THE BAIT MAN
by DL Havlin
“Wild child” Chessie Partin had enough of being branded a woman who never finishes what she starts, so when she stumbles on murder evidence implicating the local “bait man” (and her tormentor), she sets her jaw and enlists the help of her suspended policeman brother, Reading, to catch the man she’s sure is a killer. Huston there’s a problem! Not enough proof. She decides to gather enough facts on her own to convict bait man, Rooster Cocker, and to prove he is the despicable villain she believes him to be. Chessie finds she’s only partly right when she shoves her nose into a sinister enterprise that has corrupt officials protecting it and that may end up slicing and dicing her to be sold as “replacement parts” by Harlan Mengelberg, its evil owner.
It’s ironic that the portion of their lives sea turtles go to the most pains to keep secret is the part we humans know most about. It’s equally ironic that humans and sea turtles share a trait…they bury things they wish to remain undiscovered. It’s this common “burying” instinct that allows me to introduce my mystery novel, Turtle Point. DL Havlin’s new mystery/suspense novel, Turtle Point, explores this possibility. Benny Dupree, the main character, lives with the constant threat of the exposure of a deed committed thirty years in the past. Living in a paradise of white sand beaches and warm tropical waters, Benny is enjoying his senior year in college when a beautiful co-ed turns his world upside-down. Her dedication to ecology and saving sea turtles becomes his. They encounter poachers. Benny finds his new love being buried by the two criminals. Benny kills and buries them in island sands. The threat of having his crime discovered fades during the next thirty years, but suddenly is forcefully revived by two mysterious “treasure” hunting men who threaten to penetrate all the defenses he’s erected to protect his secret. As they snoop and get close to exposing him, Benny becomes frantic and seeks help from a friend. Enter Harper Sturgis! A friend refers Benny to this lawyer/private investigator who specializes in tough cases. A retired Marine Intelligence Officer, Harper takes no prisoners. Benny finds “she” is as tough as any “he” he’s ever met. Harper takes the case and exhumes secrets and surprises that Benny isn’t even aware. Is Harper able to save Benny from spending the rest of his life in jail? Read and find out. Set in the beautiful Sanibel-Captiva, Pine Island area in Southwest Florida, Turtle Point will captivate the mystery/suspense reader who craves differences in characters, plot, and story resolution.
