Dead Wake

The Forgotten Coast #5

by Dawn Lee McKenna

DIY has a sinister component in historic Apalachicola, Florida

When the local florists find a dead guy in their wall, it opens up a decades-old missing persons case. It also opens up a Pandora’s box of secrets - secrets that might have ramifications for Sheriff’s Office investigator Maggie Redmond.

Maggie and Sheriff Wyatt Hamilton learn that local kingpin Bennett Boudreaux was the primary suspect in the disappearance of Holden Crawford almost forty years ago, but he had an alibi. The problem is, no one knows what that alibi was. The former sheriff won’t tell, and even Boudreaux himself refuses to say.

When a photograph of Maggie’s own father becomes an important part of the case evidence, learning Boudreaux’s secret becomes even more crucial.

When is going to jail for a murder you didn’t commit preferable to revealing the proof of your innocence? Who is Boudreaux really shielding?

It might be the same person Maggie wants to protect.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Ebooks, Suspense, Amazon

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 23, 2015

About the author

I live in small town Tennessee, with three children still at home and two grown kids just blocks away.

I am an unrepentant romantic, a caffeine addict and a true dork. I apologize for none of these.

Reviews

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I must say, the brief but astonishing revelation in the thoughts of Bennett Boudreaux in the previous book are driving me forward in this series. Those change everything.

The whole competition/hatred between Wyatt and Boudreaux is very uncomfortable, but perhaps expected as "continuing colour" for the Maggie-Wyatt-Boudreaux situation. Over these first five books Maggie continues to fail to choose Wyatt over Boudreaux. In reality, the way she is behaving, she and Wyatt would be kaput except that Wyatt understands she is distressed and confused, but not why.

General note:

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.

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.

[Coco.V]

💝 FREE on Amazon today (11/26/2017)! 💝

[Jody Patanjo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apalach is always missed

Love reading these books and hate finishing them. Dawn does a remarkable job of bringing the town and characters alive and throws enough twists and turns in there to keep you turning the pages.

[Mary Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review may contain some spoilers! While this is a good story, I am troubled by the actions of Wyatt, the police chief. Maggie ( detective) has been divorced for 5 yrs and raising her kids. She started seeing Wyatt on a personal level and the relationship has been developing during this whole series. He started telling her a while back that her judgement is flawed because of her friendship with Bennett Boudreaux. He tries very hard to pin this murder on Mr Boudreaux, who is innocent of this crime, because he is jealous and controlling. They eventually solve the case and catch the true murderer. I don't like seeing Maggie without a backbone and questioning her judgement and instinct which have always served her well. While everyone in the book thinks Wyatt is good for her and her kids, I'm having some trouble with it. Maggie is a modern independent women. Wyatt is old fashioned and authoritative. Oil and water don't mix.

[Geneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Binge reading!!! Read all five consecutively, so glad I didn't have to wait on a book. Even though #5 ended, there is room for continuing the series. Will there be a sixth book? I love the owners of the flower shop, so funny. Maggie is finding answers to her past, but what about her future, would like to see her and Wyatt get together.

Enjoyed the series.

[Ellen Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super series!

All five books in this series were great reads. Love Miss Evangeline....William and Robert are priceless...not to mention the sheriff. Looking forward to the next one!

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

5th in the series that I'll read until the finish. Each book about an area of Florida I just visited, otherwise I don't know that I would have bothered. I love reading local authors work though of places I visit.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anxious for book 6. This series from 1-5 has been difficult to put down. Intrigue, breadcrumbs that lead to solutions. Very well written. Fascinating characters. Excellent.

[Kathleen Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed this book, however, with how intense book 4 was, I feel like we needed to spend some time in the aftermath. This book was written as if the last book never even happened. Granted there were a few months in between, but that doesn't change the fact that the kids would surely be experiencing PTSD, and Maggie, too. If she was having nightmares at the beginning of this series about her rape from 22 years ago, I would think that being strangled within inches of her life in front of her children may have the same result for all involved.

I assume Wyatt ended up having his surgery, too, but we never talked about this either.

