Dead in the water

Swanson's witty, charming 20th adventure set in Scumble River, Ill., the first in a series reboot that moves the timeline forward to 2017, finds a very pregnant school psychologist Skye Denison-Boyd (who was suffering morning sickness in 2016's Murder of a Cranky Catnapper) and her hunky husband, police chief Wally Boyd, dealing with the aftermath of a devastating tornado. But there's no time to mourn their own losses; Skye's jerk of an uncle, Mayor Dante Leofanti, is bellowing threats at Wally and demanding that he personally perform checks on his cronies' properties. This turns up the body of city councilman Zeke Lyons, whose death doesn't look accident- or tornado-related. But before Wally can delve too far into Zeke's death, his check on an old farmhouse lands him in personal peril. And when Carson Boyd, Wally's Texas millionaire dad, arrives to help, the well-kept secret of Wally's wealthy background becomes another issue. Based on this delightful entry, this cozy series should have a long, bright future. Agent: Laura Blake Peterson, Curtis Brown. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A pregnant Illinois school psychologist braves a tornado's wrath while searching for a city councilman's killer.Only a few days before the start of school, Skye Denison-Boyd is scrambling to set up the year's testing, counseling, and intern supervision ahead of her upcoming maternity leave. But Mother Nature turns out to be the ultimate decision-maker, dealing Scumble River a blow that knocks the roofs off all three school buildings and levels much of the property. The home Skye shares with her husband, police chief Wally Boyd, is in ruins. Fortunately, Wally's father, multimillionaire Carson Boyd, is able to send the couple a deluxe mobile home in which to await the arrival of their firstborn. But Wally can't stay home while a town full of dispossessed homeowners struggle. Zeke Lyons' wife is darn near beside herself because her husband may still be in their house, where he stayed to care for their dog through the storm. Wally finds Zeke's body in the bathroom, but the burn marks on his corpse suggest it wasn't the twister that did the councilman in. Wally's just starting to investigate when Mayor Dante Leofanti sends him to check on his friend Hollister Brooks' tenants. Wally heads for Brooks' old farmhouse east of town and promptly drops off the radar. Now it's up to Skye, with help from Carson, to track down Zeke's killer in hopes of finding her missing spouse. Swanson relaunches her Scumble River series (Murder of a Cranky Catnapper, 2016, etc.) under the flag Welcome Back to Scumble River. But her stories are just too earnest, as well as too formulaic, to stay afloat long. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.