Tortoise Stew — P.C. Zick

When a bomb is left on reporter Kelly Sand's desk, she's determined to find out who wants her to stop reporting on corporate growth in rural Florida. The open threat thrusts Kelly back into the arms of her editor and former lover, Bart Stanley. Together, the two begin to unravel the master plan of major developers who want to destroy the last vestiges of Florida's natural beauty. Tortoise Stew is a satire on political crime and Florida sensibilities. A sometimes humorous, often harrowing, and never boring Florida suspense novel, Tortoise Stew contains a cast of characters who leave dead armadillos as calling cards, dynamite ponds as a way to fish, and carry guns under Santa Claus costumes during the annual Christmas parade. The novel also addresses the ramifications of adoption after rape and the impact on both parents and children. All the while the developers and environmentalists fling insults and intrigue as murder and fatal accidents bombard the small communities of rural north Florida. As she investigates the plots building up, Kelly heads inside a mental institution for more ammunition. When it gets about as insane as it can get, the 2000 presidential election looms in the background providing a surreal quality to the antics of these characters. Through it all, the steamy relationship between Kelly and Bart heats up to hot as they rediscover what brought them together in the first place. Fasten your seatbelts for one raucous ride through the quagmire of crazy characters befitting a novel set in Florida.