Fatal Descent: An RM Outdoor Adventures Mystery

The tension runs high in Groundwater’s absorbing third RM Outdoor Adventures mystery (after 2012’s Wicked Eddies), in which river guide Mandy Tanner and her fiancé, Rob Juarez, take their outfitter company to Utah for an off-season combined rafting-and-climbing trip. The 17 clients and guides who set out down the Colorado River also include, among others, climbing guide Tom “Cool” O’Day, who’s more than a bit sleazy, and three ladies on an annual girls’ outing, who are likable and enthusiastic. The trip starts out well, but when one of the travelers is found dead, Mandy begins to think that the whitewater downstream is not the only danger they face. The stakes get much higher when a climbing harness snaps with nearly fatal results. Mandy and Rob have to ferret out a killer before he—or she—tries again. Scenic descriptions and folklore add atmosphere to a suspenseful tale. (June)