WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU GATORS...A REVIEW

From the very first page of this funny, suspenseful, and colorful tale set in rural Florida, I felt connected to the character Emily Rhodes.

Expecting to enjoy her golden years with her long-time partner, her life is not at all turning out the way she planned. First of all, her partner Fred dies abruptly, and because they're not married, and because he apparently didn't write a new will, his ex-wife is suing her for the estate. The estate isn't much, but Emily is fond of her little winter home—the rest of the year, she lives in upstate New York—and now everything is up for grabs.

She has a new job as a bartender at the country club, but in her second week, as she is taking out the trash, she discovers a dead body in the dumpster. And then, before she can even say "hey," she is hauled off for questioning by an annoying detective who is obnoxious and chews tobacco.

Immersed as I was in this story, I also could enjoy the little tidbits along the way, like the descriptions of characters, and places, and the down-to-earth dialogue that made me feel as though I was right in the midst of the story. The characters felt like people I'd met or would like to meet—except for the tobacco-chewing cop. Luckily, there is a hunky cop, too, and a few other potential love interests. Of course, Emily has more important things to think about. But maybe after all this is over....

As Dumpster Dying: Golf in rural Florida is hazardous -- gators on the fairway and bodies in the trash gallops along, I also enjoyed the twists and turns and trying to figure things out. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the plot lines and quite stunned by others. In the end, I was very happy with how things turned out...but sorry to say good-bye to the characters. There were some unexpected delights, too, so this is a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys humor, quirky and colorful characters, and suspense. Five stars.