Ozark Lake Mystery: Book 1
Publication Date: January 8, 2021
A small-town homicide. A community swamped in secrets. Can married amateur sleuths bait and capture the killer before the truth slips away?
Elizabeth Trout had escaped her rural Arkansas hometown. Compelled to sort through her deceased grandmother’s belongings, she and her new husband Jonas make an unexpected trip down south to the family ranch. But when the property manager turns up dead, Elizabeth is rocked when her ex-boyfriend-turned-deputy arrests her for the murder.
As incriminating evidence piles up and the sheriff’s convinced he’s got the right suspect, Elizabeth and Jonas must fish for clues on their own. With a multitude of potential culprits and her husband’s contrasting personality, Elizabeth fears she may be left dangling on the hook for a crime she didn’t commit.
Can these newlyweds net the real killer before Elizabeth is jailed for murder?
Fish Out of Water is the charming first book in the new Ozarks Lake Mystery series from the best-selling author of the Silicon Valley Mystery series. If you like quirky characters, clever twists and turns, and puzzling whodunits, then you’ll love Marc Jedel’s humorous tale.
Fish Out of Water is the first book in the Ozarks Lake Mystery series by Marc Jedel. This is the first book of his that I’ve read, and it was a quick-paced cozy mystery with many details and clues pointing to whodunnit.
Fish Out of Water is set in Arkansas, where not many books I’ve read are placed, so that was an interesting spin. The story is told in alternating chapters by Elizabeth or her husband, Jonas, and spans a week, and the chapters break up the days into smaller time frames.
As we get to know the characters a little at a time, it was fascinating that the men gossiped just as much as the women, if not more! The town had a lot of activity given its small size with many larger-than-life characters.
Elizabeth’s mother is a doctor and wears many other hats and, is always putting a different spin on things. Elizabeth grew up in this small town and is still called Ella Mae by most of the locals. She’s also remembered for a lot of trouble she was in while in high school. Her high school boyfriend is now a deputy, and he rubs her the wrong way every time their paths cross. It doesn’t help that he arrests her for a murder she says she didn’t commit.
Because Elizabeth and Jonas live in Portland, Oregon, and are only visiting this small town, Jonas, who seems to be a saint, sees another side of Elizabeth in her interactions with her mom and others in town.
There were vivid descriptions of the properties, the small town, the businesses, and the scenery. The cover is vivid and colorful and spotlights Daisy, Elizabeth, and Jonas’ dog, who is always where the action is and seems to have a sixth sense whenever anyone is going out.
Elizabeth and Jonas work hard collecting clues to clear Elizabeth’s name of murder, much to the disgruntlement of the local police. There are twists and turns to the story and distractions to throw us off the scent of whodunnit, and it definitely wasn’t who I expected. There was nice closure. I liked that the series will continue, and we’ll be able to return to Jensen and all its characters and inhabitants.
I’m looking forward to reading the next book, Swimming with the Fishes.
Marc Jedel writes humorous murder mysteries. He credits his years of marketing leadership positions in Silicon Valley for honing his writing skills and sense of humor. While his high-tech marketing roles involved crafting plenty of fiction, these were just called emails, ads, and marketing collateral.
For most of Marc’s life, he’s been inventing stories. As he’s gotten older, he’s encountered more funny and odd people and situations. This has made it even easier for him to write what he knows and make up the rest. It’s a skill that’s served him well, both as an author and marketer.
The publication of Marc’s first novel, UNCLE AND ANTS, gave him permission to claim “author” as his job. This leads to much more interesting conversations with people than answering, “marketing.” Becoming an Amazon best-selling author has only made him more insufferable.
Like his characters Jonas and Elizabeth from the Ozarks Lake Mystery series, Marc grew up in the South and spent plenty of time in and around Arkansas. Like his character, Marty from the Silicon Valley Mystery series, Marc now lives in Silicon Valley, works in high-tech, and enjoys bad puns. Along with all his protagonists, Marc too has a dog, although his is neurotic, sweet, and small, with little appreciation for Marc’s humor.
