book three in the rebranded Return to Scumble Rivers or book 22 in the original Scumble River series.

Y’all it’s Earl! Can you believe it, Earl has a cover!! Yeah you can probably tell I love Earl and the Doosier clan almost as much as I love Skye & Wally. This book starts off with a kick and doesn’t let up until the end. You have a wealthy missing woman, Earl calling an emergency, a missing contractor, a dead wife and so much more going on in this story. The author even gives us a scary foreshadowing of a future book. Ms. Swanson really goes all out in this book and it’s easily become one of my favorites within the series. I love that Earl plays such a big role in this book, whereas in past books he or his family has just had pivotal information. We also see a slightly different side of his wife. Skye really shines in this book. She deals with the continuing adjustment to new motherhood and what it means to her relationships and jobs. She also takes more of a stand at the high school with the administration than she has in the past. Man that was awesome to see!

You really can’t go wrong with this book! Grab a copy for you and a friend. 5 stars 🌟

Thank you to both NetGalley and the publisher Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

Series: Welcome Back to Scumble River – Book 3
Author: Denise Swanson
Genre: Cozy Mystery/ Amateur Sleuth
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Page Count: 352

Publishing Date: December 31, 2019

From Poisoned Pen Press comes the newest cozy book in the “Welcome Back to Scumble River” series by Denise Swanson comes the highly anticipated third book, Come Homicide or High Water.

In this new cozy book, Skye is happy with her life as a new mom of twins, a husband she adores, a job she is looking forward to getting back too but with a hint of regret about leaving the babies for most of the day. The occasional murder or missing person is troublesome, but she loves living in the town, and most of the residents are lovely, with a few exceptions. Her life is a far cry from when she first returned to Scumble River unhappy, broke, and out of options.

When a woman goes missing, and shortly after another woman is murdered. Skye helps her husband track down anyone who may have seen the missing woman, along with questioning the suspects to find the killer. It doesn’t take long for Skye and Wally to realize that people are lying and hiding information. This cozy book comes to an unexpected conclusion and will leave readers delighted with the outcome.

As with any cozy book, the killer is found, but may not be who readers have at the top of their suspect list. Clues are peppered throughout the story, and the characters lead readers on an adventure in family, friends, and co-worker's lives while piecing together the crime, the motive, and the outcome.

I found this cozy book to be entertaining, detailed enough to keep my interest and a fast-paced read. The writing is flawless; the plot easy to understand, and the characters delightful. I am happy to recommend Come Homicide or High Water.

ARC provided by NetGalley

This is the third book in this wonderful series and it was a thrilling mystery. I loved returning to Sky's world in Scrumble River. The setting and character development is done to perfection. I loved the twists and turns of the sleuths that kept me guessing. I highly recommended the first two books as well as this next in series.

Thank you for the ARC to the publi, author and Net Galley. My review opinion is my own.

Wally and Sky are anxiously awaiting getting into their new home, but the general contractor is taking his time. Sky is helping out some at the school, even before her maternity leave is up and a parent is insisting her child needs advanced classes. When the parent ends up murdered, with Earl Doozier finding the body, Sky is drawn in and helps Wally try to figure out who the murderer is - it could be the husband, also their general contractor, one of the principals of the school, or who knows? There is also a missing woman whose husband is demanding Wally find her. There is a lot happening in this book, but it all ties together. Love the characters, the plot is well done and the read is fun.

It was a delight to return to Scumble River to visit Skye and her family. Lots of surprises. Many sweet moments. A few frustrating ones. A wide variety of characters add to the entertainment.

Come Homicide or High Water by Denise Swanson is the 3rd book in the Welcome Back to Scumble River series, and another exciting addition. Skye and Wally are busy taking care of their twins, they make it sound so easy ha ha. There is so much going on in their lives, it's non stop action. Will there house ever get done? Will the grandparents ever give them so space? Will they find the killer? I highly recommend this book to all cozy mystery lovers, weather your new to the series, or a long time follower.
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Poison Pen Press. Thank you. And thanks for bringing the series back to us.

The Return to Scumble River Series has a wonderful new addition. Swanson makes her lead characters, Skye and Wally so engaging that you can't help but want to read everything in the series.

Skye and Wally are still living in the RV as Thanksgiving approaches. They are waiting for their new house to be finished and their contractor Beilin Quinn is missing in action some days.
An older woman, Edie Baker, goes missing. Then Jerita Quinn is found murdered.
Are the two events related? Skye works with Wally to solve both cases.
The person behind the murder had a different reason than I’d read before in a cozy mystery.
I enjoyed this third mystery in the Welcome Back to Scrumble River series.
There is likely enough background that a reader could pick this up without reading the first two in the series.

An entertaining and well written murder mystery. Great plot and quirky characters. Mystery fans will love this book. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

It is nice to be back in Scumble River. I am a long time Denise Swanson reader and what hit me the most about this story is even after two decades with Skye Denison (now Denison-Boyd) is that the stories continue to be entertaining, intriguing and each with its own distinct story. The characters continue to develop and change enough to make it interesting and Earl Doozier is always good for a chuckle.

This is the third in the Welcome Back to Scumble River series and there are over twenty books featuring Skye Denison in Scumble River. Even if you have never read a Skye Denison-Boyd book Come Homicide or High Water could easily be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

A great addition to this fantastic series.
It's a page turner that I read in one afternoon and couldn't put down.
It was great to meet again the great cast of characters and read about their life and what was going on.
The mystery is solid and well crafted, full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing till the end that came as a surprise.
It was an entertaining and engrossing read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Tense Small Town Illinois Mystery
This is a very good story. There is a lot of background from prior episodes, but the author weaves it into the story so that the new reader is up-to-date and the long-time reader is not bored. The storyline is pretty tense at times and could cause me a nightmare or two. Beyond that, the story is just great, especially the inter-family pick-pick. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

School psychologist Skye Denison-Boyd is hoping her new home will be ready before Christmas for them to enjoy the first Christmas with her newborn twins and husband. But Beilin Quinn, the contractor building the place is behind schedule and his disgruntled wife Jerita threatens to sue the school about denying their daughter Jenna a placement in a gifted program. An elderly woman with mild dementia has gone missing and Skye's chief of police husband Wally Boyd is running out of options. Then Jerita is found dead by Earl and Skye at her home and Skye suspects the crimes are somehow linked. Things get dicey when Skye ends up confronting the wily killer in her RV.

This was another fun entry in the Scumble River mystery series. I received an eARC via Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press/SOURCEBOOKS with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Skye and Wally are STILL living in the RV, now with their twin infants, because their contractor hasn't finished their house. Geez. Well, it's gonna take a little longer because his wife, who was suing the school where Skye works, is found dead in their yard. Yikes! Skye didn't do it and neither did Wally, who is the police chief in Scumble River. OF course, she's going to investigate, as well as help him in his search for a missing woman. Oh, and it's the holidays. AND, Skye needs to find a nanny for the twins because her maternity leave is up but the nanny has to be able to deal with her mom, who is, to put is nicely, a pain about some things. This is classic cozy material, with good characters, a small town, and a mystery that's just complicated enough. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Here's hoping Skye and Wally are in their new house for the next installment!

I like how this series has taken a twist... the bonus of getting Wally's point of view (and how he gushes of his love for Skye) is enlightening even if a lot of it is office politics over fun police chases and procedure....

I cant wait to see how this develops with the twins, the new house (will the spirit come back???) but more busybody Mae and Trixie please!

Swanson’s books are like visiting a town and family you love. Always great characters and a great read.