Karma’s alive and well in Apalachicola, Florida, and there are several people who are about to meet it face to face.
When more than a dozen bodies wash up on the beach on St. George Island, the residents of Apalach are outraged, and none more so than investigator Maggie Redmond and Sheriff Wyatt Hamilton. It’s time for the greedy to answer for the lives of innocents.
Meanwhile, a man is found tied to a burning boat in the middle of the bay, and Maggie’s instincts tell her Bennett Boudreaux is behind it. But if he is, Maggie has to decide whether she really wants him punished, or if justice has already been served.
Vengeance is afoot in Apalachicola, and everyone is in its path.
About the Forgotten Coast Florida Series:
The first four books of the series, Low Tide, Riptide, What Washes Up, and Landfall, lay the foundation for the entire series. There are subplots resolved in each book, but there is also an overarching plot that is not resolved until Landfall, so they should be read in sequence.
Subsequent books in the series will be both longer and be stand alone novels that can be read any sequence.
4 stars - and the books do get better from here (Included in Kindle Unlimited)
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
I'm going to review the first five books as if they were one large volume, since the first few books end suddenly and mid-plot, frustratingly. I speculate that publishing 5x 200 page volumes might provide better income for her than a single large volume...
Which leads to a second problem: Endless repetition of character descriptions (including animals), and plot updates in each new volume (which you can skim over) but... These books cannot really be read separately, they must be read in order (at least books 1-5).
The Good Firstly, McKenna shines at character development and description. There is a commanding feminine demeanour throughout these books, perhaps the best I've ever seen.
In fact, I would say characters and emotions are the lead attraction of these books for me now, well ahead of the mystery/plots (which get better). The pacing is always good, and the prose also improves substantially over time. The dialogue is good, and the characters speak with (mostly) distinct voices.
There is a sub-plot which, to me, drives everything: The strange and powerful attraction between Maggie and Bennett Boudreaux. Boudreaux is the town "kingpin", ascribed with various crimes including murder, but his charm and eloquence make him impressive and attractive. The mystery of what binds Maggie and Boudreaux is resolved in three surprising parts throughout the first 5-6 books, and each scene and dialogue between Maggie and Boudreaux is superb.
There's only one glitch in this book, centered around the last name "Boudreaux", for he has three step-sons, one of whom is a shady lawyer. The confusion around the last name harms the plot until too late in the book, and is quite unbelievable ... in my rarely humble opinion ...
Nevertheless, I'm enjoying this series more and more, especially as the quality of prose and plotting improves.
If you pick up this series (must start with book #1), please be patient and read through the first four or five books before making a decision on the overall series.
Towards the end of this book, Maggie let's her kids know about... The discussion between Maggie and her family and kids is beautifully handled.
Notes and quotes: Maggie discusses her dark secret with Georgia: “Well, I’ve found that it’s a lot easier for a man to recover from the truth than it is for him to feel lied to. - Wyatt is puzzled by the motivation and behaviour of Patrick Boudreax: Wyatt smiled and walked around Patrick to the head of the stairs. He started down, then stopped and looked back at Patrick. “Are you gay?" Patrick looked up quickly, his lip curling. “No, I’m not gay,” he said. - The assassin had mentioned this before finishing off his job: I’m tired of cleaning up Boudreaux’s messes. She felt a quick swell of nausea as she realized that she hadn’t just withheld information in a case, she had become incapable of working one. - The central, powerful mystery of the first 7 books or so. From the moment she had walked onto the beach on the island, and looked down at what was left of Gregory Boudreaux’s shattered face, she had been changing, drifting away from who and what she was. She felt like the frog in the pot of slowly boiling water. It had been so gradual, so imperceptible, that she had let it happen, had given her consent by virtue of the fact that she hadn’t run.
This is the third book in the sequence that started with Low Tide, and the author is really getting into her stride now. Florida cop Maggie Redmond, a divorced single mum getting by and tentatively inching towards a new relationship with fellow cop Wyatt, is a sympathetic heroine. But her life is quietly unravelling, with secrets emerging that draw her into the orbit of local crime-lord Bennett Boudreaux.
As in all these books, there's a crime-of-the-week, but the main feature is the intricate personal life of Maggie herself and the developments arising from the death of Gregory Boudreaux in Low Tide, which get murkier and more complicated than ever in this installment. The characters are so real, you feel you know them personally.
However, the star attraction is McKenna's glorious writing style, which is brilliant at the sort of superficial dialogue that hides an ocean of hidden meaning, and also recreates the atmospheric setting so effectively, you'll feel the sweat trickling down your back, and smell the salty tang of the sea. These are short books, so a good, fast read. Four stars.
I'm following this series with great interest! As a John D. McDonald, Randy Wayne White and Wayne Stinnett fan, this author's books are right up my alley. And as an avid reader who has been known to peruse the back of a cornflakes box if no other reading material was handy, I'm pretty hard to please. The Forgotten Coast series has lyrical writing that is descriptive without going overboard (no pun intended) and a truly thrilling story line with well developed characters. Anxious to read the fourth and last book in this series, Landfall.
This is book 3. These books seem to have been written as several books in order to lower the cost per book. You really need to read them in order. I am enjoying the story, however, it might have been better to have them written as ONE book.
update to this soap opera: Maggie is shot wyatt is shot bennett is still an enigma pattrick is becoming a problem Maggie and wyatt connect david takes swan dive Maggie and wyatt disconnect secrets are dangerous if there is one thing that's for sure, secrets get harder to tell the longer you keep them and they hurt more when you do tell - a secret that involved 2 people now affects almost a dozen! can't keep up - read the book
This is one of the best - if not THE best - series I've ever read. A must read, and I highly recommend reading them in order. While each novel is a self-contained mystery, the relationships between the characters build through the series.
I've been told that book 4 explains everything. That is the only reason I will keep reading. The first three books end as abruptly as most of the chapters. She leaves a lot unanswered and I do not think the explanation in book 4 will be much of a surprise.
I am sure I have read this story previously, but reading it again was well worth the time. Ms. McKenna does an excellent job with her very heartwarming and entertaining episodes throughout the entire story and she never ceases to amaze me with her apparent knowledge of the true function of law enforcement. Maggie is definitely worthy of the destructiveness of her job assignment, as we as her apparent interest of the people she is responsible to and for!
Five stars is much less than I feel this masterpiece deserves, but it is what is. I am definitely impressed with the author's uncanny abilities to be so descriptive throughout this series of excellent stories of a small County Sheriff's Department, but she also does a great job with her storylines and character selection.
This series is unsurpassed when it comes to mystery, love and above average entertainment. I have been hooked since book one and now I am in the process of far-reaching the entire series. I am definitely hooked on Ms. McKenna and her apparent knowledge of the subject matter, as well as her defining moments of the Panhandle of our great state of Florida!
To not recommend this series would almost be sinfulas these stories are so heartwarming, and relative to our normal way of ever day life. Therefore, it behooves all of you who enjoy heartwarming, family-friendly, episode of factual information will definitely be impressed with the author's apparent intent to satisfy our need for perfection in literature at its best!😂
This mystery is part of the Forgotten Coast of Florida series. As the third story in this series, a notable trend is that the stories are all interconnected. While enough background information is provided that would allow a reader to understand each book as a stand-alone story, you’d get a much fuller understanding if you read them in order. Since there is much of the storyline that carries over, these mysteries can have a soap opera type feel. Too much of the main character’s personal life carries over and undermines the current crime(s) from holding center stage. While the main characters are well defined and believable, I prefer a mystery story that follows a police procedural pattern with limited personal affairs intruding. In these mysteries, the personal life of the main character, Sheriff’s Office investigator Maggie Redmond, gets too intertwined with the crimes. The backdrop is a small town on Florida’s Gulf Coast, so everyone knows everyone else and their business. Perhaps it isn’t too much of a stretch for a Sheriff Deputy’s personal life to be intertwined with other members of the community, both good citizens and bad citizens. But I prefer mysteries where the authorized investigators do not have a personal connection to the primary suspects.
I’m not sure how I feel about this series. It needs to be read in order, each book seems to end with one story concluded and the other five plot lines are still unresolved.
Honestly, this book was a mess. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why one character took the actions he took but I also know it was an easy out for the author.
Maggie is not that great and not that mysterious and I am at a loss as to why these men are drawn to her. Other than her job she is boring and clueless. The cluelessness is annoying and she makes stupid decisions and they are so stupid that even the reader can’t justify her choices.
Yes, I plan to continue with the series because it has a lot of potential. The writing isn’t bad and while Maggie makes me wish I could shoot her, the other characters are likable and believable.
Also a decision is made at the end of this book and I’m interested to see how the author moves the story forward.
What Washes Up: A Forgotten Coast Florida Suspense Novel Book 3 is by Dawn Lee McKenna. What will happen to Maggie next? Maggie, Wyatt and Dwight are out on her Dad’s fishing boat to do a little fishing. A call came out for the Sherrif’s office to respond to a boat fire. With Dwight recovering from surgery and Maggie on leave and hurt, they shouldn’t respond; but with Wyatt on board, they did. They found an oyster boat on fire and men dead. The man burning was Rupert Fain, the drug dealer who was responsible for the shooting of Maggie’s Father. Later it is noted that Maggie would be a suspect but she was lunching with the Sheriff. Was Maggie suppose to do nothing to help find out who killed her ex-husband? The twists in these books are quite interesting.
I received this book through Amazon Prime Reading as set of books 1-4 in the series. This review is only for book 3.
So far what I am noticing is that these 3 books at least function more like one continuous book. Despite it being a 4 book series, it really does move along really quickly.
I am especially intrigued with Maggie's continued growth in dealing with very difficult personal and professional issues, not to mention life-threatening ones. While some relationships seem to smooth out, others continue to get more complex and I am fascinated to see where those will end up.
