Wicked Eddies (An RM Outdoor Adventures Mystery (2))

A river ranger Mandy Tanner was doing her job (mostly cleaning campsite after tourists) when she found a dead body - a local fisherman killed with an axe and sprayed with pepper gas for good measure. This happened right before the international fishing tournament for which the dead men was one of the most likely candidates to win. This also happened not to be the last dead body Mandy found.It has been a while since I read a good mystery book; I also had quite high expectations about this one. Does it deliver? Yes, almost. This is a good old-fashioned mystery, meaning a fairly complicated plot, a lot of red herrings, and a lot of suspects. On the top of that, I learned quite a lot of things about rangers' work, whitewater rafting, and fly fishing; and the way all this information is presented is NOT boring.My only complaint which prevented me from giving this book 5 stars (and it came pretty close to this) is that there is something lacking, something subtle I cannot quite define. Maybe it is a lack of excitement of discovery of clues which comes from the fact that Mandy is not a detective and things happen to her instead of her actively conducting the investigation - most of the time.Still this is a very good mystery book which made me a fan of the author and eager to read her other writings.

Few things frighten me, but whitewater rafting is one. Give me snakes, spiders, jungle, desperadoes ready to kill--no big deal. Whitewater rafting seems uncontrolled, fraught with uncertainties, and just plain scary. I loved seeing this activity up close and personal by reading about a woman who does this for a living. Beth Groundwater writes tales of outdoor adventure involving people you think you might have met in real life. Between the awful criminal parts, there's a comfort in reading about the life in this small Colorado wilderness neighborhood.

Beth Groundwater has hit her stride in this second book in this series. The first book showed promise but it was such a dark time for the heroine, Mandy, it was a little overwhelming. Life moves on though and in this book we get to know Mandy better as she figures out her life and her relationships. The author does an excellent job of portraying the confusion as Mandy tries to move on while honoring the past. Her struggle to come to terms with what she should do with her uncle's house, which she does not need except as an emotional touchstone, are so real I could empathize with her and her moods. And all this is happening as her best friend, Cynthia, is suspected of murdering her own uncle, something the fiercely loyal Mandy does not believe. The story is well done and the scenes so complete one can fall right in the story and enjoy the Arkansas River. I'm looking forward to spending time with these people in this wonderful setting again.

It is a good and fun book. Interesting mystery in mind of the wilderness. I love mysteries, but this was great because no speeding cars, no tall buildings, no gun shots.

Cynthia, Mandy's best friend is accused of murdering her own uncle. Mandy will stop not nothing to see that the real killer floats to the surface. As Mandy struggles to decide what to do with her uncles house; she must solve the mystery of who killed the fly fishing sportsman. Groundwater does a great job of writing her new mystery. This book is better than the first one and I look forward to seeing her grow in her writings even more with the next book "Fatal Descent." I truly enjoy her books of the Arkansas River, its rapids and the fly-fishing all flowing together with a great mystery.

I really liked how Beth wove an outdoor adventure with a human story.The lives of the rangers and river rats were very believable and page turning.I recommend this to anyone who likes adventure and reading a good story.I especially liked all the fishing quotes which I read to my husband who loves fishing.

I always enjoy figuring out the "whodunnit" before the sleuth, but not so far ahead of them that finishing to book seems like a waste of time.I really enjoyed Mandy's growth as a person as well as her growing relationship with Rob and the other characters.

Loved reading about places that I have been in this book. Her characters are a little to elementary in their thinking as the reader solves the mystery before they do. But I lke the series and will continue to buy the books.