Customer Reviews

Bilge Water Bones: A Luanne Fogarty Mystery

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Glynn Marsh Alam keeps the tension tight with smooth almost lyrical story telling in BLIGE WATER BONES, which is the 4th installment in her outstanding Luanne Fogarty series.
Plot elements include a not so innocent frantic father who's son's body is not discovered after a boating accident, the tug of two men in Luanne's life one of whom she is trying to help reestablish his ability to dive after an underwater explosion almost took his life and the introduction of new characters who live in the swamps but have fallen through the cracks.
As with all of Ms. Alam's stories the setting becomes a major character. This is one mystery series that doesn't get stale.
Nash Black, author whose books are also available in Kindle editions.
Sins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelWriting as a Small BusinessNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil War

"Bilge Water Bones", the fourth of Glynn Marsh Alam's Luanne Fogarty mysteries, builds very nicely on the previous stories, taking the reader into yet another aspect of life in the swamps of north Florida. The characters are well developed and the narrative is wonderfully descriptive of the natural environment as the mystery unfolds. Alam has created such a vivid world that I was immediately transported to the murky and mysterious ways of the folks who reside there.
I enjoy Luanne, an independent, feisty woman who is understandably burning out from her job as a University professor. As a scuba diver working with the Sheriff's Department in her off-time, Luanne is called upon to assist in a growing mystery involving a missing teenager, bodies in the waters, and homeless people who are making a life in the swamps. With her humorous observations that arise as the story evolves and a nice fondness for the eccentrics who live "off the radar", Alam's writing makes for great entertainment with a very satisfying conclusion.

Tommy Hanover, teenage son of a rich family has gone missing after a boating accident. While searching for his body, Luanne finds a skeleton with a third eye in a sunken boat. Trying to identify the bones leads Luanne to a mysterious graduate student. What is he up to in the swamp? Who belonged to the bones? And will they ever find Tommy?

I've been looking forward to this book because Glynn always weaves a great tale with wonderful writing. I was not disappointed. As always, the writing is atmospheric, and I felt like I was diving in the springs right beside Luanne. I've grown to love the characters, and it's always nice to spend more time with them. I especially enjoyed the sub-plot of Harry trying to get comfortable with diving again. That's been a multi-book arc that has enriched the series. And you've got to love Pasquin, Luanne's swamp neighbor. The plot seemed to slow down in the second quarter, but picked up again at the half way point and kept moving until the end.

This series combines mysteries, diving, great characters, and captivating writing. Each book in this series should be savored.

4th in the Luanne Fogarty series, which take place in the northern, swampy areas of Florida. Luanne is an assistant professor in linguistics at the nearby University, but she supplements her living by diving for the sheriff's department in the rivers and caves that penetrate North Florida. Luanne prefers her privacy, like most of the denizens of the swampy area. The mystery begins with the disappearance of a teenage boy whose family is influential in the area. The authorities are searching the river for the boy when they happen upon an old boat - with a skeleton. Suddenly they are working on more than one case. Luanne is trying to deal with her lover from the sheriff's office while at the same time trying to help her former lover recover from a diving accident, which is causing a little bit of tension. Add into the mix a crazy naked lady appearing haphazardly in different parts of the swamp, and you have an intriguing, descriptive mystery to enjoy.

I anxioiusly awaited this fourth in the series of Luanne Fogarty mysteries. I was not disappointed! I think I like Luanne because, unlike me, she is not afraid of the swamps and cave dives necessary for her work as an adjunct diver for the Sheriff's Department. The thought of walking through, or swimming/diving through the areas that Alam describes gives me the creeps. Thankfully, Glynn Alam has given us someone to believe in...someone truly not afraid of the swampy environment and its unusual residents. The short chapters keep you turning the pages as you try to discover the murderer and the reason for the murders. I must also add that the pictures chosen for the cover add a lot to set the stage for the story. I hope Luanne continues to help us understand that mysterious and haunting area near Tallahassee.

This was another great book by Glynn Marsh Alam. She definaley knows how to create a atmosphere that is true to the swamps and rivers of Florida. Once you pick this book up, you won't be able to put it down until you find out "who done it". I actually stayed up until 4 a.m. a few nights because I was so wrapped up in the plot.