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Floaters
Detective Carly Greene was only eleven when she learned Lake Superior was a brutal beast, capable of bringing up long forgotten memories of pain and death, by occasionally releasing the bodies of those trapped beneath her waves.
As an adult, Carly still despises the bodies occasionally coughed up, and the high water eroding the edge of the graveyard this year gave "floaters" a new meaning. But she could never have prepared for what else broke free to swim with those long dead.
Part myth. Part monster. Older than time.
Carly, along with the medical examiner and a local reporter, must find and destroy a forgotten legend in the waters at the edge of Lake Superior. Before it decides it's time to feed. And breed...
As an adult, Carly still despises the bodies occasionally coughed up, and the high water eroding the edge of the graveyard this year gave "floaters" a new meaning. But she could never have prepared for what else broke free to swim with those long dead.
Part myth. Part monster. Older than time.
Carly, along with the medical examiner and a local reporter, must find and destroy a forgotten legend in the waters at the edge of Lake Superior. Before it decides it's time to feed. And breed...
Audiobook
First published July 8, 2016
14 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Kelli Owen
52 books152 followersKelli Owen writes dark fiction, thrillers, and suspense that explore characters, consequences, and the uneasy shadows of everyday life. Her novels dig into psychological tension, while her short fiction has earned her a reputation for sharp, character-driven storytelling in bite-sized doses of dread.
She has been a reviewer, editor, podcaster, and indie film producer, and has spoken at countless conventions and events, including the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA about the craft and field of writing. Her work has appeared in anthologies and magazines alongside authors such as Stephen King, Robert McCammon, F. Paul Wilson, and Josh Malerman, and in multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated collections.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Kelli now lives in the dark woods of Pennsylvania. For news, updates, and the occasional ramble, visit www.kelliowen.com
She has been a reviewer, editor, podcaster, and indie film producer, and has spoken at countless conventions and events, including the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA about the craft and field of writing. Her work has appeared in anthologies and magazines alongside authors such as Stephen King, Robert McCammon, F. Paul Wilson, and Josh Malerman, and in multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated collections.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Kelli now lives in the dark woods of Pennsylvania. For news, updates, and the occasional ramble, visit www.kelliowen.com
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 14, 2023
This was ok. It was very, very slow for almost the first half of the book, and even when the creature became more of a presence, it still dragged a bit. The ending was the best part in my opinion, but it was a hard journey to get there. Most of the book follows Carly, focusing on her job as a police officer and her personal demons, along with some other officers and residents. Nothing was written badly, but I struggled to connect with anyone in the story. So that, combined with the slow pacing really made this hard to stick with until the end. I feel like the author spent too much time building up to the actual creature’s first appearance. There needed more of it sprinkled throughout to break up the monotony of our lead characters. Again, I really liked the finale, but it left things open for more, but I’m not sure if it’s needed.
July 18, 2016
Review copy
Two quotes at the start of Floaters set the tone perfectly for the story which follows.
America is not a young land: it is old and dirty and evil. Before the settlers, before the Indians...The evil was there...Waiting — William S. Burroughs
Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful. — Mary Shelly, Frankenstein
Kelli Owen's new book starts out looking like a police procedural involving flood-waters causing a river-side graveyard to lose a number of its residents, including several Native-Americans. It's all fairly straight-forward, until BAM...tentacles.
In the words of Detective, Carly Greene, "Old Indian legends and myths and monsters and — oh my god, I need a drink."
They say, the devil is in the details and Kelli has provided plenty to chew on in Floaters.
There's the strained relationship between Detective Greene and Parker, a reporter for the Evening Telegraph, masterfully addressed, not forced, but allowed to come through naturally in Kelli's writing.
Another gem of a character in the story is Granny Two Fingers, the matriarchal leader Detective Greene is working with to decide what to do with the bodies belonging to the tribe.
In her post-story notes, Kelli Owen mentions that much of Floaters is based on facts. Floaters are real, as is the story of the graveyard releasing a number of bodies when flood-waters rose, but the rest is the work of an overactive imagination.
Floaters is available in both paperback and e-book formats.
Recommended.
