Kirjahaku

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?

Random events and coincidence fashion this story that sits on a knife's edge between historical fact and historical fiction. The novels subject: the development of a machine that saved thousands of Marines in WW II and the men who were responsible. Real lives of the historical protagonists and the events that shaped them, provide a study in leadership, and what power conviction and purpose provide for those who possess them. The story shifts to WW I and to the early battle experience of protagonist Holland Smith, the man destined to command the Marines in their conquest of the Pacific Islands in WW II. He sees the horrors and futility of frontal attack and vows to spare troops he commands if he can. Another kind of war, man's battle with nature, becomes the catalyst another man's quest. The killer hurricane of 1928 takes 2000 lives as it devastates the southern shore of Okeechobee. John Roebling, son of the Brooklyn Bridge's builder, uses the event to inspire his son Donald, our second protagonist, to develop a hurricane rescue machine and inject purpose into Don's life. While Don labors developing a rescue vehicle, Smith, whose nickname is "Howlin' Mad," becomes part of the effort planning for a war with Japan that military planners are sure will occur. It becomes apparent that amphibious landings, the most lethal form of frontal assault will be unavoidable. Smith struggles to develop tactics and methods to spare as many Marines as possible from the slaughter he knows they'll eventually face. One need, getting better landing craft for the troops, caused conflict between him and Navy officials when they favored political friends when contracting for the "new boats." His zeal and strong opinions threaten his career. World events such as the Rape of Nanking make it clear that war with Japan will be inevitable. Smith pioneers the tactics required to attack the islands controlled by the Japanese. His strongly held convictions and temper bump squarely into naval brass during the development his plans for landing on fortified beaches. Smith finds part of his solution to his landing craft problems when he's introduced to Andrew Higgins and he is instrumental in the adoption of the "Higgins Boat. "However, the reefs and obstacles his men will face in the Pacific means most of the problem still exists. A Navy admiral's chance referencing of an article about the "Alligator," Roebling's rescue craft, to a Marine General, at a Christmas Party connects the loop. Roebling and Smith stage an epic battle against bureaucracy in an effort to get the craft ready for the coming war. The fight to get approval to utilize the LVT and to modify the vehicle for Marine use struggles to completion, but not without a potential casualty. It appears Smith will be denied command of the troops until Higgins and FDR become involved. The craft proves its indispensable value at Tarawa where Smith refuses to approve the landing until Alligators are available to at least part of his troops. After the veteran Marine relives his part of the battle, the story returns to the present day and the man is able to resolve his emotions about the landings and the men who made his survival possible.

An action-mystery, set in breezy Florida, stars a former Marine.Chessie Partin is a 34-year-old ne'er-do-well living in her hometown of Vero Beach after a four- year stint with the Marines, now studying archaeology. She lives with her brother, Reading, a police officer on suspension for arresting the wrong person-someone with higher-up political connections. Hootie Barnes, who runs a deep-sea fishing rig, offers Chessie a part-time job as a mate on the boat, cleaning the vessel and helping tourists with their rods. The money's good, but Chessie soon discovers the downside to the job: dealing with the bait man, Rooster Cocker, who delivers chum to the outfit every week. Rooster is a gruff man who reeks of chum-a vile smell-and scared off Mary Perez, the last ship's mate, with his unwanted sexual advances. He takes the same sort of liking to Chessie, who immediately despises him.She believes that something may have happened to Mary-the word about town is that she eloped with her beau, but nobody's heard from her-because of Rooster. Chessie's suspicions are confirmed when she sees what appears to be a human jawbone in one of the blocks of chum. Using her archaeological skills and with some help from her brother, she starts to gather information on Rooster, tailing his truck and digging into his business. All of her investigating snowballs into something much bigger than she could've imagined, involving a shadowy ranch out in the boonies and a smuggling operation run by men even scarier than Rooster. Havlin (Bully Route Home, 2015, etc.) writes in a brisk, conversational style with loads of affection for the sunny Florida setting and an abundance of humor. Lewd jokes and snappy comebacks abound, although some of the quips-about Chessie's breasts, for instance-get repetitive. While Rooster and Chessie are memorable, fully developed characters, many of the supporting players lack depth, leading to some predictability. But the cast takes a back seat to the fast-paced plotting, as the author is skilled at teasing out new revelations and keeping the entertaining novel suspenseful.A well-spun yarn with plenty of love for its salty environs that should satisfy beachgoers and conspiracy theorists alike.

