Kathy Brandt, Dangerous Depths

Kathy Brandt, Dangerous Depths - Police underwater diver and homicide investigator Hannah Sampson went down to the British Virgin Island as a favor to her boss who wanted someone on his team nearby during the inquiries into the death of his son there. Hannah loved it so much that she quit her job in Denver and went to work as a detective in BVI in Tortuga. After a year of living there she has a lover, good friends and a houseboat where she can look out at the sea every day.

One day she is awakened by an explosion and sees the Caribbe on fire and sinking into the water. She dives and brings up her friend Elyse Henry who lapses into a coma. Evidence points to the incident being an accident because she left her propane stove on, which apparently sparked and caught fire. Hannah's instinct tells her somebody was trying to murder her friend. In defiance of her boss' orders to leave the case alone, the determined Hannah tries to prove her instincts are correct, but almost gets killed in the process.

DANGEROUS DEPTHS is an exciting police procedural set in an exotic setting. What makes the attempt on Elyse's life interesting is that she didn't have an enemy with a motive to murder her; so readers keep wondering why as they seek alongside the heroine to find out who the killer is. Armchair travelers beware! Once you read this book, you'll want to hop at plane and visit the unspoiled British Virgin Islands.

Harriet Klausner