The Girl Beneath the Sea: Underwater Investigation Unit

This decent series launch from Edgar finalist Mayne (the Naturalist series) introduces Sloan McPherson, a diver employed by the Lauderdale Shores PD to recover corpses and evidence from Florida waters. When 23-year-old Stacy Miller is garroted and dumped in a canal, the off-duty Sloan, who was in the canal at the time and oblivious to the crime, becomes a suspect. Loose ties to the victim, plus a reputation blemished by her outlaw uncle, Karl McPherson, a drug smuggler serving a three-year prison sentence for a parole violation, ensure that local police and the DEA keep her under surveillance. As Sloan investigates the murder, she’s aided by her treasure hunter father and the dogged, if shady, DEA agent responsible for Karl’s arrest. Targeted by vicious killers, Sloan becomes entangled in a dangerous sunken treasure hunt involving a drug cartel, a crooked lawyer, and renegade intelligence operatives. Distinctive characters and a genuinely thrilling finale compensate for contrived and improbable situations. Readers will look forward to Sloan’s further adventures. Agent: Erica Silverman, Trident Media Group. (May)