Kelli Owen was born and raised in Wisconsin and now lives in Pennsylvania. Kelli has attended countless writing conventions, participated on dozens of panels, and spoken at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA.
Two quotes at the start of Floaters set the tone perfectly for the story which follows.
America is not a young land: it is old and dirty and evil. Before the settlers, before the Indians...The evil was there...Waiting — William S. Burroughs
Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful. — Mary Shelly, Frankenstein
Kelli Owen's new book starts out looking like a police procedural involving flood-waters causing a river-side graveyard to lose a number of its residents, including several Native-Americans. It's all fairly straight-forward, until BAM...tentacles.
In the words of Detective, Carly Greene, "Old Indian legends and myths and monsters and — oh my god, I need a drink."
They say, the devil is in the details and Kelli has provided plenty to chew on in Floaters.
There's the strained relationship between Detective Greene and Parker, a reporter for the Evening Telegraph, masterfully addressed, not forced, but allowed to come through naturally in Kelli's writing.
Another gem of a character in the story is Granny Two Fingers, the matriarchal leader Detective Greene is working with to decide what to do with the bodies belonging to the tribe.
In her post-story notes, Kelli Owen mentions that much of Floaters is based on facts. Floaters are real, as is the story of the graveyard releasing a number of bodies when flood-waters rose, but the rest is the work of an overactive imagination.
Floaters is available in both paperback and e-book formats.
Recommended.
Kelli Owen was born and raised in Wisconsin and now lives in Pennsylvania. Kelli has attended countless writing conventions, participated on dozens of panels, and spoken at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA.
Want to read
April 1, 2017This hardcover copy of "Floaters" is number 14 of 52 copies printed and is signed by Kelli Owen.
Cover art by Vincent Chong.
Cover art by Vincent Chong.
September 29, 2016
Pretty fucking awesome and original creature feature!
May 16, 2017
Excellent monster novel/police procedural/crime mash-up.
September 4, 2020
'Floaters' is a slick, engaging, don't-go-near-the-water creature feature book that avoids groan-making clichés while delivering the mix of gory action, slow-reveal plot, ancient monster and a modern heroine that a really good creature story needs.
Most of the book reads like a good police procedural, which somehow makes the floating coffins, the desecrated Indian burial grounds, the strange slices on the bodies of the dead and the deadly tentacles that the police don't know about at first, seem both scarier and more believable.
The creature attacks were set up with a nice mix of human interest, tension and sudden violence. The disturbingly well-described damage to the victims at the crime scenes and on the autopsy table brought with them the threat of something old, powerful, lethal and very unhappy.
The detective's personal life was a mess but I never became truly engaged with that trauma, possibly because it was one she was trying to drink herself out of.
The end is violent and plausible but surprisingly low-key.
I thought this was a solid piece of entertainment. I'll be looking for more of Kelli Owen's books.
February 18, 2020
See now; this is a good monster book. There's a monster, sure, but there are also characters that I care about, and they feel as if they exist in a believable and consistent world. There's plenty of violence, death, and destruction to satisfy my need for an old school chomp and stomp monster story, but there's more going on in this book that makes it just a solid book that I really enjoyed.
Carly Greene is a detective living and working near Lake Superior. Occasionally, bodies will be found floating in the lake and Det. Green will have to fish them out. These are the "floaters" of the title, dead, water soaking, bloated bodies. Carly hates floaters, but this year, more floaters appear in the lake with strange marks on what's left of their bodies. Also, completely separate and totally unrelated is the issues occurring at the local Native American burial ground.
Carly, the medical examiner, and a reporter have to team up to take down whatever is killing people in Lake Superior. And what they find is one of the best, most creative monsters that I've recently read.
I need more Kelli Owen books in my life.
Carly Greene is a detective living and working near Lake Superior. Occasionally, bodies will be found floating in the lake and Det. Green will have to fish them out. These are the "floaters" of the title, dead, water soaking, bloated bodies. Carly hates floaters, but this year, more floaters appear in the lake with strange marks on what's left of their bodies. Also, completely separate and totally unrelated is the issues occurring at the local Native American burial ground.
Carly, the medical examiner, and a reporter have to team up to take down whatever is killing people in Lake Superior. And what they find is one of the best, most creative monsters that I've recently read.
