Beth Groundwater is a new author for me. I have read 2 RM mysteries and will others. Mandy is a ranger for the Arkansas Headquarters Recreational Area (AHR There is a lot of information of the work the rangers do. RM is a combination of her boy friend and her first initial. White water rafting and fly fishing is the major activity of the area.Mandy is on river patrol watching the rafters. A boat collapses and there people to recuse. Her partner heads for the woman and Mandy goes to help the man. He is unconscious. There is a problem getting the man a shore. She later learns he has been murdered. A close friend is a suspect and Mandy must find the answer to save her friend The Arkansas River is the heart and soul of Salida, Colorado. It also is a great tourist attraction for fishermen and white water rafting adventurists. For Mandy Tanner it is home. She grew up in Salida, raised by her Uncle Bill and working as a river guide for his white water rafting business. This Summer she is a Seasonal River Ranger for Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA). She has completed her training and into her second week on the river when she takes part in tricky river rescue. She is able to get two people to shore but one of them dies anyway. Land developer Tom King died in the water but it wasn't the rapids that killed him. There was nothing Mandy could have done to save him because he was murdered and there are a lot people that may have wanted him dead.Mandy world is then turned inside out when tragedy hits closer to home. Could the events be connected? Mandy has to find out, the answers may be found in the Deadly Currents of the river.Dollycas's ThoughtsI love the way Beth Groundwater writes. You ride the rapids from the first page until the last.The only rapids I have ran outside of a book have been at an amusement park or the family friendly ones in a canoe on the Crystal River here in Wisconsin. Groundwater's descriptions are so vivid you can feel the bumps, currents and eddies. She has created flawed protagonist we can genuinely get behind and want to read about. Mandy has dealt with a lot in her life leaving her with commitment issues and she has a bit of a chip on her shoulder when people offer to help her. The supporting characters are all real and very believable. I absolutely love Cynthia with her blonde jokes. It was really interesting to read a story where law enforcement actually worked together with the main character instead of all the random sleuthing going on behind the scenes. I am sure this relationship was embellished a bit for the story but it seams credible that the Park Service would work together with the Sheriff's Office. The groundwork has been laid in this debut for what I know will be an exciting series. I know I am ready to hit the rapids again.
This was a fairly good mystery. Not great, but not too bad either.
—pa33by
Good first in the series. Can't wait for the next one!
—pmlbird
Good story line and characters. Ok read.
—heather
Promising start to a new series.
—gianna
$.99
—schan1hk
