Sweet Trouble

A Gumbo Malone Florida Mystery Thriller

When retired middle manager turned rookie private investigator Gumbo Malone traded Ohio for a houseboat in Cedar Key, Florida, he expected quiet sunsets, cheap coffee, and the occasional missing boat case.

Instead, an aging sugar baron rolls into town with a desperate job.

His brilliant granddaughter, Magnolia Cane, has been kidnapped… then escaped into the dangerous swamps of the Big Cypress. She’s armed with survival skills, a field pack, and explosive environmental evidence that could destroy her family’s empire. Now powerful interests want her found before she exposes the truth.

As Gumbo follows the trail from sleepy Gulf Coast marinas to the dark heart of South Florida, he uncovers a web of corruption, family betrayal, corporate secrets, and old-money manipulation. Meanwhile, a second case involving adultery, hidden assets, and a vicious divorce is about to collide with his first.

Out of his depth but too stubborn to quit, Gumbo must navigate lies, greed, and deadly Florida heat to solve two dangerous mysteries at once.

Because in Florida, trouble never comes one at a time.

SWEET TROUBLE is a fast-paced coastal crime thriller packed with sharp humor, colorful characters, small-town intrigue, Everglades danger, and classic detective charm.

Perfect for fans of:

Florida crime fiction, Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey, Elmore Leonard, humorous mysteries, private investigator novels, Gulf Coast thrillers, Southern noir, and page-turning detective suspense.