What's not to like about a story set in the world of Colorado whitewater rafters? Add to that a strong female main character, an intriguing plot, and you get one really entertaining read. ( )

Beth Groundwater has written one strong mystery and her knowledge of whitewater rafting and river lore brings her Colorado setting to life.

No matter how strong the mystery or how vivid the setting, I am a character-driven reader, and I have to admit that I had a couple of problems with Mandy Tanner. For one thing, she's too emotionally immature for me. She blew up at the slightest provocation even before the second death in the book. She's also one of the clumsiest investigators I've ever seen. Out of that long suspect list, I don't think there's a one of 'em that she didn't antagonize. Last but not least, there's a killer on the loose and she's going around town making everyone furious, but Mandy is very lackadaisical about getting that large broken window fixed in her house.

As good as the mystery and setting are, it will probably be a while before I read further into this series. Mandy simply didn't make a good first impression. ( )

This is a new series for Beth Groundwater and it is as good as her earlier one.

Mandy Tanner is a river ranger working along the Arkansas river in Colorado. When she rescues a man from an upended raft and gets him to land she discovers he is in serious distress and works to save him. When he dies anyway and it is determined to be murder, not a water accident, Mandy is on the case to try and find out who killed him, and why.

As a first book in the series this one takes a fair amount of time to set the stage, introducing characters, describing the history of recreation on the white water rivers and the history of river rangers and guides.

I didn't figure out "who dunnit" until Groundwater was ready to let me, which is always a good thing.

Now, waiting impatiently for her next book. ( )

Disappointing. I don't usually do cozies, but was drawn in by the setting in Colordo white water rafting community. I found the main character annoying and other characters undeveloped and one-dimensional. The strength was the description of the river and the related experiences. Still, I might try the next one, for the opportunity to spend another day in one of my favorite places, and to see if anything develops. ( )

Deadly Currents – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘This was her second week on patrol as a brand-new seasonal river ranger, still under the supervision of Steve, the head river ranger. Sure, she had run all the whitewater sections of the Upper Arkansas for years as a rafting guide… But now guides like Gonzo relied on her to rescue their customers who’d been snatched out of their grasp by the river. Slowly Mandy gained on the second swimmer, a young woman. The man in front of her must have fallen out of the raft first or been swept up by the main current sooner. Though Mandy couldn’t see his face, the man seemed strangely calm, unmoving. In contrast, the woman’s arms and legs flailed in the seething whitewater. She bounced off a rock and got smacked in the face with backwash from a hole… “Grab on!” Sputtering, the woman slung an arm over the nearest pontoon… Nearing the man, Mandy blew on her whistle, but he didn’t respond… “Looks like he’s unconscious,” Mandy shouted to the woman. “I’m going to need your help pulling him in.”

Mandy Tanner has just made her first rescue as a river ranger. Hannah Fowler and Tom King were both knocked out of the raft while going through some class IV rapids. Hannah will survive from her scrapes and bruises but Tom King is another story. He has a slight pulse but even with the CPR Mandy gives him, he’s too far gone. King and Hannah’s father are both bidders for water rights needed for their developments. Fowler will hopefully give some of the rights back for recreational purposes but King will need his rights to water the help water the greens of the golf course he plans to build. The trip down the Arkansas was planned by environmentalist Lenny Preble in hopes of opening the eyes of both men to just how important the river in its natural state really is, not just for recreational purposes but also for the wild and plant life of the area.

Mandy’s real problem comes in when King’s wife decides to sue the outfitter’s owner who just happens to be Mandy’s uncle. The only way to help out Uncle Bill will be when the Medical Examiner discovers that King died of a heart attack and not something stemming from neglect on the part of Bill’s company. But… he didn’t have a heart attack. He was actually murdered. Who did it? Why did they do it? How did they do it? These are the questions Mandy must find answers to before someone else dies and her suspect list took off with leaps and bounds right from the beginning.

I’ve read Beth Groundwater’s books A Real Basket Case and To Hell in a Handbasket, enjoying both tremendously. Now she has taken me on a trip down the Arkansas River in a fast moving raft. In Deadly Currents you will be taken through the rapids just as fast and just as deadly as the river itself. She will also give you one last Class IV ride at the very end as she reveals the true killer. Reading Deadly Currents has made me feel as though I’ve actually ridden the river myself.

2011
Midnight Ink
300 pages
ISBN# 978-0-7387-2162-0


Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat ( )