I have been a long time fan of this series and this installment does not disappoint. . Wally and Skye are busy with their careers as a police chief and school psychologist with a new set of twins. The school superintendent is murdered and Wally and Skye search for a killer. The story moves along, and the colorful cast of characters that inhabit Scumble River are part of the story. There are clues aplenty, and Wally and Skye solve the cast again.
One of the best reasons to read this series, besides that they are well written and fun, is the inhabitants of Scumble River. I am full invested in these characters and look at each book as a chance to visit their small town. Each is unique and quirky in their way, which makes each book more enjoyable. I highly recommend this series.! Thanks to Net Galley for the eARC.

The description feels a bit misleading because the school lockdown happens in the first part of the book and doesn't have much bearing on the rest of the mystery. The murder doesn't happen because of the lockdown. Was it supposed to be a red herring? It was a bit interesting to see the how Scrumble River handled a school lockdown but it didn't seem to integral to the story.
The superintendent dies. It is interesting to read how Chief Boyd and Skye work together to find the murderer. There were many intimate details of the superintendent's life that came to light but the resolution didn't involve any flair or drama. That is not necessarily a bad thing but I think I am not used to a cozy mystery that runs on such an even keel. I never really felt a sense of urgency in the resolution, although there were deadlines expressed within the story.
It ends with Valentine's Day.
I enjoy visiting Scrumble River, and I like Skye and Wally as characters.
So I liked it, but I didn't feel invested in the story.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my honest review.*

I love this series! I love the update where the author jumped a few years and brought the original series into current times. I really enjoyed the first part of the series before the jump, but it is easier to read the series being in "current" times, in my opinion.

Skye is back to work full time after her maternity leave and feels like she is able to take a few liberties with the principals in the school district realizing how important she is to the running of the schools. This also makes me happy because it seemed like Skye would be a doormat in some instances in past books. And I feel like she is growing past that. Makes my heart sing! When the superintendent is found dead, Wally and Skye have to investigate.

It is nice for a series like this one to have characters that come back in every book. They all become old friends themselves. It's also nice to know how Skye and Wally think things through, but everything is not given away to fast that the mystery is solved immediately. I really enjoy the series and the pace of the books and this cozy was a solid addition to the series.

This time it’s personal! Scumble River’s school psychologist Skye has enough to deal with her newborn twins with her police chief husband Wally. Now, her godfather has gone and got himself arrested. Plus, the school’s superintendent has been stabbed in the throat by cupid’s arrow…literally…and died. So much for Skye to do and so little time in book #4 in the Scumble River reboot, Body Over Troubled Waters.

I always enjoy returning to rural small town Scumble River life. Sure, everyone is in everybody’s business. But that doesn’t mean they don’t care for each other. The two mysteries here are interesting. Both have several viable suspects, some clues, and some red herrings. Body Over Troubled Waters is a nice relaxing way to spend a summer afternoon. 4 stars!

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Body Over Troubled Waters (Welcome Back to Scumble River 4) by Denise Swanson


And we’re back y’all!!!
Scumble River is one of my favorite fictional towns, along with Keeneston and Shadows Landing!

I love this series but y’all I really love this book and does it ever start off with a bang! Like literally we start off with an active school shooter situation. (Shhh! it involves the Doozier’s!) From there we’re kept hopping along as poor Skye and Wally attempt to navigate time with the kids and murder. We also get to see an inside view of the local school system with Dr. Wraige’s murder. I do wonder if next book we’ll see a certain principle as the new superintendent?! Uncle Charlie’s in trouble again and staying with May. While our favorite young twosome has some wonderful news! Oh man, there’s simply too much going on for me to tell. Including something Simon’s momma did to a certain boyfriend but lordy!
Ya’ll need to get this book with a quickness and expect to happily be unable to put it down until the very end! 5*

I would love to see this as a tv show WB or Hallmark Mysteries! Talk about something I’d watch again and again!




Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC.

Skye and her husband Wally return in the newest release in the Welcome Back to Scumble River series. Skye is back at work as a school psychologist, following the birth of her twins. Things are going well until the school superintendent is found murdered. Now Skye and Wally have to put on their sleuthing caps (or in Wally's case, police cap), to find the killer.

