critical evidence... Murder at Eagle’s Nest by Pat Duggan

Murder at Eagle's Nest is a gentle mystery novel set in a peaceful vacation resort in Apalachicola on Florida's Forgotten Coast.

Description:

Murder at Eagle's Nest is a gentle mystery novel set in a peaceful vacation resort in Apalachicola on Florida's Forgotten Coast. The area is still reeling after Hurricane Michael made landfall only thirty-five miles to the west, on Mexico Beach. It uncovers fraud, driven by greed and arrogance. However, everything changes when a body is discovered. 

The police detective brought in from Tallahassee quickly enlists the help of two women staying at the resort, who have unusual insight. They ultimately uncover critical evidence, which unmasks the perpetrator. 

EXCERPT

In the end, Michael made landfall on October 10th 2018 as the first category five hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland for more than twenty-five years. Its ‘bullseye’ was Mexico Beach, and the result was that much of this thriving little coastal town was almost completely destroyed. Several days after the storm, a worker in the nearby forest, found a weather station that had been blown inland by the storm. He was surprised to discover that the data was still intact, and it had recorded a 206mph wind gust before it was blown away and stopped recording. 

The pier, had been the signature landmark in Mexico beach since 1967 and had provided a place for tourists to fish, or sit drinking a cup of coffee in the morning, or watch the sun set in the evening. Now it was completely gone, there was not even one wooden post sticking up out of the surf to show it had ever existed, except in the photographs and memories of generations of tourists. Most of the surrounding homes and condos had been reduced to rubble sitting on concrete foundations. Even the Federal government (FEMA) had declared the community as ‘wiped out’. The few homes that had survived were newer homes which had been built on stilts, but even those stood in varying degrees of disrepair with tattered siding and gaping holes in the roof. Everywhere you looked was destruction and devastation! 

As Hurricane Michael swirled in the Gulf, Anna Kohl and Hazel Davies were a thousand miles north, safe in their home near Columbus, Ohio watching it on the news and praying for the people in the panhandle. Storms were always a time for prayer, but their prayers were intensified on this occasion as they had friends on the Forgotten Coast and only six months earlier, they had purchased a small condominium in Apalachicola as an investment and an occasional winter retreat. Their friends had evacuated ahead of the storm, so they were safe, but their homes and properties were still a cause for concern. 

Goodreads ** Amazon

About the author:

Originally from Manchester, England but moved to the U.S. over 30 years ago. I have an accounting background in both countries. Several years ago, I discovered an interest in writing. My two previous books, Finding God in an RV and The Power Within, document my spiritual journey. However, as a longtime lover of murder mysteries, with a passion to follow plots and figure out the perpetrator, it was time for a new direction. I decided to ‘try my hand’ at weaving my own story, and true to my character, I had to tie up all the loose ends. Murder at Eagles Nest is my first mystery novel, and I am already working on the next mystery for my amateur detectives, Hazel and Anna to solve. 

Facebook

Author's Giveaway

the more you comment, the better your chances of winning

a Rafflecopter giveaway