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Death by Drowning
When Shawn Sorenson drowned in 1987, no one in La Crosse, Wisconsin, took much notice. They thought it was simply another drunken accident. When another student, Tad Schwartz, drowned a year later, the residents began to suspect foul play. Why else would a healthy young man drown? Even so, the police had no leads or clues to suggest anything other than a tragic accident. Were these truly accidental deaths? Suspicion became reality one fateful morning in 2011 when Police Detective Allan Rouse, Sheriff’s Deputy Charlie Berzinski, and pathologist Rick Olson pulled the 15th victim from the river. The body had a tale to tell. Dr. Olson, physician Patricia Grebin, and researcher Sarah Giles discover an obscure piece of evidence. It leads Berzinski and Rouse down a tangled trail of clues before reaching a mindboggling conclusion. Will Berzinski and Rouse catch the killer before it’s too late? Filled with intrigue, betrayal, and gut-twisting suspense, Death by Drowning will draw readers into a Midwestern town full of secrets and clues as breathtaking as the Mississippi River.
312 pages, Paperback
Published July 11, 2017
2 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 27, 2018
I don't usually like to leave negative reviews, because I try to find the good in every book, and I truly believe every author should be commended for taking the time (and risk) to write an entire novel! This book, however, is a hot, hot mess in need of an editorial team.
First, the good: I like the cover art and the general premise. While other reviewers have complained about the reveal, I would like to say I enjoyed the whodunit twist...and, perhaps, in any other story, I would have. But the reveal is so bogged down by the problems presented in this book that I am just glad to be looking at the back cover.
I found the characters in this book to be one-dimensional insults to men, women, and people in general. The police officers are so affected by those of the opposite sex that they completely give up protocol to blurt out the facts of their investigation willy-nilly to the first pair of boobs they see...and although it is well-established in the book that one of them is very, very happily in love with his wife, that same officer begins an affair with a suspect because...boobs, I guess? (And, no, said suspect didn't seduce the officer, skillfully or otherwise.) The women aren't much better -- the author seems to be suggesting that lesbianism is only a crutch for women who don't have a man to take care of their physical needs. The relationships in this book seem to exist only as an excuse for the author to write numerous awkward sex scenes. And to say nothing of the poor light in which it paints the so-called heroes in the book -- as terrible investigators and incompetent officers of the law that you are more likely to find eating bacon and doubling-down on the fat jokes rather than working this 15-year-long case.
In addition to the much-hated characters, the writing in this book is very, very dry. It seems to require a working knowledge of the La Crosse Area with the author frantically trying to work in multiple restaurants, street names, and other locations that would mean little to those not from the region. Most of the writing is dialogue (awkward flirting, characters announcing plot points to the reader, fat jokes, and the need for sexual satisfaction), and what little prose there is lacks convincing and evocative description to such a degree that a text book might be a better read.
Also: typos. There are so many typos. There were points in the book where I truly could not tell which character was speaking...or if they were speaking at all or had lapsed into inner monologue.
Mr. Evans: congratulations on your first book. However, next time, please ask someone to read it. Better yet, ask a few someones who will be honest with you and who have a basic working knowledge of the written English language. Anyone who helped you edit this book or reviewed it for you should be ashamed of themselves.
First, the good: I like the cover art and the general premise. While other reviewers have complained about the reveal, I would like to say I enjoyed the whodunit twist...and, perhaps, in any other story, I would have. But the reveal is so bogged down by the problems presented in this book that I am just glad to be looking at the back cover.
I found the characters in this book to be one-dimensional insults to men, women, and people in general. The police officers are so affected by those of the opposite sex that they completely give up protocol to blurt out the facts of their investigation willy-nilly to the first pair of boobs they see...and although it is well-established in the book that one of them is very, very happily in love with his wife, that same officer begins an affair with a suspect because...boobs, I guess? (And, no, said suspect didn't seduce the officer, skillfully or otherwise.) The women aren't much better -- the author seems to be suggesting that lesbianism is only a crutch for women who don't have a man to take care of their physical needs. The relationships in this book seem to exist only as an excuse for the author to write numerous awkward sex scenes. And to say nothing of the poor light in which it paints the so-called heroes in the book -- as terrible investigators and incompetent officers of the law that you are more likely to find eating bacon and doubling-down on the fat jokes rather than working this 15-year-long case.
