For me, the perfect read for the final days of summer.  Delia Owens’ debut novel has romance and mystery told against the lush setting of coastal North Carolina.  Kya Clark’s family has deserted her one by one, forcing her to live alone at a very young age.  While fending for herself, she learns to “read”  the flora and fauna around her even though she has only had one day of formal education.   Ostracized by almost everyone in the nearby town, Kya, know as Marsh Girl, cautiously forms relationships with two young men only to learn that humans are the least reliable life form in nature.

Delia Owens is a fine writer who deftly combines a coming of age novel with a possible murder mystery and a testimonial to the beauty of the North Carolina marshlands.