Book Review: Coastal Disturbance

Reviewed By: Dawn Dowdle

Coastal Disturbance     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Jessica Speart
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Government Agency
Series: Rachel Porter # 7
3/03, 296 pages

Rachel Porter is an U. S. Fish and Wildlife Agent. She has once again been relocated to another god-forsaken place because of her hot temper. This time she's working in Georgia's steaming coastal swampland.

In an attempt to put her personal life in order, Jake Santou got transferred to Savannah by the FBI so that they could try living together. They are working on commitment, but she's still not ready for marriage.

Rachel gives Clark Williams, former Undersecretary of Interior for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks a ticket for shooting clapper rail birds from a running motor boat. He gets it withdrawn. She is fit to be tied! And, this is just the beginning of her troubles.

Gary Fletcher, Fish and Wildlife containment specialist, brings to her attention that Wendell Holmes is operating an illegal manatee water park. These mammals are dying in alarming numbers and no one knows why. She is determined to shut it down before anymore die. Then people begin dying and things turn toxic.

As she begins investigating, she discovers a tangled web tying everyone and everything together. Now if she can just untangle the web before any more manatees or people die.

The only constant characters in this series are Rachel, Jake and Terri, her cross-dressing friend from New Orleans. But, they aren't in every book. I think one of the things I like most about this series is the fact that there is a new boss and a landlady/landlord to get to know in each book because she is in a new location. But she always butts heads with her boss and often her landlady/landlord are older. She comes up with some of the most unique characters for her books.

You must read this book, I highly recommend it. I can't wait for the next one.

Dawn Dowdle

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

Please visit Dawns website at www.mysteryloverscorner.com