In addition to the much-hated characters, the writing in this book is very, very dry. It seems to require a working knowledge of the La Crosse Area with the author frantically trying to work in multiple restaurants, street names, and other locations that would mean little to those not from the region. Most of the writing is dialogue (awkward flirting, characters announcing plot points to the reader, fat jokes, and the need for sexual satisfaction), and what little prose there is lacks convincing and evocative description to such a degree that a text book might be a better read.
Also: typos. There are so many typos. There were points in the book where I truly could not tell which character was speaking...or if they were speaking at all or had lapsed into inner monologue.
Mr. Evans: congratulations on your first book. However, next time, please ask someone to read it. Better yet, ask a few someones who will be honest with you and who have a basic working knowledge of the written English language. Anyone who helped you edit this book or reviewed it for you should be ashamed of themselves.
July 16, 2018
I've been struggling with whether I should give this book 3 or 4 stars. I think its 3.5, but I'll call it 4. I'll admit that when I put it on my "want to read" list & saw the other reviews I became concerned, but I think the other reviews are overly harsh. I felt like the characters were relatable & the story arc was interesting and engaging. My attention was captured & I wanted to keep reading.
one of the reviews referred to typos in the book & there were some, but I didn't find them overly distracting. Besides, I feel like when I rate a book I'm rating the writing & not the physical set up....
I think this book would be a good read for anyone who enjoys mysteries & "ripped from the headlines" stories. I lived in La Crosse while the drownings were happening and that's what made me pick up the book, but I was also intrigued that Arlington Heights, IL made an appearance as well - another connection for me.
overall I would say that if you're a mystery lover you'll enjoy this book & should read it.
one of the reviews referred to typos in the book & there were some, but I didn't find them overly distracting. Besides, I feel like when I rate a book I'm rating the writing & not the physical set up....
I think this book would be a good read for anyone who enjoys mysteries & "ripped from the headlines" stories. I lived in La Crosse while the drownings were happening and that's what made me pick up the book, but I was also intrigued that Arlington Heights, IL made an appearance as well - another connection for me.
overall I would say that if you're a mystery lover you'll enjoy this book & should read it.
July 17, 2019
Don't bother. I got 1/3 or so through and put it down for the night. I never got back to it. A murder mystery has to be pretty bad for that to happen. Editing is poor -- grammar errors and wrong names. Some things are just unrealistic, like a 25 year old doctor as head of pathology at an age when most doctors are still in medical school.
August 2, 2023
I really really wanted to live it, but the characters are clunky, and I found a decent amount of grammatical errors.
November 10, 2017
This book was terrible. Being from the La Crosse, WI area I was excited to read about there mysterious deaths we had but this book was not worth the read.
I felt like I was reading half mystery, half cheap porno. At least half the book was about sex, and totally off topic.
The dialogue was so cheesy I actually groaned. It really didn't seem like an editor even looked at this book because there were so many obvious errors it was rediculus.
None of the characters were likable, especially towards the end. They seemed very 2 dimensional and had no appeal.
This was also very far fetched and didn't seem real well researched. I haven't disliked a book this much in a really long time.
I felt like I was reading half mystery, half cheap porno. At least half the book was about sex, and totally off topic.
The dialogue was so cheesy I actually groaned. It really didn't seem like an editor even looked at this book because there were so many obvious errors it was rediculus.
None of the characters were likable, especially towards the end. They seemed very 2 dimensional and had no appeal.
This was also very far fetched and didn't seem real well researched. I haven't disliked a book this much in a really long time.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews