The real Florida lies far from the interstates, where there are no dancing mice, bikini-covered beaches, or shopping malls. If you listen closely, beneath the cries of hungry gulls and the rustle of wind through the palm fronds, you might hear it whisper its secrets.Lieutenant Evan Caldwell is a man adrift, cut loose from a life he thought he knew. His wife has lain comatose for months, and the … knew. His wife has lain comatose for months, and the accident that put her there has raised questions that she’s unable to answer. Now, with his wife in a nearby hospice, Evan has moved to a boat in the quiet Panhandle town of Port St. Joe, where he works as an investigator with the local sheriff’s office.
Evan’s hopes for peace and solitude are shattered when the current sheriff is found murdered. Worse, Evan’s put in the position of interim sheriff while he investigates the murder of his former boss.
Evan keeps coming up with more questions than answers; questions about what really happened in the dark privacy of the swamp, and questions about what really happened to his marriage and his wife.
As the answers begin to surface, he discovers secrets as deep and twisted as the roots of the ancient cypress trees that litter the landscape – secrets that no one wants revealed.
Page count of 320 pages will not be reflected until Amazon syncs paperback and ebook editionsmore
i’ve read a number of books in her other series and she does not disappoint!
Excellent first in series read!
This book has an interesting plot with a surprising ending. The characters are well developed and the story moves along at a fast clip. I was annoyed by the main character’s dislike of the panhandle area of Florida…I’m very fond of that part of the state and his constant criticism was irritating. I was also annoyed by his attitude towards his cat…why on earth keep an animal that you detest?!
Good crime novel built around an interesting character in Sheriff Evan. A tough assignment, a tough personal life. Well written, very good character development, very good story line.
I’ve read the entire series and loved every minute of my time with these books. My personal preference is to read for relaxation. Hope you love Dawn Lee McKenna and Alex Blackwell’s works as much as I have!
Dawn Lee McKenna’s new series about Evan Caldwell from Port St Joe, is another wonderfully depiction of the Forgotten Coast started with the Maggie Redmond series. Evan’s character is both tragic and inspiring. Great character development.
Love this whole series
“Dead Reckoning” by Dawn Lee McKenna and Axel Blackwell. I started reading hoping to enjoy the Florida setting, and was hooked by the characters. They’re clear and real, and the hero is a guy you can respect. A solid back story and sympathetic portrayal of issues provides emotional depth, and the mystery weaves through with well plotted twists.
I’ve read McKenna’s FL Forgotten Coast mystery series and enjoyed her writing so I thought this might be a series that I would like as well. The characters were believable and the ‘outsider’ concept in a small town is still alive and well. A good police procedural book with enough sarcasm and good ‘ole’ boy mixed in to keep me reading. It’s a quick read which was what I needed at this time. I’m glad to see Evan able to make at least a couple of ‘friends’ in the story at the end, and Plutes may have made a friend too. 🙂 Looking forward to the next installment of the Still Water series. Thanks.
Believeable characters. Well-written dialogue. Authors Dawn Lee McKenna and Axel Blackwell develop relationships among the characters with emotional highs and lows as they work through their law enforcement duties in tracking down a murderer. Can’t wait to read the next Still Waters suspense novel.
There is not a lot of action in this book, but it was a good police procedural. Seasoned city detective, Evan Caldwell, takes a job as an investigator in a local Florida sheriff’s department. His life is already in upheaval and just days after starting his new job, the sheriff is murdered. Caldwell is forced to take on the case as acting sheriff while juggling major turmoil in his own life. I enjoyed the story, there were several plausible suspects, and a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming until just before the reveal. There was not a lot of action in this book, but I appreciated being taken along on the investigation as the detective pieced together the evidence to solve the case. I am not a fan of stories where the brilliant investigator holds back everything until the end and then dumps it on the reader—that was not the case in this book. I would have liked to have seen a little more character development and a tad more action to liven things up, but overall it was a good read.
Excellent story filled with believable characters. Plot is filled with twists and turns and an unexpected ending. Highly recommend. Looking forward to the next book. Happy reading.
Visit Florida and solve a mystery
Good read set on the Forgotten Coast of Florida.
I found this book to be a great read. Couldn’t put it down!
Good read
Talk about atmosphere…you can feel the humidity, the dust, the bumpy roads and despair.
This is a solid police procedural in Florida in a small forgotten area off the main highways.
Small towns, drug problems, and a dead sheriff.
Evan is a trained by the book cop asked to investigate the death of a his boss, Hutchins.
Solving this case won’t be easy, he’s the new cop on the team, the undercurrents and gossip aren’t known to him, his wife is in a coma, her cat Pluto pees in his shoes, and the cop, Beckett, from neighboring area, isn’t making the job easier!
Evan has a top notch team and rhe banter with Geoff, referred to as Frost, is priceless. Evan and Beckett have an uneasy alliance looking for the cop killer.
The ending was very realistic, as laws and judgments don’t always solve or help in the end. Compassion shown by Evan and Beckett is subtle and real. Evan is a quiet character that I want to learn more about, so I will read the next book in th his series. This is 4.7 stars!!
A decent crime read.
Excellent plot and a unpredictable ending. Very good read.
Nice character development. Believable.