Always On: A Review of Denise Swanson’s Murder of an Open Book

I look forward to Denise Swanson’s Scumble River series every year. Truth be told, I wish I could have more of these stories every year, but I understand the writing process. So, since it released yesterday,  I have to admit I devoured it and, luckily, was inspired to write a review of the newest chapter of Skye Denison-Boyd’s life.

Skye is back from her honeymoon, settling into life with Wally when she has a terrible and humiliating run in with one of the teachers at the high school. The next morning, during Skye’s normal swim, she feels something in the water that turns out to be a body—the body of the very teacher/coach whom had been so cruel. Now, Skye will have to use her wits to find the killer—and keep the tight-knit community of Scumble River in the dark about her pregnancy (at least until she tells her family). Will she find the killer BEFORE they strike again?

Denise Swanson continues to write a compelling mystery with this, her eighteenth full-length novel featuring the awesome Skye. A background in school psychology, Swanson uses her unique perspective to write a cast of characters that pull the reader into the pros and cons of life in a small town like Scumble River. Swanson’s style is concrete and relatable, as usual.

I love Skye and her common sense approach to mystery solving. All too often, readers of mysteries can figure out whom the guilty party is too soon. While I had an idea, it was a little harder to figure out the responsible party in Murder of an Open Book. I love that it was a challenge!

My only complaint is that these books have a way of ending and then I have to wait a WHOLE YEAR for the next one—I guess it is a small price to pay for reading a really GOOD series.

Denise Swanson’s Murder of an Open Book hit shelves yesterday, September 1, 2015. It is available in paperback (like I bought), eReader and audiobook formats. Pick up yours THIS week and help us bump this up for first week releases!