Cold Water Corpse

Luanne Fogarty Mysteries #3

by Glynn Marsh Alam

The third in the Luanne Fogarty series of gripping mysteries, set in the swamps and underwater caves of northern Florida where Luanne serves as adjunct scuba diver for the sheriff's department. In it, Luanne investigates the denizens of a shabby backwoods carnival after discovering the bodies of several women in the cold springs. In a setting of circus clowns, a midget dominatrix, and a snake handler minus one snake, she searches for the cold-blooded serial murderer.

Genres: Mystery

254 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

Glynn Marsh Alam is a native Floridian. Born in Tallahassee, she is familiar with the live oak forests and cypress swamps of the area. She also knows the sink holes and reptilia that abound there. She often swims in the cold, clear springs above the openings to fathomless caves. These are the settings for her Luanne Fogarty mystery series and for her literary novel, River Whispers.
After graduating from Florida State University, Glynn worked as a decoder/translator for the National Security Agency in D.C., then moved to Los Angeles where she taught writing and literature and earned an MA in linguistics. After many years of traveling back to Florida twice a year, she has now moved there and writes full time.

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#3 in the Luanne Fogarty series. Luanne is a mid-forties, linguistics professor at a local college and an adjunct diver for the sheriff's department. She is about burned out at the college and enjoys the sheriff department work but she can't be a deputy without going through the police academy, a doubtful proposition at her age. The descriptions of Florida swampland come from the background of author Alam and ring true. Luanne's relationships with octogenarian Pasquin, lover and co-diver Vernon, and prickly detective Tony Amado fuel the book. Although there doesn't seem much of a future at the college and her relationship with Tony tends toward adversarial and getting worse, I'm anxious to see what the next installment of this series will bring.

Luanne Fogarty series - Amid the drought and cold of a Florida panhandle winter, Luanne and Pasquin go to pick up alligator meat for the sheriff's booth at the fair. On the way they discover a woman's corpse which is subsequently connected to one Luanne discovered two years earlier. Two women's corpses from neighboring communities are connected and then the body of a male itinerant carnival worker is found. Do all the corpses have a connection to the carnival. Why were all the alligators at the farm shot and where is the owner? Will Luanne find answers before the carnival leaves for its next engagement?

[Lizabeth Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third book of the Luanne Fogarty mystery series is set in the swamps of North Florida. The appearance of dead female bodies around the state seem to be tied with a run-down traveling carnival. While helping search for evidence by diving into the clogged marshes and dangerous sinkholes, Luanne does some investigating on her own, aided by her friends and neighbors. An older heroine with a sometimes snarky manner, Luanne relates her adventures in first person. This is a well-written book containing extraordinarily three-dimensional characters.

Written by Native-born Floridian Glynn Marsh Alam, you can feel the deep love and appreciation she has for her settings. It shines through her mystery. Published by a smaller press, you probably won't find this book in the regular chain bookstores unless you live in Florida, but you can order it online through Amazon.com and others.

[Shauna Mckelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just ok. I really like the writing style, and I found the descriptions of the Florida swamps interesting. Some characters had interesting quirks, and I would have liked to read more about them instead of following the murder investigation as it unfolded. If the author wrote a book about the Florida she obviously knows well, I would definitely read that before I try another Fogarty mystery.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A skeleton that Luanne found two years ago becomes part of a current case as Luanne and the sheriff's department start looking for a serial killer that preys on women. Not a serial killer book but a good procedural mystery with characters I enjoy and writing so vivid it puts you there.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Beth Levitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good one from Alam. I'd rate it closer to 3.5.