Swimming with the Dead: 5an Underwater Investigation

Hannah Sampson is a Homicide Detective in Denver. She is also a member of the Dive and Recovery Team for the Denver Homicide team. The Denver police commissioner's son, Michael Duvall, was found pinned inside a submerged wreckage of a cargo ship in the British Virgin Islands. He had been living down there and was an expert diver and researcher. Hannah is sent down to investigate. When she first arrives, Chief Dunn was not too receptive. He didn't like her coming in to look over his shoulder and re-investigate Michael's death.Slowly she is able to gain some people's respect, including Chief Dunn, and helps them get to the bottom of his death - proving it was murder and not an accident. During this time, though, Hannah finds herself in many dangerous situations, above and below the water. At first, everyone thinks they are accidents. Hannah believes they are related to Michael's death and someone not wanting the truth to be known. Eventually Chief Dunn begins to believe this to be true too.I really enjoyed this book. It is so different from any other mysteries I've read. I am not a diver, but I found the diving portions to be so well written, I enjoyed them. I felt like I was down there with Hannah and seeing everything she saw. It was fabulous!Hannah is a very likable character. She is a loner and thinks she wants to stay that way until she meets Peter O'Brien. He is a suspect and she has a real struggle because she is so attracted to him. This relationship really adds to the storyline.I think Kathy has a real winning series! I have also read Dark Water Dive, the second book in the series, and loved it. I highly recommend both books.

Kathy Brandt weaves us through the darkness of investigation and the beauty of BVI waters in her new book. Brandt is an excellent story teller with a knack for making the reader see and feel the story. The main character, Hannah Sampson, is complex, strong, and the setting, foreign and deceptively serene. She has entered a league with Grafton, Cornwell, Patterson- a mystery novel for the mystery authors. I can't wait for the next book to discover more about the Islands and to what depths Sampson's unique training takes her.

I was very impressed with the writting in this book. Very easy to understand even if you are not a diver, but very interesting. I would suggest anyone who is interested in a good murder mystery should pick this book up. I cant wait to tell all my friends to go get a copy of their own. I know they too will not be disapointed! Thumbs up to Kathy Brandt - I will be looking forward to her future books!(P.S. I am 31 - Didn't want to give my email.)

Swimming with the Dead is full of suspense and mystery as well as a wonderful description of the beautiful islands and waters of the BVI. Kathy uses humor,wit and her knowledge of marine life and the environment to enhance the intrigue of her book. As an avid mystery book reader, I was kept on the edge of my seat until the very end. Excellent first book by Kathy Brandt. I can't wait until her second book is out. In the meantime, I will be rereading her first.

This one kept me in suspence throughout the entire book. Being an avid mystery reader, I am usually able to figure out "who done it" before the last chapter. This one kept me guessing untill the very end. Patricia Cromwell,John Sandford,Tammy Hoag and the rest had best be ready to move off the best seller list to make room for KathyBrandt.