Deadly Currents

This enjoyable first in a new cozy series from Groundwater (To Hell in a Handbasket) introduces Mandy Tanner, "a brand new seasonal river ranger" on Colorado's Arkansas River. When Mandy goes to the rescue of two people swept overboard while whitewater rafting, she manages to save only one. The death of real estate developer Tom King, of an apparent heart attack, threatens the viability of Mandy's uncle's rafting business, which provided the guide and equipment King used. Determined to prove that King's death wasn't her uncle's fault, Mandy is vindicated after the autopsy reveals that the developer was poisoned. Plenty of people wanted King dead, including his wife, upset by his philandering, and a business rival. The authentic details of whitewater rafting compensate for the routine detection and the less than compelling vicissitudes of Mandy's love life. (Mar.)