Just saying - one of my favorite characters so far is Stoopid.
“What Washes Up" is the third in author McKenna’s “Forgotten Coast” (currently 10-book) series, set in a small town in Florida’s panhandle, featuring her protagonist police Detective Maggie Redmond. The main plot is about a bevy of apparently refugee bodies washing up at the beach, with a sub-plot about a man burning to death in a boat gets special attention. Maggie’s continued involvement with town “villain” Bennett Boudreaux, as well as her escalating mutual romantic interest in her boss, Sherriff Wyatt Hamilton, is an ongoing part of the tale. Please see our review of Forgotten Coast: Books 1-4 for further information and opinions.
The saga continues! At least the romance element involves older (late 30's and up) folks, so we don't have the teenage angst thing all over the place - thank god! - otherwise my review is the same as for #2: The books in this series build on each other and REALLY should be read in order - starting with book 1. Really enjoying getting to know the main characters better each book. Each book does end at a 'rest point', but leaves way too many threads untied. Think they MIGHT be better as fewer longer books, but maybe not... Solid 4 stars, -0.5 for ambiguous book break issues.
I really like the characters and the style of writing but as I got near the end of the book something occurred to me. This is the third book in the series and Wyatt and Maggie still haven’t slept together. The book is a nice change from the ugly world we live in but, enough! I’m beginning to think that the books are just verbal foreplay so you keep reading, thinking that they will finally consummate the relationship but they never do! I’m too old to wait that long. 😊
Like its fellow members of this series, this is a fast-paced book. I didn't feel any of the others hit on social issues quite like this one, but it is almost as if the social issue just happened. Like the others, the characters are great. As a result of reading the series, some things that might be odd make sense - I definitely recommend reading these in order. And, I definitely recommend these books.
I thought about giving this book 4 stars. The series is not a particular “challenging” series to read and the plot is a bit predictable at times, but so far, all three books have been an absolute JOY to read.
As I find myself wanting to read as an escape for enjoyment more and more, I find I appreciate books written for just that scenario with increasing frequency.
This series fits that bill extremely well. 5stars for this third installment.
I have enjoyed this series because I live in Tallahassee and spend a lot of time in Eastpoint, St George Island, and Apalachicola, where this series is based. I can envision the places in the books. I have read the first 3 and am about to start the 4th of 10. The writing is good enough to keep me interested in whatever is going to happen next. As a reader, I think that is critical.
Again this is just part three of a much larger book. It ends abruptly. Knowing that going in, i would suggest reading it. It was entertaining and it holds your interest.
**SPOILER ALERT**
Well Sort of a Spoiler but only a tiny one. This book proves exactly why, if you have a gun, you should keep it loaded and "HOT" at all times (locked and loaded) It has changed my mind on that subject... a gun is pointless unless it is ready to go the very second you need it to be.
I started listening to this series on Sunday. Today is Wednesday and I have just finished the third book. This should give you an idea how much I am enjoying this series. Also reading a series that already has 10 books out is great. I really don’t enjoy waiting months for the next book in the series.
KU borrow. Some people you love to hate; some people you hate to love. The line gets blurry sometimes. The line: “You know, my Dad always said you can tell a lot about people by what washes up on the beaches,” Wyatt said. “He was talking about hypodermics and beer bottles, but I wonder what this says.” Pretty intense at times.
This series is at least for the first four books really one book bulked up by the repetition required to clue indexers of each book what transpired in earlier ones. Otherwise, to too bad, but not nearly as well done as her books about Apartchicola. I will not be finishing this series.
I am surprised that I like this series, but I do. I like the characters and the action. It's amusing to me that I like the character that could be called our " bad guy", but I do. Maggie and Wyatt are great . I hope Maggie's character does some growth and becomes stronger.
Apalachicola, Florida police officer, Maggie Redmond, continues debating with herself whether she should share a terrible event from her past with her boss, Sheriff Wyatt Hamilton, which will have an effect on the cases she's been investigating. Unidentified bodies have also washed ashore on nearby St George Island, bringing sorrow and many questions along with them.
Still loving the storyline, the characters and the inclusion of so many familiar places in Appalachicola but OMG at the typos in this one. To the point of distraction. A glaring synonym slip (son for sun) made my eyes cross up. Even with all that... on to book 4
Another excellent addition to the Forgotten Coast series, the build up and pace of the interweaving stories kept me going until the end, the only reason I did not read this quicker was because I was saving it for my holiday reading and I am glad I did. Fast paced, exciting and very enjoyable.
Characters really begin to hit their stride in the 3rd installment. Great from sharp to finish with the relationship between Maggie and Bordeaux taking center stage. A must Read series that can be had for a few bucks.
This series has really grabbed me. I listened to the first two on audible and sadly there were no more to listen to. I read this book in just a few hours. I just couldn’t put it down. Going to get the next one now!