Great cozy mystery installment in a series. Enjoyed the setting and cast of characters. Would recommend the series.

Denise Swanson remains one of my favorite cozy writers. Now twenty-three books into her Scumble River series (now billed as “Return to Scumble River”), she’s still cooking with gas. The books are packed with humor as well as real world details of main character Skye Dennison’s work as a school psychologist, a job Swanson herself held for many years.
Cozy writers have to strike a tricky balance between addressing an issue but not being too harsh with it. In a bravura first sequence, Skye is attending a meeting with Superintendent of schools Shamus Wraige, who has unceremoniously fired the school security officer because Scumble River is a small town and “It’s not as if anyone here is going to pull a Columbine or a Sandy Hook.”
Skye is horrified and mentally begins writing a memo outlining the statistics of school shootings and why a security officer is necessary. The officer has been replaced by Wraige’s son, Tavish, who will function as an “attendance” officer. As Skye hurries to speak with Dr. Wraige after the meeting, the school goes into an active shooter lockdown.
How to balance this type of situation in a cozy? Masterfully, Swanson folds in Skye’s husband, Wally, the town police chief (who of course is worried about his wife) and when the culprit and situation are tracked down, the whole thing turns out to be much less hazardous than it sounds. I won’t spoil Swanson’s set up, but I will say it involves Scumble River’s notorious, troubled and hilarious Doozier family.
While the school shooting issue is addressed in a cozy manner, Swanson diffuses it with humor and then springboards from this situation to the main situation in the novel, which involves Shamus Wraige. Because Swanson has used her opening to shade in Dr. Wraige’s personality, when she starts describing the petty thefts he has suffered and finally the theft of his car, a situation which brings the mayor down on Wally, as readers we are as bemused and irritated by him as are Skye and Wally.
When Wally is called to look into a suspicious noise at Wraige’s house and discovers him dead, he calls in Skye, in her function as a consulting psychologist to the police department. This is another thing I think is really well done in these books – Skye’s connection to the investigation not only uses her skill set, but it’s believable, as she is actually a paid police consultant.
The resulting investigation is clever and well thought out, zeroing in, golden age style, to very few suspects. As readers, we also get a chance to catch up on Skye and Wally’s happy home life as recent newlyweds and the parents of twins. Twenty-three books in, readers are familiar with the community surrounding Skye, and it’s filled with great characters from Skye’s mother to her librarian friend Trixie to a pathologist named Doris Ann Norris. Doris Ann was a real-life librarian well known (and loved) in the crime community who passed away a few years ago, and it’s a real delight to encounter her again in print. It actually brought a tear to my eye.
In person, Denise Swanson is a thoughtful, calm, kind and intelligent woman, and those traits are certainly reflected in her main character and alter ego, Skye. One of the running themes of the books is the basic decency of both Wally and Skye. While I worried as a reader that some of the energy in the series would be diffused when Skye and Wally at last got married, I should have trusted Ms. Swanson. As her many fans and readers know, she has a sure hand at the story telling helm. This is another delightful entry in a beloved series.

This was my first book of the Scumble River series. I feel this can be read as a stand alone as the relationships and background information are quickly reviewed. Skye and her husband Wally are working to solve the murder of the disliked school superintendent. Skye has lots of irons in the fire working at all the schools in town, working for the police and being a new mom to twins. I liked the book, but I think I'll be visiting Scumble River only the one time.

Always a treat to visit Sky and the gang in Scumble River! I love the progression of the characters over time.

I am a big fan of Denise Swanson's Scumble River books, and this one is as good as ever , so don't get me wrong, the book itself would get a full five stars from me. if I was just rating the books story. The reason I'm giving the book a 3 star rating is because of the fact that the pages were littered with errors that would have been really easy to spot if anyone had proofread the book properly. Even word processing apps nowadays can pinpoint grammatical errors like missing articles, "then" used instead of "than" and the likes, so why can't PoisonedPen Press?? And I'm not talking about a handful of mistakes in one book: there are at least a handful of mistakes in each chapter! The worst was probably the middle of the book, where I found about a handful of errors per page.