When Sly Harrell sets out to find a cabin cruiser to entertain his new girlfriend, he finds them expensive and buying one full of possible regrets. The boat broker suggests renting or borrowing a vessel for a trial trip so Sly can be sure of what he really wants. The process of finding a boat to borrow sets off a series of events that ends in his frantic effort to save 10,000 people.After finding how difficult and expensive renting a large cruiser would be, Sly checks with Riaffort Richards (Sly's lawyer) to see if he knows someone who has a boat they're willing to loan or rent reasonably. Sly's need for a boat coincides with Richards need to get out of a commitment to one of his clients. Sly meets with the lawyer's client, Melanie Hellman. He agrees to "chaperone" a four- day trial run to determine if Hellman's 30-year-old daughter is trustworthy enough to use the boat, the Nancy Lynn. The plan: a month cruising the Caribbean with her boyfriend and two other couples. In return, Sly will get the use of the boat for a week.The brief cruise proves to be revealing in a most negative way. Sly finds the daughter unable to manage herself, much less any type of an endeavor. He counsels against letting the girl have the boat and decides to turn down the opportunity for $50,000 to accompany the three couples on the trip. Unwisely, Melanie decides to let the daughter take the boat anyway, believing since the boat will be captained by her employee, things will be alright.Sly finds and rents another boat. He's on a "trial" cruise with his girlfriend and Trotter (and girlfriend) when he's contacted by his lawyer friend. The Nancy Lynn has disappeared after two and a half weeks at sea. He cuts his trip short and accepts Melanie's frantic offer of $250,000 to locate the Nancy Lynn and her daughter.When Sly begins to have his agents, Russ and Val Foxx, investigate the backgrounds of the couples accompanying the daughter and boyfriend, one alarming fact after another is uncovered. The identities are false. One couple "does not exist" and the other has a sinister past. So does the daughter's boyfriend.Sly uncovers possible connections to human trafficking...drug smuggling...and terrorism. Which one is it? Are all involved? The local governments become interested after delays. In the midst of uncovering these disturbing facts, a seemingly reassuring message from the boat's captain is received. However, when Sly examines the telex more carefully, he is alarmed to find a coded distress call in the text.It becomes a race to trace the Nancy Lynn's path to several ports where they pick up components to make a lethal weapon. This becomes more difficult when governmental officials lose interest after the reassuring message is disclosed and believed.Time ticks by, and Sly's efforts finally uncover the plot's objectives and deadly intent. The components for six torpedoes and the means to launch them have been gathered and the Nancy Lynn is being converted to a torpedo boat. The problem: the last pieces of the mystery aren't placed together until four hours before the attack. Two cruise ships will be within a few miles apart and will be attacked in sequence with the possibility of killing 10,000 passengers.Sly and his "crew" race to try to stop the attack...with a cabin cruiser and make-shift armaments. Can they save the cruise ships, the Nancy Lynn, and those few good people on it?