I need more Kelli Owen books in my life.
July 5, 2018
FLOATERS is a party of a mashup. Lake Superior is spitting out dead bodies, mutilated bodies and their coffins to boot.
Police procedural meet Native American folklore. Now, rough that up with Kelli Owen's vivid imagination. A strong yet flawed female lead added a nice touch.
This was a really fun book to read and one all should look for.
Police procedural meet Native American folklore. Now, rough that up with Kelli Owen's vivid imagination. A strong yet flawed female lead added a nice touch.
This was a really fun book to read and one all should look for.
June 12, 2020
Floaters by Kelli Owen is an original tale that dives right in and totally captivates the reader from the very first page and doesn't let up until the very last! From the amazing characters to the terrifying creature, and even the spooky setting, this tale had it all!
I had SO much fun reading this creature feature and police procedural mash-up!
This tale dives right in on page one when the main character, Detective Carly Greene, was called to the scene of the first two floaters. The town on Lake Superior is used to the lake claiming many victims and “floater” is the term given to bodies that wash up on shore.
From that initial discovery, more and more floaters appear. But where are they coming from? Why are they suddenly washing up on shore? And what else is out there, living in the river, claiming more lives?
My goodness. I went into this one pretty dark, only knowing that there was some type of creature involved…and what a creature it was! Let me tell you, I didn’t swim in rivers or lakes before now, and I certainly won’t seek out those water spots after reading this. No thank you!
This story was high-paced, wonderfully organized, and wicked engaging. I loved each of the characters so much and wanted to seem them all make it out of this crazy situation alive.
My Favorite Passages
That was the day Carly learned Lake Superior was just as capable of giving as she was of taking. That was the first time, Carly had heard the term “floater” in reference to the dead occasionally coughed up from the depths of the great lake.
Carly felt the twinges of disbelief crawling at the base of her skull like a blossoming headache.
Myths are shared. Real monsters are key secret.
My Final Thoughts
This is definitely one of my new favorite creature-features! It gave me SUCH a bad book hangover!!
You have got to check this one out if you enjoy tales with amazing characters, a very captivating storyline, and a bit of violence! This one certainly isn’t for the squeamish!
I had SO much fun reading this creature feature and police procedural mash-up!
This tale dives right in on page one when the main character, Detective Carly Greene, was called to the scene of the first two floaters. The town on Lake Superior is used to the lake claiming many victims and “floater” is the term given to bodies that wash up on shore.
From that initial discovery, more and more floaters appear. But where are they coming from? Why are they suddenly washing up on shore? And what else is out there, living in the river, claiming more lives?
My goodness. I went into this one pretty dark, only knowing that there was some type of creature involved…and what a creature it was! Let me tell you, I didn’t swim in rivers or lakes before now, and I certainly won’t seek out those water spots after reading this. No thank you!
This story was high-paced, wonderfully organized, and wicked engaging. I loved each of the characters so much and wanted to seem them all make it out of this crazy situation alive.
My Favorite Passages
That was the day Carly learned Lake Superior was just as capable of giving as she was of taking. That was the first time, Carly had heard the term “floater” in reference to the dead occasionally coughed up from the depths of the great lake.
Carly felt the twinges of disbelief crawling at the base of her skull like a blossoming headache.
Myths are shared. Real monsters are key secret.
My Final Thoughts
This is definitely one of my new favorite creature-features! It gave me SUCH a bad book hangover!!
You have got to check this one out if you enjoy tales with amazing characters, a very captivating storyline, and a bit of violence! This one certainly isn’t for the squeamish!
March 12, 2019
I have never really been a creature book fan. This book captivated me after the first 3 chapters. It kept me wanting to find out what happens next. The characters are well developed and I found myself rooting for the main female character, Carly. The author does a great job of integrating Native American myth and lore into the story. If you like creature stories, this is a must read!
November 3, 2017
Kelli Owen never disappoints.
Read
July 18, 2023Good read
This story will keep you captivated from the beginning to the end. Its hard to put down. Ill never look at the Nemadji river the same way again!
This story will keep you captivated from the beginning to the end. Its hard to put down. Ill never look at the Nemadji river the same way again!
