Deadly Waters

In this disappointing series launch from Hutchison (The Butterfly Garden), University of Florida undergrad Rebecca Sorley often is the designated sober one, guiding her roommates home after barhopping in Gainesville. Her friends are usually pliable drunks, except for the volatile Ellie, who routinely picks fights with men she believes are verbally or sexually harassing women. Often banned from bars, Ellie has broken many male college students’ noses. But her friends wonder if Ellie’s vigilante justice has gone too far when several male college students, each with an abusive reputation, are mauled by alligators that live in the ponds near campus. When Ellie is charged with murder, Rebecca plays a leading role in her defense. The weak plot latches on to wearisome clichés of the #MeToo movement with every woman a potential victim and every man a potential rapist, except for decent Patrick Corby, a Gainesville PD detective, who shows genuine concern for the women. Subpar tension and a lack of suspense further mar the story. Other writers have done a more nuanced job of depicting strong female friendships and women protecting one another. (May)