~ finding the right voice ~
Special Agent Barrett "Bear" Raines has some slippery fish to fry in Wimberly's cleverly constructed fourth procedural, which hinges on the gruesome murder of Beth Ann Stanton, daughter of Florida senator Baxter Stanton. "Raines is a black cop in white town" - that of Deacon Beach, just North of the Pepperfish Keys- is still smarting from his recent failure to tie the senator's wealth to dirty money. Eddy DeLeon, Beth Ann's boyfriend and a local criminal, becomes a key suspect after his tryst with Beth Ann on the day of the murder comes to light. When Sharon Fowler, an ambitious local TV reporter, offers to help Bear nail DeLeon, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent agrees despite his misgivings. The twisted killer-whose identity is areal shocker- challenges Bear to trust his gut instincts as well as standard investigative procedure.