July 14, 2023
I love Kelli Owen, and I love a good monster story, so this is a win-win. It could be a little bit of a slow burn but the tension kept me on the edge of my seat. I would have finished this in a day if my life didn’t get in my way. This was a lot of fun and I love anything that gets me in my feels. A monster horror with a dose of emotion, and I loved every bit of it.
November 12, 2018
I picked this book up at Killercon, where I had the privilege of meeting the author herself. She is very personable, fun to talk to, and, as I know now, an incredible storyteller. This book has made me an instant fan of Kelli Owen.
Floaters is an incredibly well-written creature (monster) horror novel that dips into the subgenre of mythic (aka dark urban fantasy). How can it be all these things and be good? Because Kelli Owen is that good of a storyteller. She has taken a real place, real events, and real lore and woven a dark and terrifying story that plays out with far too much realism for comfort.
Owen’s characters are very believable and engaging. The writer uses subplots and vivid character interaction to bring her characters to life without overwriting. I really enjoy the way the regional dialects and mannerisms come across without being overpowering. Alas, as with all well-written horror stories, the excellent characterization makes the horror that much more horrifying. You know these people. You empathize and sympathize with them. You experience the terror.
In addition to the fantastic characterization is, of course, the fantastic story itself. The story is engrossing, engaging, entertaining, well-paced, and almost too suspenseful for my poor middle-aged heart. The tension was exquisite. And while Owen does not venture into extreme horror with this tale, she easily could have by using different verbiage. The story is intense and has its share of just beyond-mainstream gore.
A 5-star, shelf-worthy read!
Floaters is an incredibly well-written creature (monster) horror novel that dips into the subgenre of mythic (aka dark urban fantasy). How can it be all these things and be good? Because Kelli Owen is that good of a storyteller. She has taken a real place, real events, and real lore and woven a dark and terrifying story that plays out with far too much realism for comfort.
Owen’s characters are very believable and engaging. The writer uses subplots and vivid character interaction to bring her characters to life without overwriting. I really enjoy the way the regional dialects and mannerisms come across without being overpowering. Alas, as with all well-written horror stories, the excellent characterization makes the horror that much more horrifying. You know these people. You empathize and sympathize with them. You experience the terror.
In addition to the fantastic characterization is, of course, the fantastic story itself. The story is engrossing, engaging, entertaining, well-paced, and almost too suspenseful for my poor middle-aged heart. The tension was exquisite. And while Owen does not venture into extreme horror with this tale, she easily could have by using different verbiage. The story is intense and has its share of just beyond-mainstream gore.
A 5-star, shelf-worthy read!
November 18, 2019
Great creature feature!
Great blend of horror and suspense. Just enough blood and guts to be interesting with the right amount of character building to make you connect to the characters.
Great blend of horror and suspense. Just enough blood and guts to be interesting with the right amount of character building to make you connect to the characters.
July 15, 2018
Another solid monster/police procedural novel from Kelli. Loved how it tied in with Live Specimens, and hope for more stories in that same world.
March 18, 2022
A unique and intriguing monster tale
I very much enjoyed this story. Carly is a well-drawn, sympathetic character, with whom I was able to relate. The relationship drama was not necessary to the story, but it did help to flesh out our main characters.
I do wish we had gotten more time with the Native Americans and the creature. She was fascinating, and I would have liked more of her story - more of her relationship to the tribes.
This was a 3.5 star read for me - rounded up to 4.
I very much enjoyed this story. Carly is a well-drawn, sympathetic character, with whom I was able to relate. The relationship drama was not necessary to the story, but it did help to flesh out our main characters.
I do wish we had gotten more time with the Native Americans and the creature. She was fascinating, and I would have liked more of her story - more of her relationship to the tribes.
This was a 3.5 star read for me - rounded up to 4.
February 25, 2022
Really liked the story and the great monster. Overall an enjoyable book. It did touch on my pet peeves - how police and reporters work and work together is completely unrealistic. As a reporter who covers the cop beat, I can say it's completely unrealistic.
May 28, 2022
For such a short story Owen's spends too much time focusing on a "fractured" relationship between her leads that I couldn't care about and the tale I came for becomes background. Her creature alone was worthy of 4 stars but the story built around it didn't deliver.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews