Book Review: UP THE CREEK (A Florida Eco-Mystery) by Shelley Marsh

 Up the Creek: A Florida Eco-Mystery 

Mystery Stand Alone

Setting – Florida 

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sibylline 

Digital First Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 2, 2026 

Print length ‏ : ‎ 300 pages 

About the Book: 

In the Florida marshlands, Amanda finds herself in a fight that’s personal, political, and deadly. After losing her research grant, marine botanist Amanda Wright returns to her Florida hometown and takes a job at her family’s eco-tour business. But the quiet marshlands she once loved are under threat from a flashy new resort and a suspicious rezoning effort on protected land. Then a fellow scientist dies under mysterious circumstances, and a rare aquatic plant is found that may hold the key to stopping development. 

As buried secrets come to light and her long-absent mother resurfaces with regrets of her own, Amanda must decide what kind of person and protector she wants to be. 

A suspenseful, emotionally layered mystery set against a lush coastal backdrop, Up the Creek explores the fragile balance between progress and preservation, and one woman’s determination to defend the place she still calls home. 

Review  

The MC, Amanda returns to her home when the grant that funded her research is rescinded. She helps out with the family business as she tries to figure out what her future will bring. While she was away, a huge resort sprung up, providing competition to the marsh tours and other activities offered by her family. The belief that the nature preserve was in fact protected is now being challenged and Amanda fears a for the birds and other creatures who inhabit the preserve if some big corporation wins and builds big houses along the coastline. 

The issue of preservation and Amanda's glorious tours sets this mystery apart. Amanda is a strong character and passionate. She contacts a colleague back at the college and he helps recruit protesters, only then he's killed. Amanda is the one who finds the body, and other factors considered, she's the convenient suspect. All in all, an interesting cozy mystery.  

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. That has not affected my honest review.  

Purchase Link: 

Amazon

About the Author

Shelley Marsh is the author of the Estate Sale Mysteries, including Dying to Live Here, More Than She Bargained For, and Everything Must Go. She writes character-driven mysteries set along Florida’s coast, where community ties, hidden motives, and shifting loyalties shape the story. 

With Up the Creek, she expands into eco-mystery, blending environmental conflict with political intrigue and emotional stakes. When she’s not writing, she can often be found exploring the beaches and marshlands that inspire her fiction. She lives and writes in coastal North Florida.

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