The Swamp Guide: Book One - A Florida Keys Mystery Novel
The Swamp Guide introduces Sam Sawyer, a fishing guide turned amateur sleuth navigating the murky waters of the Florida Keys. This debut novel in the Florida Swamp Guide Mysteries series combines crime investigation with the authentic atmosphere of the Everglades and Florida Bay.
Story Overview
Sam Sawyer left behind a struggling academic career to pursue his dream of becoming a fishing guide in the Florida Keys. His choice has strained his marriage, as his wife remained in academia, and their relationship grows increasingly distant. When Sam discovers a pair of shoes with feet still in them next to a massive crocodile on a remote Everglades bank, his quiet life as a guide takes a dark turn.
The shoes belonged to Mable, a reclusive woman who lived alone on an isolated key in Florida Bay. Sam finds himself drawn into investigating her murder while simultaneously confronting his failing personal life. The novel weaves together crime-solving with Sam's struggle to save his marriage.
Critical Praise
"A great new entry into the pantheon of Florida sleuths ..." - George "Harley" Davidson, Zoo in a Book
"Sam Sawyer may become my favorite crime fighter. I can't wait for the next book in this new Florida Keys mystery series ..." - Maryjane Elizabeth Jones, Heat Until Boiling
About the Authors
Carl and Jane Bock are retired Professors of Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Carl received his PhD in Zoology from the University of California at Berkeley, while Jane holds three degrees in Botany, a B.A. from Duke, and M.A. from the University of Indiana, and a PhD from Berkeley. Carl is an ornithologist and conservation biologist. Jane is a plant ecologist and an internationally recognized expert in the use of plant evidence in criminal investigations. She is co-author with David Norris of Forensic Plant Science (Elsevier-Academic Press, 2016). They have co-authored numerous articles and two books based on their fieldwork in the Southwest: The View from Bald Hill (University of California Press, 2000), and Sonoita Plain: Views from a Southwestern Grassland (with photographs by Stephen Strom; University of Arizona Press, 2005). Now largely retired from academic life, the Bocks have turned their creative efforts toward fiction writing, and are co-authors of two ongoing mystery series, the Arizona Borderlands Mysteries, and the Florida Swamp Guide Mysteries, both published by Absolutely Amazing eBooks and Whiz Bang, LLC, of Key West. Coronado's Trail (Arizona Borderlands Mystery Number 1) was published in 2016, and Death Rattle (Arizona Borderlands Mystery Number Two) in 2017. The Swamp Guide is the first of their series set in the Florida Keys. Today the Bocks divide their time between Colorado, Arizona, and Florida, mostly fly fishing (Carl), fighting crime (Jane), and writing.
