Book Review: Swimming With the Dead

Reviewed By: Dawn Dowdle

Swimming With the Dead     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Kathy Brandt
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Hannah Sampson # 1
Paperback, 10/2003, 258 pages, $5.99

Hannah Sampson is a Homicide Detective in Denver. She is also a member of the Dive and Recovery Team for the Denver Homicide team.

The Denver police commissioner’s son, Michael Duvall, was found pinned inside a submerged wreckage of a cargo ship in the British Virgin Islands. He had been living down there and was an expert diver and researcher. Hannah is sent down to investigate. When she first arrives, Chief Dunn was not too receptive. He didn’t like her coming in to look over his shoulder and re-investigate Michael’s death.

Slowly she is able to gain some people’s respect, including Chief Dunn, and helps them get to the bottom of his death – proving it was murder and not an accident. During this time, though, Hannah finds herself in many dangerous situations, above and below the water. At first, everyone thinks they are accidents. Hannah believes they are related to Michael’s death and someone not wanting the truth to be known. Eventually Chief Dunn begins to believe this to be true too.

I really enjoyed this book. It is so different from any other mysteries I’ve read. I am not a diver, but I found the diving portions to be so well written, I enjoyed them. I felt like I was down there with Hannah and seeing everything she saw. It was fabulous!

Hannah is a very likable character. She is a loner and thinks she wants to stay that way until she meets Peter O’Brien. He is a suspect and she has a real struggle because she is so attracted to him. This relationship really adds to the storyline.

I think Kathy has a real winning series! I have also read Dark Water Dive, the second book in the series, and loved it. I highly recommend both books.

Dawn Dowdle

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Dawn Dowdle

Please visit Dawns website at www.mysteryloverscorner.com