The book itself was as good as the others. It continued to encourage me to turn the pages, but just in light of the series as a whole, I feel like something was missing.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is the fifth in the series, I didn't find it a problem that I hadn't read the previous 4 books and was able to pick up the longer running thread of the characters' stories well. Here we follow Maggie and Wyatt as they investigate the discovery of a body in the wall of a florist's shop, a body that has been there for quite some time, decades in fact. in doing so they open a can of worms that combines their personal and professional lives, nearly uncovering a huge family secret in the process. While there isn't anything particularly unique about this book, it is really well written with a good flowing story and interesting characters (although there were times when Maggie was annoying me a little, especially with the whole her and Wyatt thing...seriously if you like the guy go with it!).

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read all six books this weekend. I can't stop..

...The character arcs just flows from one to the next and I need to know what happens next to my new friends.

And Stoopid is a favorite now, too. I hate that she keeps threatening to toss him in the stock pot.

Now I have to wait to find out if or when Maggie learns the truth about Boudreaux. That will explain a lot to her, but cause her more anxiety....

[Eileen Schooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasure to pass time in an ongoing saga

I live in this part of the country and enjoy reading stories set in my space. Each story includes many of the same characters, yet each story is unpredictable. It's very light reading done well.

[Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great read!

Well worth the wait for this book. I have immensely enjoyed the series thus far. Keep cranking them out, please!!

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Wake: A forgotten Coast Florida Suspense Series book 5 is by Dawn Lee McKenna. This is a funny suspense simply because of the characters involved. This involves Robert and William who own the florist shop in town. They are hilarious. They are gay and so very urban it is funny that they are in this ocean community. William is so OCD that he has to know every detail of everything going on about him. Things must also be absolutely clean and in order. Robert isn’t quite so OCD as William is; but he is close.
After the hurricane that hit in book 4, William and Robert barely have enough insurance money to clean up the shop and replace floors and display cabinets. Money to repair the wall between the storeroom and the front. Therefore, William and Robert decided to tackle it on their own- neither one is very handy with tools!. They did have the sense to consult DIY videos on YouTube and had watched HGTV for years, so they decided they were prepared to do this. How hard could it be?
Quickly they found out that it was quite difficult to knock down a brick wall, even an old one. William tried using a sledgehammer; but he could barely lift it so changed to a smaller hammer. He loosened the brick a few at a time. When he knocked down three bricks, he was confronted by a terrible odor he could not identify. Then he saw the body!
Lt. Maggie Redmond was called to the scene by William and Robert. They insisted she take the case and wanted them to find her Daddy’s killer. This despite the fact that it has been about 30 years since the body was entombed. They want it done yesterday!

[Patricia Tally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep asking myself why I’m reading these volumes one after another. I really like the characters and their potential and some of the writing is exceptional- like the struggle with the Hurricane. But, dear lord! The whole 5 first volumes could have fit in one good 350 page novel. Interspersed with the really goof writing, is lots of really insipid repeated phrases about Wyatt’s long legs and moustach, Stoopid the rooster and Coco the dog, what coffee they drink and a dozen other really dumb descriptions which are repeated over and over within each and every book. Is the author paid by the word and thus all that filler?? We get it already: Wyatt is tall, Boudreaux wears nice clothes, Maggie looks like her mother and Sky does too. Really really takes away from the otherwise interesting observations. These volumes are like tv novellas all blending into the next book. Again, not sure why I’m reading the series except there is some really good writing in there that carries me through the junk. Not sure I’ll last much longer though. I wish someone would edit Dawn’s books, cutting out the clutter that delays gratification and leave the tight interesting story of these families.

[Frieda Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Wake

I love this series because I love Appalach! It has been years since I've been, but that area was almost a second home for me back in the 70's, & I visited several times in the 90's & early aught's. My parents had a house in East Point so they could go fishing any time they wanted. I used to tramp St. George's beaches, while they were still wilderness, & I loved the historical nature of Apalach. All these years later I can picture the places Ms. McKenna writes about as if I'm there again! That said, her stories are well written, easy to read without being simplistic by any means, & always make me think. I like to figure out Mysteries before I finish them, but I don't think I have with any of this series! Her stories have twists & turns & red herrings! There's also the clean romance that weaves it's way through whatever mystery the characters are working through. Those characters, BTW, are likeable, funny, & are good at what they do. They are people I would be happy to have as friends. I highly recommend this series of books, I don't think I like any one better than the rest! I'm ready for the next one!

