MYSTERY

Fatal Descent

by Beth Groundwater
Midnight Ink. (RM Outdoor Adventures Mystery). Jun. 2013. 280p. ISBN 9780738734828. pap. $14.99. M
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Mandy Tanner and her fiancé, Rob Juarez, think one late-season whitewater river outing can help put their Colorado-based expedition company on the tourist map. But the compatibility necessary for a tour group is missing because they have not one but two feuding families. One has siblings sniping at each other and the other a daughter trying to reunite her estranged parents. Then, devastatingly, a member of one of the families is killed, seemingly by a bear attack. Then a climbing accident endangers a woman from the other family, and the paranoia factor quickly ratchets up. Just as the river becomes more dangerous owing to rapids, the intensity of the violence escalates as well. Mandy and Rob must maneuver smartly if they want to paddle their group safely out of this death trap.
VERDICT Groundwater's third entry (after the Left Coast Crime Rocky Award finalist Wicked Eddies) is marked by an outdoorsy intensity and authentic sports chatter sure to resonate with Nevada Barr readers. Her methodical, gentle buildup mirrors the river's course so that when the characters hit the rapids, life jackets are a must.
Reviewed by Teresa L. Jacobsen , Jun 01, 2013
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