Dead Floating Lovers by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli

"You mean, you think the bones belong to your ex...or whatever he still is...husband?"

Title: Dead Floating Lovers
Author: Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli
ISBN: 9780738712659
Publisher: Midnight Ink/2009
Pages: 324

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Back Cover:
Springtime in northern Michigan: a picture-perfect scene. Until struggling mystery writer Emily Kincaid gets a visit from her foul-weather friend Deputy Dolly, who frantically demands Emily's help. Sandy Lake's receding waters have revealed a bullet-pierced skull, along with a keepsake that could mean serious trouble for a man Dolly once loved.

As another set of bones surfaces, Emily finds herself wading through Dolly's painful past, digging into Leetsville's dark history, and dodging threats from an outraged Odawa Indian-who may be protecting more than just sacred land. Now, Emily and Dolly are deadset on solving the crime whether it breaks their hearts . . . or costs them their lives.
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Emily Kincaid is a struggling mystery writer. Her novel has got rejections slips and her money is fast running out. She works as a part time reporter and knows that soon she has to take some hard decisions regarding her life. When Deputy Dolly turns up for her help, she is skeptical. They were never good friends. Yet Emily is compelled to go with her to Sandy Lake, where they find a bullet ridden skull along with what Dolly says is wedding present to her from her absentee husband Chet. Unlike her, Dolly hides that keepsake and only then reports her findings. She has to save Chet. When another skeleton is found, Dolly and Emily go finding out clues without much success. Emily discovers Dolly's painful past.

Odawa Indians claim that one of the bodies belongs to them and should be handed over to them for a proper Indian burial. Emily and Dolly know that there is more to it, the Indians are hiding something and both have to get to the bottom of it even if that might hurt both of them. Even when Emily's life is threatened, Leetsville's dark history has to come out, no matter what.

Dolly might seem high handed yet she endears herself due to her very painful past. Her husband had left her 13 years ago, yet she claims him to be her only family. Emily too is almost forced to take a bad decision regarding her life. Both Dolly and Emily make a great team. They are brusque with each other yet the bonding is apparant to the reader. The novel drags at places, dwelling too much on Emily's personal life. The ending is good and just right.