Olivia Grant only went to England at the insistence of her mother. After all, her mother insisted Olivia needed to reacquaint herself with her British cousins while recovering from her recent divorce. However, Olivia's vacation was anything but relaxing as the very first day she discovers the dead body of her aunt. No one seems to have liked Noreen, who was much younger than Olivia's recently deceased uncle. But was her death a murder or an accidental drowning?

DEAD IN THE WATER is the first book in the Olivia Grant Mysteries. I like the British setting, although I suspect the rest of the series will occur back in California. Olivia is an intriguing main character, although Noreen's dog, Mr. Tarkington, steals the show. I love each and every scene Mr. Tarkington makes an appearance!

Olivia has a whole household full of potential murderers as none of her British relatives are all that pleasant. I particularly dislike her cousin, Chaz, and I think my perceptions of the book are colored by my distaste at how some of his behaviors were excused. In fact, I tend to side with Mr. Tarkington's perspective on Chaz.

DEAD IN THE WATER is an interesting start to a new cozy mystery series. I'm just a wee bit sorry we won't see more of Mr. Tarkington in future books, but I still look forward to seeing what Phyllis A. Humphrey has in store for us with the Olivia Grant Mysteries.