Monday 8 February 2021

Fish Out of Water (Ozarks Lake Mystery #1) by Marc Jedel

 A small-town homicide. A community swamped in secrets. Can married amateur sleuths bait and capture the killer before the truth slips away?

Elizabeth Trout had escaped her rural Arkansas hometown. Compelled to sort through her deceased grandmother’s belongings, she and her new husband Jonas make an unexpected trip down south to the family ranch. But when the property manager turns up dead, Elizabeth is rocked when her ex-boyfriend-turned-deputy arrests her for the murder.

As incriminating evidence piles up and the sheriff’s convinced he’s got the right suspect, Elizabeth and Jonas must fish for clues on their own. With a multitude of potential culprits and her husband’s contrasting personality, Elizabeth fears she may be left dangling on the hook for a crime she didn’t commit.

Can these newlyweds net the real killer before Elizabeth is jailed for murder?

Fish Out of Water is the charming first book in the Ozarks Lake Mystery series from the best-selling author of the Silicon Valley Mystery series. If you like quirky characters, clever twists and turns, and puzzling whodunits, then you’ll love Marc Jedel’s humorous tale.  (Summary via Goodreads)


I am a fan of Marc Jedel and his Silicon Valley Mystery series so when I saw Fish Out of Water I knew I had to give it a go.  Fish Out of Water is the first book in his Ozarks Lake Mystery series and he has a great storyline and cast of characters you will love !!

Fish Out of Water follows two people, Elizabeth "Ellie Mae" Banks-Trout and her husband Jonas Trout.  They have returned to Elizabeth's hometown of Jenkins Arkansas to go through her grandmother Mimi's house that was left to her as they want to have an estate sale and sell it.  Elizabeth's mother , Dr. Banks, has hired an estate assessor to help them go through the house and get it ready for the estate sale.  Unfortunately shortly after Elizabeth and Jonas arrive to town, her ex-boyfriend, a Sheriff Deputy, arrests Elizabeth for the murder of Duncan Fowler.  Duncan Fowler was a teacher at the high school, photographer, and property manager among other "seedy" jobs.  Luckily Elizabeth is processed and Jonas pays her bail so that they can continue to prepare for the estate sale as well as look into who actually killed Duncan.

Readers will enjoy reading and getting to know Elizabeth, Jonas, and her hometown.  You will love the small town feel and how everyone knows everything about everyone but there are still many secrets waiting to be told.  I personally enjoyed how Jedel dedicates each chapter to either Elizabeth or Jonas so that you are getting the viewpoint of each of them.  I think that that really helps readers to get to know the characters better and not one-sided.  And they way that there are so many viable candidates for the murder and why each of them could have done it will make your head spin !!!

I highly recommend reading Fish Out of Water and also look into Jedel's other series, Silicon Valley Mystery.  They both have unique storylines with enjoyable and loving characters that will make you want to jump in the book and join in the fun !!!



Review by Missi M.





1 comment:

  1. Thanks so much for the lovely review. I'm very glad you liked this new series too! Fish Out of Water is only $0.99 for a limited time so this is a great opportunity for readers to jump into this new series.

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