| This third mystery novel in the series by mystery writer Jonathon King finds his series character Max Freeman still living his self imposed exile deep in the Florida Everglades. Picking up a short time after the events depicted in the mystery, “A Visible Darkness,” Max is still able to live in his shack. His isolation, except for the occasional private investigator job for his friend and attorney, Billy Manchester, has allowed him to slowly come to grips with his actions extensively detailed in the first mystery novel “The Blue Edge Of Midnight.” However, the past still bothers him and he sees his pain reflected in the eyes of Billy's latest client.
Mark Mayes is a college student in Atlanta, Georgia and is considering going into the seminary. But, before he can do that, he needs answers about a painful family legacy. Mayes has found a number of letters, yellowed and brittle with age, in his grandmother's attic. The letters seem to indicate that his great-grandfather and two uncles who died in 1923 while working for a private company trying to build the first road across the Everglades may have been murdered. That road became the Tamiami Trail and like his long dead relatives something rarely spoken of in his family. If they were murdered, possibly on behalf of the company that was the law to itself in the merciless swamp, Mayes wants to take legal action against the company assuming it or some form of it still exists. The great building projects have always taken many lives. The Tamiami Trail is no different in that it too is built upon the bones of the dead. But, as Max reads the copies of the letters again in lantern light in his shack, he too is struck by the power of the letters and the message of fear and desperation they convey. Evil, in the form of sheer greed, was at work then and is still at work today resulting in an attempt on Max's life and other efforts to warn him off even before he starts work. It soon becomes clear that there are some that don't care to have the past uncovered and will stop at nothing to keep it that way. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - depressing/sad Time/era of story: Misc. Murder Plotlets - solving long-past murder - Kind of investigator Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 20 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 0 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - an organization Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - power The antagonists are: - big business leader(s) How sensitive is this character? Setting United States Yes The US: - Southeast Water? Yes City? Yes City: - Miami Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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