Goodreads Synopsis:
Wildlife photographer Gunnar Wolfe looked like the kind of guy every man wanted to be and every woman just plain wanted, and the St. Johns River of central Florida drew him like a magnet. EcoTour boat owner Maggie Devlin knew all the river’s secrets, including the deadliest ones found in the swamps. But neither Maggie nor Gunn was prepared for the danger that would come after them on two legs.
On a quest to make history photographing the rarest birds of them all, Gunnar hires the fiery, no-nonsense Maggie to canoe him into the most remote wetland areas in the state. He was unprepared for how much he would enjoy both the trips and Maggie’s company. He soon realizes he wants more than she’s prepared to give, but before he can win her over, they make a grisly discovery that changes everything, and turns the quiet little town of Riverbend upside down. A serial killer is on the prowl among them.
Authors Websites:
https://marciameara.wordpress.com/
I won a kindle copy of this book from Marcia. My review has not been influenced in any way by receiving a free copy of this book. It is my honest opinion.
Swamp Ghosts is a novel that manages to combine romance, a murder mystery, and wonderfully descriptive passages of the animals, flora, and fauna of the St. John’s River. Quite a tall order, but I think on the whole Marcia Meara pulls it off very well. I enjoyed the interplay between the lightness of the two main protagonist’s developing love, and the darkness that lies hidden within a murderer’s heart. The killer’s portrait is chillingly believable and at times makes you gasp, wince and reflect. So even though Marcia Meara is an older lady , she sure doesn’t write like one! She crafts a story-line with a heck of a punch. So beware!
Having said that, Maggie and Gunnar fall in love very quickly. This seems somewhat at odds with Maggie’s inability to trust. Personally I would have liked to see the love interest develop a little more slowly. Though Marcia does a great job depicting Maggie and Gunnar’s enthusiasm for each other in the bedroom department! Wonderfully sensual, without being overtly erotic.
Swamp Ghosts is an absorbing, and at times disturbing read. There is an underlying sense of uncertainty that threads throughout the novel, twisting and turning like the St. John’s River itself. Is Maggie safe with this stranger, even if he looks like a Viking, in a canoe down the St. John’s river? Will Maggie ever be able trust anyone ever again, after all that has happened to her in her past? Will Maggie lay her soul bare to Gunn? Will Gunn be able to cope with Maggie’s insecurities? Will they find what they are looking for? Or will they find something so disturbing that they wished they had never gone? This list could just go on and on ……………
Temptation lurks at every corner, and both the innocent and the guilty can’t help but give into their differing temptations. Maggie is tempted by Gunn’s perfection. He has the physique of a Viking. Yet he never works out, he is naturally a hunk! The killer kills once and he gives into temptation to kill again.
This is not a novel that concentrates on a single point of view. Instead we see into the minds of several of the protagonists that are central to the plot.
Lester is chillingly portrayed in short punchy chapters, and believe me this works well. This weird guy who lives with a whole host of albino reptiles has many facets to his personality. He may be one of society’s misfits but he sure loves and cares for his creatures, and boy are they strange creatures just like him!
I particularly liked the twist in the tale towards the end of the novel, I won’t go into details, for fear of spoiling it for you. Oh, and I loved the title, Swamp Ghosts!
My rating:
.
Overall, I would recommend Swamp Ghosts to readers who enjoy a murder mystery, and readers who enjoy romance.
Have you read Swamp Ghosts. Do leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.
Bye for now,
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
beautiful reviews
you’re a natural 🙂
Thank you Bonnie. Your comments are much appreciated. 🙂
Yay! My first 4-star review of SG!! Haha. Seriously, I’ve read if you have too many 5-star reviews, people think you have paid for them, so I’m quite happy with a 4-star, especially when you make a very valid point about the romance being sped up a bit. Two factors there…one, the book was already over 400 pages, and something had to be condensed, and two, with some of the romances I’ve read lately, waiting past the first “How do you do?” of the two characters is dragging your feet. 😉 So, since I was juggling several stories in one, I compromised by condensing their romance down a bit, into a total time frame of about 6 months or so, with their first love scene occurring in Chapter 15, at about 4 months into the relationship. Today, that’s probably going pretty slowly, but if I had the luxury of making the book another couple hundred pages, it would have been fun to keep them apart a bit longer, for sure. All the better to have readers yelling, “Come on, already!” 😀
As for that killer, my best friend (who is 30 years younger than I, btw…that’s how I keep my youthful mindset!) says it is somewhat disturbing how well I write psychopaths. *evil laugh, here*
Thank you for such a thoughtful review. I’m really glad you enjoyed the book, and that the characters were intriguing enough to pull you into the tale, convoluted as it was. (Yours is actually my favorite review, now!) I’ve already started the sequel, and will be working on it at length, as soon as I finish the sequel to Wake-Robin Ridge. I’m having a wonderful time!! Who says being a granny isn’t fun?
Have a great weekend, marjma, and again, thank you for your kind words.
You’re entirely welcome Marcia. I’m touched that you rated my review so highly. Nice to know it is now your favourite! Have a great weekend. 🙂
It really is, Marjma. I never, ever respond to any review, no matter who leaves it or what’s said. I’ve been very fortunate to have gotten all good ones so far (fingers crossed they stay that way), but it just isn’t something that writers are encouraged to do. However, yours was so in depth, I couldn’t resist, and I thought maybe I’d get away with it here on your personal blog. Thanks again, and I hope you like the next one just as much. 🙂
Thanks Marcia. It’s nice that you did, but equally I can understand why you don’t do this often. I’m thrilled that I also got a like from William Meikle on my Goodreads/NetGalley review of his book The Exiled. Seem to be doing quite well at the moment! Haven’t read anything yet that I haven’t liked – I’m quite picky – so thankfully no low star reviews. Good luck with your books. I think it’s great that you’re writing. Looking forward to reading more of your work.