Engulfed

Maggie Finn travels to South West Florida expecting to find heat, sand, and gangs of old people. What she finds are dead bodies, a kidnapping, the mob and a certain Jewish Cuban detective that she has developed a school girls crush on.


It's not long before she's engulfed in events that will either destroy her or prove to her that it's never too late to begin again and that life isn't over until it is.

This book is filled with fun and unforgettable characters and situations that never leave a dull moment from page one to epilogue.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Kathleen Cosgrove writes a Florida style, hurricane induced, mystery that will blow you away if you forget to board the windows. In her novel, Engulfed, Maggie doesn't expect a murder after she travels to re-located her parents into a retirement community while they're on vacation, but that's precisely what she gets. And so much more. Now this wanna-be investigative journalist has her chance to snoop her way to uncovering the culprit behind the chaos that threatens her life.

Maggie is a divorced mother who makes a living writing the society gossip column in her home town. While in Florida she gets the chance to change her fate when parts of a dead body surface in the lake of a retirement community. Maggie is a feisty lady who is horrible at being inconspicuous. But she is quick at making friends, giving her a chance to be part of the investigation. Readers will connect with her based on her personality. She's down right hilarious; Readers won't be able to not laugh out loud. (I know I couldn't help it!) However, I think that's the extent of the character/reader connection. The novel focuses more on the plot than on the characters, but with a sequel on the horizon this connection has the opportunity to grow.

The plot of the novel is a little slow paced but still manages to be intriguing, though at times the dialogue was a bit confusing. There are multiple threads holding this mystery together and it's difficult to decipher until the end, when all is revealed. I think mystery readers will enjoy this novel, even if they don't build a firm connection with Miss Maggie. Worth the read. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Engulfed