Burning Water: A Gwynn Reznick Mystery by Inge-Lise Goss is a gorgeous treat for fans of sleuth and mystery novels. Gwynn Reznick is a rookie private investigator who goes undercover and infiltrates an oil company connected to a case she is working on. But she quickly discovers that there is a lot going on in the company than meets the eye and slowly she begins to uncover clues that link to multiple murders. With many suspects, she has to be even more careful or an already dangerous situation might turn deadly — for her. Can she maintain her cover and solve this case or will she become one of the multiple victims?

This is a spellbinding novel with an elaborately developed female protagonist. It opens strongly and the author’s gift for dialogue shines right from the opening pages. From the start, the reader feels that something is wrong and then the author introduces the conflict and slowly adds complicated elements to build it up. The characters are believable, genuinely flawed, and they are written against a backdrop that is equally believable. The sense of mystery permeates the narrative, and it is interesting to follow Gwynn as she struggles to unravel the truth. There is a lot of mystery in this novel. What got me rooting for the story is the beautiful prose with the author’s ability to write realistic scenes and to create drama that is entertaining. Burning Water: A Gwynn Reznick Mystery is a page-turner featuring interesting characters and a mystery that keeps the reader turning the pages.

Gwynn Reznick is back in another page-turning crime mystery in Burning Water. This time, Inge-Lise Goss puts her rookie sleuth in the small town of Riverton. Reznick’s boss cum boyfriend has assigned her to investigate the death of Harris Cooper, a landman for H&E Oil Company. With the help of Ruben, she assumes the identity of Diane Morgan, a pretend niece to Cyrus and Lucy Morgan who own the Hometown Motel where five of H&E’s employees live. As she poses as a part-time accountant for H&E, she manages to piece together the mystery behind Cooper’s gruesome death by immolation, as well as other murders and disappearances. Reznick’s investigation also leads her to the company’s financial issues as symptomatic by its “shut-ins.” Everything points to multiple suspects and persons of interest. The deeper Reznick becomes involved in the case, the closer she comes to putting her life at considerable risk.

A character like Gwynn Reznick represents the direction that the twenty-first-century female detective story is taking. Burning Water melds subgenres: part hardboiled detective, part romance, part police procedural, part existential, and part crime-solving. If you are familiar with the Gwynn Reznick Series, you’ll find that Inge-Lise Goss illustrates her sleuth as not simply a passionate gumshoe, but someone who has a deeper personal concern with how she functions as an individual with respect to the world she inhabits. Despite the violence she often has to deal with, she embraces the fact that the dark side of humanity is part of her job. The character and plot development of the story stand on their own. Burning Water is an interesting volume in this continuing series of crime fiction.

Burning Water: A Gwynn Reznick Mystery by Inge-Lise Goss is a thrilling murder mystery set in Riverton, Wyoming in present times. It features a young rookie detective who is undercover as an accountant in an oil company. Passing as the niece of a local motel owner, Gwynn is investigating the “accidental” and very gruesome death of an oil company employee. Left on her own when her boss is called away on another assignment, Gwynn is only supposed to listen for leads and not go anywhere that would cause suspicion, but she has a bad habit of disobeying her boss and not telling him about it. As she begins to unravel a complex web of murders, disappearances, illicit affairs, and financial misdeeds, mortal danger threatens.

In Burning Water, Inge-Lise Goss continues the adventures of a bold sleuth who surprises the reader with her many talents. A well-drawn character, Gwynn is not only impressive in her investigative skills but competent in the world of the oil industry. She shifts easily between breaking into houses and storage lockers at night and providing accurate calculations for her bosses on the spur of the moment. She takes it all in her stride. As the cast of characters unfolds with the twists and turns of the plot, each personality is uniquely drawn as well. You feel sympathy towards some, uneasiness with others, and are suspicious of many. The pace is energetic and engaging. I found myself eager to read more books in the Gwynn Reznick Mystery series.

Burning Water: A Gwynn Reznick Mystery by Inge-Lise Goss follows Gwynn’s new adventure as she uncovers another mystery. Another day, another undercover job. Gwynn was ready for her new assignment. Her latest undercover job took her to an oil company. She needed to become one of the field workers and get to the heart of the mystery surrounding her new case. However, try as she might, she could not figure out why people were disappearing and then turning up dead. Every twist brought a new suspect, every corner shed light on a new clue. Her cover could be blown at any moment and she needed to make some decisions fast. Would Gwynn be able to solve this mystery on time or would she become a victim too?

I loved Inge-Lise Goss’s narrative style when I read the Tegens series. So, you can imagine I had high expectations from Burning Water. Goss’s writing style is perfect for this story too. The mystery was tangible and it was a constant companion for Gwynn. Ms. Goss hyped it up, she made sure the reader could feel the tension in every sentence and allowed the mystery to bloom on every page. The pace was fast enough to keep it interesting yet not too much so that I was overwhelmed. Gwynn adapted to the situations well, she understood her circumstances at her own pace and gave insights to readers so they felt like a part of her journey. I enjoyed Burning Water a lot, which was what I expected from this author.