Excellent book! I loved Skye and Wally so much. And the mystery was well-written and interesting, with enough red herrings to keep me guessing until the end. Highly recommend.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

Sometimes you don't want anything heavy, you want a good, old-fashioned cozy mystery with little gore and no violence to speak of. If that is what you are looking for, you cannot do better than Denise Swanson's Scumble River series. If you have triggers you can safely read "Body Over Troubled Waters" without worry.

I don't like spoilers so I am not going to give any. I will say that this book was very well written; for me that is the sine qua non. The prose flowed easily, and the plot moved right along. Although this is the latest of a long-running series, if this is your first time in Scumble River you will not find any difficulty keeping the characters straight.

I really enjoyed "Body Over Troubled Waters." It was light without being frothy, and serious without being ponderous. I am already looking forward to the next installment.

The Welcome Back to Scumble River series is absolutely delightful! It’s got a lovely setting, realistic characters, quirky characters, and baffling murders! The latest book, Body Over Troubled Waters, is just as enjoyable as the first three!

Skye is back to working full-time as school psychologist. With the birth of her twins, Skye has been stretched thin! She really tried to take a maternity leave, but stuff happens. Now that she and Wally have the perfect live in nanny, Skye is ready to tackle her job(s) again. What she doesn’t expect is a school lockdown and another murder….nothing to do with the lockdown…but lots to do with the school since the dead body belongs to the superintendent! As part-time police psychological consultant, Skye’s involved in this mystery from all sides.

As with the prior books, Body Over Troubled Waters was a joy to read. With each book, I become more attached to these characters, and I love “watching” how they interact with each other. The Dooziers, you’ll love this quirky family, are, of course, in the book but only for a short scene. They crack me up, so I love when they’re involved in the mayhem somehow. I like that with each book, older characters play at least a small role, and newer characters keep growing in importance.

Solving the murder is quite challenging. Lots of red herrings will throw you off the scent of the real killer, but in the end, you’ll get that aha moment and figure it out.

I think that cozy mystery readers will enjoy Body Over Troubled Waters and the Welcome to Scumble River series by Denise Swanson.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC of this book. I was not required to give a review & all opinions are my own.

Back to school shenanigans and murder

Skye Denison-Boyd is back from maternity leave and her first day back has an all school lockdown where Cupid is being held at gunpoint. Yup, pretty hard to believe, but that was only the tip of the troubles! Skye is stuck dealing with satisfying Cupid's parents demands so they don't sue the schoolboard, along with dealing with family issues, and a murder. Being married to the Chief of Police, being the Psychologist for the Police Department, mother of infant twins, and psychologist for all schools in Scumble River leads to a pretty busy life.
This mythical Illinois town is a great place to visit. Colorful characters (especially the Doozier Family and the Red Raggers), small town living, farm life, and family peccadillos mix together to make the laughs plentiful, murders unusual, and a story that is fun to read. This series is a terrific addition to the original 18 book series. Once you start reading, it's hard to put it down!

Thanks to Poison Pen Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Skye returns to work after having the twins. Life is settling down; however, the schools are full of action. There’s a lock down at the high school, then the superintendent is found dead after a series of burglaries at his house.

I love this series. It’s always good to return to Scumble River and see how Skye has become successful.

Body Over Troubled Waters by Denise Swanson is the umpteenth in the saga of Skye Denison-Boyd. She and her sheriff husband, Wally, solve crimes together after finally getting together a couple of years before, marrying, and having twins. It has been a rocky journey but all is well with them, except for this pesky murder of the school superintendent, Skye's boss. Swanson manages with weave through the story a thread about Skye's life at school which not only lends a touch of humor but is so accurate, it hurts. The victim, Dr Wraige, is a complicated guy, not at all who one would think would be the school superintendent in a small town. His family is interesting, as well. There seem to be plenty of people who are possible suspects. Can Skye and Wally solve this one?

