Up the Creek: A Florida Eco-Mystery

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 joins her family's eco-tour business, hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she finds the marshlands she loves threatened by a luxury resort, a questionable rezoning plan, and powerful interests determined to reshape the coast.

When a fellow scientist dies under suspicious circumstances and a rare aquatic plant is discovered—one that could halt the development—Amanda is drawn into a dangerous battle where science, corruption, and family secrets collide. As her estranged mother returns seeking forgiveness and long-buried truths come to light, Amanda must decide how much she's willing to risk to protect the place she's always called home.

A suspenseful mystery rich with emotional depth and vivid coastal atmosphere, Up the Creek explores the fragile line between progress and preservation—and the courage it takes to defend both the truth and the places we love.

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.

Praise for Up the Creek

“Sharp writing, a clever mystery, entertaining characters, and the tropical Florida setting will entice readers to pay more than one visit to author Marsh’s Mysteries.”
—Ellen Byron, author of the Golden Motel Mystery series