[Nancy]

4.38 · Rating details · 3,893 ratings · 177 reviews
DIY has a sinister component in historic Apalachicola, Florida

When the local florists find a dead guy in their wall, it opens up a decades-old missing persons case. It also opens up a Pandora’s box of secrets - secrets that might have ramifications for Sheriff’s Office investigator Maggie Redmond.

Maggie and Sheriff Wyatt Hamilton learn that local kingpin Bennett Boudreaux was the primary suspect in the disappearance of Holden Crawford almost forty years ago, but he had an alibi. The problem is, no one knows what that alibi was. The former sheriff won’t tell, and even Boudreaux himself refuses to say.

When a photograph of Maggie’s own father becomes an important part of the case evidence, learning Boudreaux’s secret becomes even more crucial.

When is going to jail for a murder you didn’t commit preferable to revealing the proof of your innocence? Who is Boudreaux really shielding?

It might be the same person Maggie wants to protect. (less)

Like characters.

[Craig Pittman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first four books in the series. In this one, Lt. Maggie Redmond and her boss/love interest Sheriff Wyatt Hamilton investigate a long-ago murder that was recently exposed by a renovation project in Apalachicola's favorite flower shop.

Wyatt is convinced that local crime lord/seafoot wholesaler Bennett Boudreaux did it. Maggie is not, but Boudreaux's supposed alibi is missing from the files. The former sheriff won't say what it was, and Boudreaux claims he doesn't have one.

The story flirts with the idea of finally revealing the secret that was disclosed to the readers in "Landfall" but that's a slender reed for the foundation of a book. The mystery part of the story had a satisfying conclusion, and Wyatt has finally found a solution for the problem of how to continue his relationship with Maggie while still working for the department. But the whole book had a bit of a sour tone to it, and I hurried to the conclusion, which still left some things hanging. Guess I'll have to read No. 6!

[Thomas Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dawn McKenna is simply a good story-teller. She writes with a sense of humor that sometimes is very subtle and sometimes not. Her characters are believable and genuine. She avoids providing graphic descriptions in many situations where other authors revel in trying to set new lows for the lurid detail in which they traffic and which some readers apparently need as part of their reading experience. Her descriptions of the local FL setting literally take the reader to Apalachicola for an in-depth visit. She subtly telegraphs some twists and turns but most are slowly dissected as the reader moves through the story. I've read the first 5 of her "Forgotten Coast" series and immensely enjoyed each book. She brings the reader up to date with past events smoothly and efficiently in case too much time has lapsed since reading her last novel in the Series. I look forward to each novel in this continuing series.

[Claudine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this series and recommend it to all who enjoy well-written mysteries with flawed but likable characters. I am a Floridian who grew up on the east coast, and I have traveled throughout the panhandle and visited Apalachicola before. This part of Florida is completely different from the southern part of the state, and I think Dawn Lee McKenna does a great job of giving the reader a thorough flavor of this region. I am also impressed that she has written about the BP oil spill and its long lasting impact on the environment in the Gulf of Mexico. The seafood from this region has not been the same since the disaster. She is a talented writer, and I look forward to continuing this series.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll keep it short.

Here's the thing. I really like this series. Really. The characters are great, the setting is amazing and the narrative is nothing if not compelling. But I worry that the story arcs are overtaking the novels themselves, that the back-story of these characters and how they came to be who they are are taking a front seat to present-day action.

So, I'm lost. I don't know whether the series is about our protagonists and their history together or about the crimes and mysteries that take place in present-day Forgotten Coast.

I don't really care about the answer but I worry that dependence on the former transforms this into a soap opera. Granted, a really well done soap opera but a soap opera nonetheless.

Regardless, it still gets four stars from me. And I'll keep reading.

[Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in the Forgotten Florida Suspense novels which features Sheriff Department Lieutenant Maggie Redmon in Apalachicola, Florida. The primary mystery is the cold case murder of Holden Crawford in 1977. However, this murder investigation dissolves into the backdrop for revealing the details of the personal lives and picadilloes of so many older residents and former residents of Apalachicola. In addition, the long running link to the entire series is the budding romantic relationship between Maggie and Sheriff Wyatt Hamilton. So, not enough mystery and criminal investigation and too much personal lives to suit this mystery lover. The story should emphasize the criminal investigation and put the personal lives of the investigators into the background.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A NICE SURPRISE

With a new author, one of my first questions always is - what is the plot? Then, how well do they fill in the characters, how well do the characters fit the choreography of the story, how deep are the characters? Is it either well enough constructed fantasy to be real, or realistic enough to get lost in?
For this murder/mystery, the answers are all positive things. The characters are fairly good at the beginning, but are nicely deep by the end. There are surprises, some overlain with strong hints, some totally out of the blue.
The dance - ah, the dance! Reading the dance of these characters as they unfolded, was a sublime joy.

[tiasreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite in the series so far. This seems to be the book where 'that one plot-line that shall remain nameless' starts getting beat slam to death. It shifted focus away from everything else in the book, including what could've been a really good mystery. Instead, the body in the wall and the investigation into it seemed almost like a footnote, yet another thing to drive 'that one plot-line that shall remain nameless'. I'm annoyed enough to have to step away from the series for a little while. I'll be back for sure, but I may have to go visit Three Pines before I can deal with these people again.

[Gracie Silvers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea there are more books in this series. The first four i enjoyed. This one did not disappoint. I am eager for her to learn her connection to Boudreaux. I sit and ponder how it would feel. Will it change her. The connection between her and Wyatt is sometimes annoying and sometimes sweet. Still it adds to the mystery as they are fighting crime. The case they solved, I think I missed why Boudreaux didn't want her investigating this old murder. I am guessing because of the past. The idea of who Gray is in this plot is fascinating. The kind of man he was to accept the wife. Definitely worth reading and I am hoping to finish out the series.

[Satrajit Sanyal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Wake is now my favorite installment of The Forgotten Coast Series (Though I recommend reading them by order). It delivers a lot of what fans of this series are already deeply familiar with - fantastic characters, heartfelt moments and plenty of laughs. However, the mystery in this book is the most intriguing so far.

Additionally, I really connected with sheriff Wyatt in this book. He's always been a great character, but in Dead Wake he really shines.

A fantastic sequel of a beloved series.

[Judith Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead body, surprising picture from old times and lots of unanswered questions!

When the gay florists in town find a dead body in a wall they were taking down, all kinds of questions come up. Maggie and Wyatt work together to get the answers they need to get to the bottom of this forty year old mystery. Maggie is on the verge of discovering the basis of the unlikely bond she has with the local bad guy, Bennett Boudreaux. Doubts begin regarding her father too. Will Maggie get the answers she needs? Will Wyatt?

[Brandy Jordan Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I have read the first four books and this one does not disappoint! A great spin on mystery that Maggie and Wyatt work on while still trying to figure out their own relationship with each other.
A corpse is found in the flower shop wall when it's being renovated. No one knows for sure who it is or how it got there. Maggie and Wyatt have to solve the case, but have many people keeping secrets including Boudreaux and Gray, Maggie's father. Did they have something to do with the dead guy in the wall?

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over easy

Well plotted story, less a police procedural and more just a good mystery. Easy pace and equally easy badinage between the two main characters who have become familiar and whos relationship I have enjoyed seeing develop in previous books. Huge twist at the end, relating to the characters rather than the mystery, had me misting over with the poignancy of the situation (nice plot development for the series!). Good solid story, well edited and well written. Highly recommended.

[Marvera Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Dawn McKenna

I like that there is a basic “cast” of about ten people that go from book to book. The main characters display a small town morality which I identify with, having grown up as a Catholic in a small CT town. There sure are a lot of convoluted relationships, and unusual crimes for such a small town! Each book hints of mysteries yet to be resolved, which thrusts me right into the next book. Come on, Maggie and Wyatt: time for things to get a little steamy!