Product Description

Bilge Water Bones is the fourth in the Luanne Fogarty series of gripping mysteries set in the swamps and underwater caves of Northern Florida where Luanne serves as adjunct scuba diver for the sheriff’s department. Swamp grown eccentrics appear when a teenage boy goes missing after a wild night of boating antics that result in an accident. But do eccentrics commit murder? Sheriff's diver, Luanne Fogarty, faces her own mortality when she aids in the search for the teen's body, presumed drowned, and runs into an old skeleton in the bilge of a sunken boat.

Alam’s writing is lyrical, shot through with sly humor and affection for the denizens of the swamp. Bilge Water Bones begins: "The waters of the South are like its people, strong with underlying evils and a beauty that lasts forever. And like the people they hide ghosts that ride the surface in the early morning mists when the water is warmer than the air. Sometimes the mists sweep through the palmetto bushes on shore and creep between the heavy oaks like a grand lady’s white handkerchief, folding in and out, rising from the forest floor now, crawling back into the bottom scrub, only to reappear on the front porch and lie in wait for the blistering sun to evaporate all but the memory…"

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1269370 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

About the Author
Glynn Marsh Alam is a native Floridian. Born in Tallahassee, she is familiar with the live oak forests and cypress swamps of the area. She also knows the sinkholes and reptilia that abound there. She often swims in the cold, clear springs above the openings to fathomless caves. These are the settings for her Luanne Fogarty mystery series (Deep Water Death, Dive Deep and Deadly, Cold Water Corpse) and for her literary novel, River Whispers.

After graduating from Florida State University, Glynn worked as a decoder/ translator for the National Security Agency in D.C., then moved to Los Angeles where she taught writing and literature and earned an MA in linguistics. After many years of traveling back to Florida twice a year, she has now moved there and writes full time.

Customer Reviews

Bones, but not the Right Body
Glynn Marsh Alam keeps the tension tight with smooth almost lyrical story telling in BLIGE WATER BONES, which is the 4th installment in her outstanding Luanne Fogarty series.
Plot elements include a not so innocent frantic father who's son's body is not discovered after a boating accident, the tug of two men in Luanne's life one of whom she is trying to help reestablish his ability to dive after an underwater explosion almost took his life and the introduction of new characters who live in the swamps but have fallen through the cracks.
As with all of Ms. Alam's stories the setting becomes a major character. This is one mystery series that doesn't get stale.
Nash Black, author whose books are also available in Kindle editions.
Sins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelWriting as a Small BusinessNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil War

A welcome fourth visit to Alam's North Florida swamps
"Bilge Water Bones", the fourth of Glynn Marsh Alam's Luanne Fogarty mysteries, builds very nicely on the previous stories, taking the reader into yet another aspect of life in the swamps of north Florida. The characters are well developed and the narrative is wonderfully descriptive of the natural environment as the mystery unfolds. Alam has created such a vivid world that I was immediately transported to the murky and mysterious ways of the folks who reside there.
I enjoy Luanne, an independent, feisty woman who is understandably burning out from her job as a University professor. As a scuba diver working with the Sheriff's Department in her off-time, Luanne is called upon to assist in a growing mystery involving a missing teenager, bodies in the waters, and homeless people who are making a life in the swamps. With her humorous observations that arise as the story evolves and a nice fondness for the eccentrics who live "off the radar", Alam's writing makes for great entertainment with a very satisfying conclusion.

No Bones about it. This is Another Great Read
Tommy Hanover, teenage son of a rich family has gone missing after a boating accident. While searching for his body, Luanne finds a skeleton with a third eye in a sunken boat. Trying to identify the bones leads Luanne to a mysterious graduate student. What is he up to in the swamp? Who belonged to the bones? And will they ever find Tommy?

I've been looking forward to this book because Glynn always weaves a great tale with wonderful writing. I was not disappointed. As always, the writing is atmospheric, and I felt like I was diving in the springs right beside Luanne. I've grown to love the characters, and it's always nice to spend more time with them. I especially enjoyed the sub-plot of Harry trying to get comfortable with diving again. That's been a multi-book arc that has enriched the series. And you've got to love Pasquin, Luanne's swamp neighbor. The plot seemed to slow down in the second quarter, but picked up again at the half way point and kept moving until the end.

This series combines mysteries, diving, great characters, and captivating writing. Each book in this series should be savored.