I think it's safe to say that I've never read a book by a well-known author that has been so full of errors. Really sad.
Please, PoisonedPen Press/Sourcebooks, get someone to proofread this book before you issue the second edition!!

Body Over Troubled Waters is book four in a series by Denise Swanson, which I didn't realize when I first picked up the book. But I couldn't tell. This book reads well as a standalone. I really enjoyed this one - set in a school. A school shooter lockdown doesn't quite turn out to be what everyone expected and then someone turns up dead. I enjoyed this book, and would like to read more of the series!

Lockdown Mayhem…
The fourth in the Welcome Back to Scumble River series and an emergency school lockdown is the welcome for school psychologist Skye. Being stuck in a room with Dr Wraige is not Skye’s idea of heaven. When the creepy Dr Wraige’s body is found at his home a short time later chaos ensues and the investigations commence. Enjoyable, small town cozy mystery with an eccentric and well drawn cast. A fitting addition to the series.

The plot of the book was such a great page turner. The plot of the book was very well written. I cannot wait to read another wonderful book from this author. This was a truly great book.

Great addition to the series! Wonderfully written with great characters and very entertaining. This is one of my favorite series. These books are fun, quick reads that will definitely put a smile on your face.

Body Over Troubled Waters by Denise Swanson

This novel started with Skye, school psychologist, returning to work after her maternity leave, and an emergency school lockdown and a dead body.

I enjoy all of this author’s books, including this one. It was well plotted and had lovable characters. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

Skye Denison is back at school again after her leave but it has been non stop trouble for her since she stepped through the door. This is one of my favorite series. I just adore this author. The characters are relatable and very cute. The twists and clues take you on a wild ride to find the murderer. I was not putting the book down until I read the last page. It was terrific.

Skye and Wally are settling into married life AND parenting, when the community is shocked to learn the school superintendent is murdered in his home by a Cupid statue. What’s worse is that those closest to him seem to have the best motives (and alibis). Will Skye and Wally be able to solve this mystery before anyone gets away with murder?

It was a cute story. I just got a date mixed up and it drew my attention outside of the story and more into a critical thinking exercise.

Scumble River has a modern day Mayberry feel in that it is a small town with a slightly zany family, the Dooziers which adds to the fun aspect of the story even though they are not the main characters. I am also a huge fan of Uncle Charlie’s turn of phrase, like how he isn’t knocking on Death’s door, nope, he is playing doorbell ditch! Highly engaging and Skye and Wally are a well-rounded, crime solving, cozy couple. It did catch me off guard every time his Hummer was mentioned, not the standard police car, but hey, why can’t the Chief be the son of a multimillion dollar Dad? A nice blend of suspects, plenty of supportive characters that moved the story along, and a great ending. Definitely one that I will be adding to my watch list for series. For my recipe testing I’ll be looking for a cinnamon streusel scone or sweet potato and ham casserole, or maybe both!

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. I love a good cozy mystery and this book delivered. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. The plot lines were well written and the mystery kept me guessing. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Cute Valentine themed cozy mystery.

I enjoyed this one. It held up really well as a standalone. The setting had a nice small town feeling with plenty of interesting side characters. The plot was engaging and kept me turning the pages. That said, I found the "whodunit" to be pretty obvious from early on. But that didn't really take anything away from my enjoyment. I also thought Skye and Wally were very likable main characters (though the constant stream of women hitting on Wally was annoying 😂). Last, the ending was satisfying, but lacked any genuine excitement. This is the second cozy mystery I have read in the past few days that ended with no real spectacle. I prefer some drama and panache in my endings. 🤷🏻‍♀️

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I always enjoy a trip back to Scumble River!

While this is the fourth book in the series, I do feel it can be read as a stand-alone book. If you read it on its own and without knowledge of the Scumble River Series, you'd really only be missing out on the depth and build-up of the setting and characters that previously occurred.

