"A" Book

"They call us the spring people." So opens, Dive Deep and Deadly by Glynn Marsh Alam. Set in the swamp country south of Tallahassee, Florida near the Palmetto River, this mystery in the first in a series of seven with an eighth due out in 2010. The protagonist, Luanne Fogarty, is an adjunct diver for her local police department. Having grown up in that area, she is very familiar with the springs and underwater caves where bodies and other things can be effectively hiden or even stored on a short-term basis. Having lived briefly in Florida, I found the descriptions of the unrelenting heat, humidity and bugs quite realistic. I have never read any mysteries set in this area so the habits and issues facing the natives were a new lesson. There were red herrings although I did figure out "whodunit" before the end. Fogarty, was well developed through the bookas were other characters who are sure to show up in future novels. I was entranced with a middle aged heroine and her love interests (yes, more than one) also in the 50ish age group. Alam is from this area and, like Fogarty, a former linguistics teacher and diver. Also, she had a career in the National Security Agency and is probably familiar with mysteries overall. I plan to read more of this series although it appears I may have to find some on Amazon, or at local book sales, as they don't seem readily available in the Massachusetts and Connecticut library systems.