A Deadly Calm in Cedar Key

They killed a kindhearted elderly man ... and a disgraced lawman wants revenge.WINNER: PenCraft Book Awards — Spring 2026, Mystery-Sleuth FictionWINNER: International Firebird Book Awards — 1st Quarter 2026, Crime FictionOne of Amazon's Top Five "Hot New Releases" in Hard-Boiled Mysteries"Thought-provoking, chilling, and impossible to put down—this is the kind of story that sticks with you long after the final page!”— Kristin McTiernan, author of The Twitter Crush_____________________WHEN A BELOVED COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER is brutally murdered in the small fishing village of Cedar Key on Florida's Gulf Coast, disgraced former police chief Kemper McRae feels an urgent desire to return to the badge and find the killers.Joining the investigation might restore his standing in the community, but it also risks exposing things from his past that he needs to keep buried, including actions surrounding his involuntary separation from law enforcement years earlier. Federal agents, local politics, and meth traffickers from a desperate drug gang create a powder keg of competing interests where no one escapes unscathed.As justice for the victim slips further away, Kemper must choose between the law he once upheld with its promise of redemption or doing what he knows is right because some crimes demand a different kind of reckoning. With a hurricane bearing down on Florida's Big Bend and time running out, Kemper faces an impossible decision that may cost him everything, including his life.This hard-boiled crime thriller explores the morally complex, razor-thin line between justice and revenge in a community where everyone knows everyone and some debts can only be paid in blood!"This is a story that will take your breath, and your heart, and be well worth the investment of your time to read. I am already looking forward to his next book!" — Nick West, author of Storm of the Century and Suwannee WildWhat readers are saying“As the storyline unfolds, you don’t just observe the characters—you come to understand them, flaws and all. Their quirks, imperfections, and eccentricities are written with a level of care that feels as though you truly understand them.” —TL“Somehow, he’s created fictional characters that you could swear you ran into last week. They live near you. Shop at the same stores you do. So, it's easy to become invested in their dilemmas and struggles and, yes, their passions.” —JB“It is full of nuance and interweaving threads that make a marvelously exciting read. I also enjoyed the treatment of good guy/bad guy dilemmas and moral questions that demand the reader consider both sides of the fence.” —CH“This story is packed with history, twists, and moments that had me literally talking out loud to the characters (you know it’s good when that happens!)” —HML“The Florida Gulf Coast setting almost becomes a character of its own: beautiful, humid, unpredictable, and occasionally dangerous.” —EB“The detail of the Florida landscape, the complexity of the characters made me feel like I was reading a movie script. Really sucks you in with many twists and turns, very hard to put down!” —LS“This is a fantastic murder mystery, that works on so many levels. It is a taut procedural. It is a travelogue of the Big Bend region.” —DBJ“The pacing was spot on. It keeps moving without feeling rushed, and there’s enough suspense to keep you turning pages the whole time. Just when you think you have it figured out, it shifts on you.” —BC“It's reminiscent of the Jesse Stone novels, interpreted by Floridian, and if Jesse was a certifiable good guy bad ass.” —TGP“If you like Jesse Stone books or Travis McGee, you'll love Kemper McRae.” —KM"Lastly, go Captain!" —JM Read more