Everglades National Park is a dream location for a mystery writer. With 1,500,000 acres of wetland, a menagerie of critters, few access points, and lots of natural history, it screams MYSTERY! Well, that's what it screams to me. I may be biased or, could be allowing my inner nerd to run free.
Gator Bait opens with the discovery of a woman's body within sight of a major Everglades National Park. trail. The cursory original investigation suggests an alligator attack on a park visitor. The local law enforcement ranger has accepted that determination, and moves on. Park Service personnel at higher levels are unwilling to accept that simple explanation. They assign Park Service Investigators Doug and Jill Fletcher to the case.
There's an immediate culture clash between the resident law enforcement ranger, who moved to Florida to get away from his New Jersey family, and the Fletchers, who come from the Midwest. Ranger Marconi is brusque and confrontational The Fletchers are more laid back, letting the facts lead them to a conclusion. Ranger Marconi decided the woman had been an alligator attack victim and looked no further.
The more they dig, the more Doug and Jill find themselves being led to the conclusion that the alligator attack was staged. The question is, why?
Through their methodical analysis and the use of a Miami/Dade forensic team, Doug and Jill string together the clues, leading them to a conclusion that's far different from Ranger Marconi's first superficial look at the crime scene,
BWL Publishing released Gator Bait on October 1st, 2021.
