Title:	Die Me a River
	Author:	Denise Swanson
	Published:	September 4, 2018, Poisoned Pen Press
	No. of Pages:	354
	Cover Price:	$6.15 Kindle

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The second installment of the popular Welcome Back to Scumble River series, Die Me A River finds Skye Dennison-Boyd on maternity leave after giving birth to twins. A hurricane has recently devastated the small town of Scumble River, and most are living in trailers or other unsuitable places until their homes can be rebuilt. Skye and her husband, Wally, who is Chief of Police, are planning the christening of their babies and while meeting with the Father at the church, hear and feel an explosion. As they rush to see what has happened, they see that the bowling alley is burning and both firefighters and police are at the scene. Unfortunately, there is a dead body from the explosion. The body belongs to an insurance adjuster who is hated in the town because she has been denying valid claims due to the tornado. Wally isn’t sure, however, that the bowling alley was actually the target after putting in gambling machines which are highly unpopular with many of the residents. There are several suspects, and readers will be unsure just who the murderer is throughout the entire novel.

Skye, the protagonist and her husband are well-developed characters, as well as the supporting characters like Carter, Wally’s Dad, Bunny, who runs the bowling alley, and May, Skye’s mother. Skye’s boss, who is the principal at her school, has a claim for tornado damage and is so awful as a person, that he is also a viable suspect. The story, while a bit wordy, is fun, and has ups and downs; it is easy to follow and the scenarios are believable.

This is a fun series, and it is suggested that readers start with the previous novel and then read this one and the subsequent novels. Light and fun, this is a good series for cozy lovers.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.