In this fast-paced addition to the Welcome Back to Scumble River series, we see Skye return from Maternity Leave and on her first day back she finds herself stuck in lockdown with the School Superintendent Wraige. As a new mother to twins, Skye has more than enough on her plate, she and her husband Wally have moved into their new home and her father-in-law has been arrested, the last thing she needed was for Superintendent Wraige to turn up murdered! Skye and Wally find themselves back in the roles of sleuthing for the truth in an effort to bring forth who in town has blood on their hands. The mystery is perfectly written and the cozy elements of the story are executed incredibly well. This one will keep you on your toes and guessing until the very end!

This was my first dive into the world of Skye Denison-Boyd. As a school psychologist, it was super fun to have my occupation represented in this book since so few people know what we do! This mystery was a quick and engaging read and Skye is a lovable character. I did find the "whodonit" to be a bit predictable, but it didn't make the ride to get there any less fun. The epitome of a cozy mystery - not too graphic, character focused, and a dash of sugar!

I really enjoy the characters and setting. I like the relationship between the MC and her husband. I look forward to more in the series. The mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Skye is headed back to work and on her first day back the school has to lock down. She ends up stuck alone with the superintendent Dr. Wraige in a closet. The man is pompous and rubs quite a few people the wrong way. She is happy to be free of the man when the lockdown turns out to be a situation handled in the wrong way. When Dr. Wraige is found dead the following day Skye is somewhat shocked although the man did have some secrets in his past. With so many suspects to interrogate Skye wonders if they will ever figure out who the killer is. Meanwhile Skye is worried about her godfather who has been arrested and has had his business closed down. Wally is trying to help him but isn't sure that there is anything he can do. Follow along as Skye is determined to help her husband figure who a killer is and if they will be able to stop them.

Any school day that starts with an impromptu mandatory staff meeting with the school superintendent is bound to be a bad one. Superintendent Shamus Wraige isn’t exactly known for his wise decision making but this one particularly upsets Skye Denison-Boyd. Dr. Wraige has decided to eliminate the safety position that assists with security, bullying, and other high-risk behaviors in favor of hiring his son as an attendance and residency investigator. Things get worse when the school has a lockdown and later Dr. Wraige is found dead in his home, the apparent victim of murder. Dr. Wraige has a lot of enemies, but who hated him enough to kill him?

What a surprising twist of events! Dr. Wraige has been a thorn in Skye’s side for a long time, but I never expected that Denise Swanson would kill him off! We have so many interesting political rivalries within the small school district and it’s going to be interesting to see the ramifications of Dr. Wraige’s death on the schools as a whole. I also love the side stories going on in BODY OVER TROUBLED WATERS, especially the hints we get about Skye’s uncle and I wonder how this will play out in the turmoil sure to follow Dr. Wraige’s death.

BODY OVER TROUBLED WATERS is the 4th book in the Welcome Back to Scumble River series. The Welcome Back to Scumble River series continues the long-loved Scumble River Mystery series although it’s not necessary to have read both entire series to thoroughly enjoy Skye, Wally, and the rest of the gang. Each Denise Swanson book is a standalone mystery although the lives of the Scumble River residents move forward and change. Long-time fans of the series will notice references to Superintendent Wraige’s proclivities previously revealed in MURDER OF A CRANKY CATNAPPER, but it isn’t required that you have that prior knowledge. I can’t imagine reading just one book about Scumble River and stopping, however, as Skye, Wally, the Dooziers, and the rest of the town are a hoot!

I love visiting Scumble River! I can relate so much to the school trials and tribulations that Skye experiences in her role as a school psychologist. Denise Swanson carefully weaves in relevant school issues into her story line, while helping us learn more and more about Scumble River and the various residents. The residents are a huge part of the fun, and I love that we get to see more of the Dooziers as there is nary a dull moment when a Doozier is involved! BODY OVER TROUBLED WATERS is yet another spectacular cozy mystery form the very talented Denise Swanson. Cozy mystery readers- don’t miss out on this series!

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh FIction*