Title: The River Runs South    
Author:   Audrey Ingram  
Genre:   Fiction  
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

When Camille Taylor’s husband dies unexpectedly, the carefully constructed life she worked so hard to build in Washington, DC, shatters. After struggling for almost a year, she reaches a breaking point, packs up her daughter, and heads for the Alabama coast where she grew up.

The salt air and slow rhythms of the coast soothe Camille’s spirit, but when she meets local fisherman Mack Phillips, she learns that things have changed in her hometown. Runoff from an abandoned development site is polluting the water, and Mack has brought a suit against the site’s owners—Camille’s father among them.

Battling her own fears for the fragile ecosystem of her beloved Mobile Bay, Camille joins her father’s defense team, but the more she learns, the more she wonders if she’s landed on the right side of the fight. Meanwhile, Camille is slowly drawn to Mack’s fearless resolve, his sterling ideals, and finally to the man himself.

Faced with blurred lines between right and wrong, Camille must decide for herself what the next chapter of her life will bring.

Initially, I wasn’t sure I liked Camille. Even though she’d just lost her husband, she came across as cold and unfeeling. Her daughter, however, was adorable, so I kept reading. And I’m so glad I did! I do love a good Southern fiction, and the author really brought life on the Alabama coast to shimmering life. I immediately wanted to visit! I like that the environmental issues weren’t just glossed over, and that Camille could really look at things from both sides. Loved these characters and this read.

Audrey Ingram is from Alabama. The River Runs South is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.)

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