This series is one of the longest running in cozy and history and still one of the best. Swanson's fans have seen this family and this town through a huge amount of growth and change. Skye has siblings and parents and extended family, all of whom have interesting lives. Wally has his dad. There is the school, and the town, and the ex-girlfriends and boyfriends of various folks. It is an intricate and entertaining story. One I will keep reading as long as I can. The characters are well-developed, which is not to say boring, and they can always find something interesting to capture the readers' attention. They are good crime fighters with a variety of tools and resources available only in a small town. This series is an old but good and I hope it never ends. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Body Over Troubled Waters by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #bodyovertroubledwaters

Denise Swanson delivers another excellent and riveting mystery, a page turner that kept me reading.
It's a fast paced and entertaining story, a complex mystery with plenty of suspects and an unlikeable victim.
I was happy to catchup with Skye and her friend, had a lot of fund and the solution was satisfying.
I appreciated how the author describes the sleazy victim and she's never judgemental. I also appreciate the body positivity in Skye.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Body Over Troubled Waters 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, and Skye has returned to work. There is so much going on in their lives, it's non stop action. When Wally finds the school district superintendent dead in his home, he and Skye work together to solve the crime. I love Skye and Wally's relationship, and how they support each other. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book 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.

An emergency school lockdown brings school psychologist Skye Denison-Boyd and her police chief husband Wally together to deal with an errant costumed cupid and a gun-happy assistant to the principal. The district's creepy superintendent Dr. Wraige had been at the school for a big announcement and was also nagging Wally to solve several break-ins at his home. A short time later, Dr. Wraige is found dead in his home, stabbed in the neck with a cupid statue's arrow.

Skye and Wally juggle the murder investigation with their busy family responsibilities with their twin babies CJ and Eva. Were Wraige's sexual quirks and extramarital flings the key motive for his murder? Did his son Tavish's long-simmering need for vengeance go too far? Or did a disgruntled school employee get his revenge for an unjust firing? A final interrogation of the three main suspects by Skye and Wally finally reveals the killer's identity.

This was another enjoyable entry in the Scumble River mystery series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press/SOURCEBOOKS with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and prov

Imagine returning from maternity leave to an emergency school lockdown, your godfather being arrested and a dead body. Welcome to Skye’s life as the school she works at has a lockdown her 1st day back. She’s locked in with Superintendent Wraige, who later is found dead in his house a short time later.

I really enjoyed this trip back to Scumble River and even though this was book 4 in the series it can easily be read as a stand alone. It’s always nice reading about familiar characters and settings though.

One thing I really love about this series is that Skye works together with her husband, and chief of police, to solve the crimes. So many cozies have the characters sneaky behind the polices back so it’s fun to read them working together.

This was another great book in the series with plenty of clues and suspects. I can’t wait to see what Skye and Wally get into next.

Skyes leave is over and it’s time for her to go back to work. In what should have been a nice easy shift back but it turns into a nightmare when the school is locked down due to a shooter. In ti make things worse skye ends up hiding with the superintendent not her first choice or anyone else for that matter. But when the guy is found dead in his home skye & Wally both seem to think there’s more to it than mere coincidence and they venture on the case

Skye and Wally have finally moved into their house, their infant twins are doing well, and she's back to work as a school psychologist (among other things). So OF COURSe there's a lockdown on her first day and she's stuck with Dr. Wraige, the superintendent who later- wait for it- turns up murdered. Wally is a police chief who doesn't mind that his smart, feisty wife helps with investigations. Fans of cozies know that more than one person had issues with Wraige but which one? There are some good twists. I like this series (and this installment will be fine as a standalone) for the characters and for the small town of Scumble River. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A fine cozy read.

A different kind of book for me. It seemed a parody to a mistery and romance book. The purpose was to found who push the cupid an killed Dr. Wraige. The main charachters are a married couple Skye and Wally, the School psychologist Skye and police chief. Wally, Scumble River must be safe once again before the Velantine's day. I loved the titles of the chapters that remembered me of some famous songs.

A huge thanks to Poisoned Press for my e-ARC and for granting my wish to read this cozy *whoop*

Body over troubled waters follows Skye who has just returned to work from maternity leave. It's everyone's nightmare really the events that follow. It starts with an emergency lockdown *gasp* with a creepy superintendent who ends up dead shortly after. Coincidence ? Pre-meditated murder? To add to the wound someone close to her is arrested for the murder . I was intrigued with the story that I couldn't stop reading as I followed her and the police chief who is her husband as they try to catch the elusive killer

I love each and every visit I make to Scumble River and this latest one was great! I did not want to put it down. It was nice to finally get to know Skye's coworkers better (the good and the bad) and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end. As this was an ARC, there were a lot of editing errors that will hopefully be cleaned up before the publishing - one character's name was spelled three different ways - but this did not take away from my enjoyment of this story. I am eagerly awaiting the next one!