Where the Crawdads Sing / Delia Owens / 368 pages

This is the author's first fiction book and she scores a home run with it!  It takes place in a quiet town on the coast of North Carolina.  It begins in 1969 when Chase Andrews is found dead.  Chase is a young, handsome, and popular man in town.  The suspect for the murder is Kya Clark.  Kya is nicknamed "Marsh Girl" because she grew up isolated in the marsh outside town.  The author tells the story between the present with the murder investigation and trial and the past with the childhood and growing up of Kya.  Kya's family one by one abandons her and she is left to survive on her own.  The backdrop of the marsh of North Carolina is vividly described in the book and the author makes you feel you are there.  This is not a book I would have chosen on my own, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend !!