Washed Up

by Susan Koefod

The shocking discovery of a drowned newborn washed ashore on the banks of the Mississippi River forever changes 11 year-old Abatha Cox and Somerset Hills, the small Minnesota community she calls home. Lead investigator Arvo Thorson is the only person trusted enough to investigate the baby's murder, but he's drowning too-- in a toxic cocktail of whiskey, vodka and gin-- and his career will be dead in the water unless he can solve the crime. Christine Ivory, the brainy, fashionable and compulsively organized social worker caring for the girl, has never been more intent on thwarting Arvo.--Publisher.

Genres: Mystery Thriller, Mystery

232 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

A native Minnesotan, Susan Koefod spent much of her girlhood taking long bicycle rides and walks through hilly Dakota County and along the Mississippi River. Such excursions typically filled her imagination with poetry and story ideas. She invariably thought of herself in the third person and was the first character in her early stories. Ultimately, she relegated herself to the background as she could always invent more interesting characters to play the starring roles.

Susan Koefod is an award-winning novelist. Her Arvo Thorson mystery series debuted with Washed Up [North Star Press], which was praised by Library Journal as “a smashing debut with astute observations and gorgeous prose.” The series includes Broken Down and Burnt Out. Her short stories have been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and other place. Her latest novel is Albert Park: a Memoir in Lies. Susan won a Loft McKnight Artist Fellowship for Writers, a distinction of excellence and a $25,000 award open to Minnesota fine artists and writers.

She lives in West St. Paul, Minnesota, with her family.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koefod's debut mystery is a great read! The plot flows along with the same drive and intensity as the mighty Mississippi that plays such a central role. It's filled with quirky, memorable characters that stay with you long after you've read the last sentence. The chemistry between messy Detective Arvo Thorson and perfectionist Christine Ivory is white hot. Abatha Cox is a young girl with an old soul whose closest friend is mother nature. The book is littered with gorgeous passages that provide insight into both the natural world and the human condition. Don't miss out on this great read. I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The town seems a little seedy, a little gritty, like, it's past its prime, like the detective. The girl is attractive, well organized, very structured, she doesn't like mistakes.

So what's the attraction?

They're tangled up in a case, he's the detective, she's the social worker. She's methodical, smart, reliable, on time, he has experience, contacts and instincts.

She likes to dress up, she likes to plan. He wakes up in pick-ups, wondering what he did the night before.

Together they're a team, whether they like it or not. But, I kinda think they like it.

I liked it, ...a lot.

[Kristin Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me the real strength of Washed Up was the characters. I enjoyed getting to know Arvo and Christine. Arvo is a mess, and while things smoothed out for him a bit in the story, he was still hanging on by a thread. It made me want to see what happens to him next. Looking forward to the sequel!

[Cathy Mccallister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read a mystery in so long! This is a great story that takes place here in MN and is by a MN author-who I get to meet Tuesday night at book club!
I love the characters, they are funny, flawed but their hearts are in the right place.

[a · Rating 5 out of 5]

a wonderful first book! and a local mystery writer! I can not wait for the next Arvo Thorson book

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I saw it was from a local Minnesota author, Susan Koefod. Little did I know at the time, but it was the first book in what has now become a successful series based on the character of detective Arvo Thorson. I really enjoyed the book due to its simplicity of style and writing. I liked the interaction that was developed between the two main characters, Arvo and Christine Ivory. I liked the local flair of culture and climate. I like the obvious political cover-up that was woven into the story, but that the connections were not revealed until the very end.

I see that Koefod was written subsequent books, and I am very much looking forward to reading those as well at some point!

[Verena · Rating 2 out of 5]

On Labor Day, 2011 the body of a newborn baby was found along on the shore of the Mississippi River south of the Twin Cities. This was the fourth time in the last decade that a baby’s body has been found in this area. At about the same time, this first novel by a local author was published. Her mystery begins with a similar theme of two drowned babies discovered two decades apart. The juxtaposition of the gruesome reality being turned into fiction unsettled, but also intrigued me, as did the local setting. The book began with promising descriptions of place and the two main characters. The male detective and the female social worker are strong-willed personalities who have known each other since high school. Now they have to work together in their professional capacities and they loathe each other. It’s very apparent that their common interest in this case will lead to a common interest in each other. The story line gets derivative about halfway through the book. Stereotypes abound. There are the “exciting” moments of a car racing across railroad tracks in front of a train and across a swing bridge as it begins to swing. The characters become almost laughably too good or too evil; there is no nuance. By the end of the book the plot has fallen apart, and I am sorry that it did not develop well into a believable conclusion.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a well written and interesting mystery novel that also dealt with the topic of child abuse and other types of dysfunction. I thought the main characters were portrayed well, and their development throughout the novel was good. The plot was highly intriguing and entertaining despite dealing with hard topics and involving a very heinous crime. The reason that I gave this novel four rather than five stars is because of how full of vulgar language it was and how there was a completely gratuitous sex scene in it, but otherwise, I really loved it.

[Michael Kelberer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice start to a new series. I liked both main characters quite a bit, and it was fun to discover the complex people behind my initial impressions - a lot like meeting real people. The mystery plot was well constructed, and the pace kept me reading right through to the end. Will definitely read the next entry Broken Down.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another time I wish Good Reads let you use 1/2 stars because this was more than a 3, but less than a 4 for me. A good, quick read, with some interesting twists and turns. I'll be looking forward to checking out the next in the series!

[Leah Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well-paced book that turned into a real page turner near the climax. The main characters were flawed, quirky, believable, and fun. Also many of the metaphors used were so unique, but worked really well.

[Carol Frazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

New author for me and I liked the book!

[Mary Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Minnesota murder mystery has too much of drunken investigators & dead babies to make it comfortable reading.