Escaping skeletonsA Chessie Partin Archaeology MysteryChessie Parton gets an excited call from her boss, Dr. Mark Card. The State Department wants him (he wants Chessie to assist him) to head an archeological expedition to the Argentine/Brazilian border area to "examine a recently discovered site." The whole project is super-secret; this bothers brother Reading.At a meeting with government officials, the "archeological" project is suspicious to all, particularly when it is discovered that CIA and FBI officials have some involvement. The opportunity seems to outweigh their concerns and preparation begins. Chessie's research into what they may find startles her. Card shares her opinion and another meeting discloses the real reason for the trip. Concerns heighten when the clandestine nature of the travel plans are disclosed. Right before the trip is to take place Chessie and Dr. Card receive threatening phone calls. The calls have to have come from inside the government. Chessie and Card insist on non-government security-Reading and his friend are enlisted to accompany them. Reading makes last minute, secret changes in Chessie & Card's travel plans. That proves wise since the plane they were scheduled to fly blows up in route. They meet four other "scientists" with specific skills when they land in Sao Paulo who will accompany them to the site. The trip from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Teyu Cuare Park, their first stop in Argentina, is filed with terrifying moments including poison tipped knives, deadly snakes in their beds, and "bandits" with machine guns. Things look better when they are joined by an Argentinian intelligence team. Once there, they discover ruins of an attempt to resurrect the Reich in S.A., including a booby-trapped cemetery. What the team finds alarms them. The project is broadened to include additional "sites" and a secretive whirl-wind trip through several areas in Argentina. Chessie and company struggle to remain disguised for their safety. As they see more, they become increasingly alarmed. The final straws come when a history changing discovery and event occurs and Chessie, Card and Reading discover that at least two in their party are assassins, not scientists or security. They struggle to survive, escape death, see that culprits in government are caught, punished and their careers destroyed and to decide if they should release the information they've learned to the world.

A Deadly Development: Chessie Partin, Archaeologist, Mysteries by DL Havlin immerses readers in the gripping story of Chessie Partin, an archaeologist determined to unearth the secrets buried deep within Florida's history. Tired of life behind a desk at East Florida University, Chessie leaps at the chance to lead an excavation on the historic Buehl Ranch, a sprawling ranch nestled in Florida's heartland.The site is believed to hold sacred Native American burial grounds and a centuries-old midden-a refuse heap rich with artifacts from ancient civilizations. With her boss, Dr. Card, endorsing the dig, Chessie and her team set out to recover and protect these treasures before the land is sold to a powerful corporation bent on development.What begins as an academic venture quickly descends into a nightmare. As Chessie digs deeper, both literally and figuratively, her life and the lives of her team come under threat. Someone will go to deadly lengths to keep the farm's sinister secrets buried.With her brother working in the sheriff's department, Chessie finds herself dangerously close to the epicenter of the mystery. Told in the first person, readers experience Chessie's thoughts, fears, and determination firsthand, making her journey all the more compelling.DL Havlin's vivid storytelling captures the essence of Florida's lush, eerie landscapes-the dense foliage, the sprawling ranch, and the hallowed burial sites. You'll feel the grit of the dirt, the weight of the artifacts, and the oppressive tension as Chessie unravels the truth.Chessie Partin is a relatable and memorable protagonist: strong, independent, and driven, yet unafraid to show vulnerability. Her humanity adds depth to a story that balances thrilling suspense with the poignant reality of protecting history.For fans of mysteries with rich settings, historical intrigue, and relentless suspense, A Deadly Development is a must-read. This gripping adventure will leave you guessing who's behind the sinister plot-and why-until the very last page.

Sly Harrell, former defense company industrial espionage agent, Department of Justice employee, and archaeology volunteer opens a business that locates valuable missing items. A native of rural Florida, he is known for his familiarity with Florida history. A woman with an intriguing story of hidden treasure approaches him about recovering a cattle baron relative's lost fortune. She is sure it is buried in a graveyard with one of her ancestors. The problem is where and who. That answer is contained in a document written by the ancestral lady that hid the wealth. It's a coded letter passed down for generations from matriarch to matriarch for 120 years. All failed to solve the riddle. She offers to split the millions if Sly can recover it. Sly soon finds that there are others pursuing the gold coins...people that are willing to murder to get them. As his investigations take him through the family's history, he becomes convinced the treasure is real and that the woman he's been working with is an imposter. His pursuit takes him to Paris Island, SC and all over south and central Florida as he follows clues. One of his inquiries introduces him to a beautiful exotic woman who possesses the information to find the proper graveyard. She rapidly becomes as valuable to Sly as the treasure. Disappointment strikes until Sly uses a pioneer gardening trick to find the fortune. The murderous competitors attempt to take the gold by force after Sly and his group dig it up. Sly defeats the attempt, finds its rightful owner, and his split makes him exceedingly wealthy.