Rating:

Maggie Shocks Readers

Author: Dawn Lee McKenna

Wyatt, Apalachicola’s sheriff, Maggie’s boss, and Maggie’s secret boyfriend, has made good on his promise. He is leaving his position so that the couple can now be official, but his attempt to steady the sometimes-rocky relationship might run aground when a terrible new case upsets Maggie’s emotional stability, launching her into the traumas of the past and into the arms of the town’s kingpin, Bennet Boudreaux.

In Landfall we learned a terrible secret that explains everything, in Dead Wake we watched this secret churn under the surface and here, and in Awash, we see the devastating effects of constant dishonesty. No, we don’t get the expected revelation. We get something far worse and potentially more traumatic.

But let’s pause a minute and talk about the case. In Awash Maggie comes back from leave to help a 14-year-old girl (Zoe) who was raped by a mystery man posing as the pizza delivery guy. Maggie used to coach Zoe in softball. Maggie also experienced a similar rape when she was fourteen, and she knows just what Zoe is feeling and fearing. As she gets drawn further into Zoe’s story, eventually taking the girl to her own home for protection, her past haunts her further.

Meanwhile, as the case unsettles her and her relationship with Wyatt goes public, she still experiences the strange pull to Boudreaux. She knows he is a killer – but he has killed to protect her. And that makes all the difference. Wyatt is proposing an ultimatum – him or Boudreaux. But can Maggie really let go of her fierce protector? What, exactly, is it that she feels for him, and how far will it go? Will she wreck her future for it? Will she give up Wyatt for this dangerous gentleman who makes her feel safe?

Picture taken in the locale of the book (St. George’s Island) by yours truly. September 2025.

Let’s just say that with everything set up in the previous six books, we are still not ready for the ending and what Maggie decides/does. I didn’t see it coming, although I suppose the clues were there, and Maggie’s fractured state of mind didn’t help. But still. NOT EXPECTED. I was shouting at her, angry and emotional and sad all at the same time. I was also shouting at Boudreaux. These people need to have an honest conversation for once – and I hope that is coming. I’m not sure where the story will go from here, but the humor (which is definitely still there) and the mysteries are taking backseat to some very big emotions.

The Forgotten Coast series is a great combination of cozy mystery feels with real mystery chills. It’s not as gruesome as your police procedural (although, sometimes it gets close with the talk of rape), but it definitely doesn’t flinch from looking at the reality of crime. Unlike some of the softer cozies (like Hannah Swenson), the victims here shed real blood, and the characters could use a good session with a counselor to get over what they have seen and encountered. It just draws us that much more into the story.

The real pull here, though, is the people and what is going on in their personal lives. If you’re not into the Wyatt / Maggie / Boudreaux standoff by this point, then the series isn’t for you. If you are into it, buckle up, because things just got really, really crazy. Highly recommended but have the next book on standby so you can immediately pick it up. Waiting for it to come from Amazon is torture!

 

– Frances Carden

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Forgotten Coast Series In Order

  1. Low Tide
  2. Riptide
  3. What Washes Up
  4. Landfall
  5. Dead Wake
  6. Awash
  7. Apparent Wind
  8. Lake Morality
  9. Squall Line
  10. Overboard
Frances Carden
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