Dead Gone - Tom Lange, Bk 1 Author:T. J. Brearton A woman’s body is found floating in a sultry Florida mangrove. She has no ID and there is no indication of cause of death. — Who is she? Why was she murdered? — Rookie detective Tom Lange couldn’t have got a more difficult first case. The only thing he’s got to go on is the woman’s butterfly tattoo. His bo... more »ss, Lauren Blythe, piles the pressure on and the medical examiner won’t tell him what he needs to know.
Meanwhile Tom’s neighbour Alicia has an abusive boyfriend who Tom clashes with in a way that will have far-reaching consequences.
The body leads Tom on a trail of seedy clubs, narcotics, and danger which is close to home.
In a tumultuous ending with a massive twist, Tom’s world is turned upside down.
THE DETECTIVE
Tom Lange is a brand new agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. That agency is a state bureau investigating violent crimes, police corruption, with a governor protection unit and top-notch forensic laboratories. The only family Tom has left is his brother Nick.
THE SETTING
Southwest Florida in April. The dry season ending, the heat and humidity building. In Naples, many people are leaving the region for cooler climes. The landscapers are out daily, cutting back the surging vegetation and a steady breeze comes from the gulf coast. Rookery Bay, a nature reserve of a hundred thousand acres teems with wildlife, threaded with brackish creeks. The Everglades stretch all the way across the state to Miami, choked with alligators. Tampa Bay pulses with the nightlife. Naples is one of the wealthiest cities in the U.S., but despite its concentration of millionaires, the region knows poverty, homelessness, drugs, and crime.« less