Troy
Adam most recently left the Tampa PD in less than ideal circumstances. This
June morning he is in the small town of Mangrove Bayou located somewhere south
of Naples on the Gulf coast. Summer has come to Florida and Troy Adam has
come to interview for the job of police chief. Of course, they don’t call it
that. They call it the “Director of Public Safety” even though that is not
quite what the sign on his door reads after it was vandalized a little bit.
The
mayor and two council members had asked him in to interview as he was one of
two candidates. The other one had bigger issues and Troy has a good
resume. Upon meeting him they aren’t sure what to make of Troy Adams beyond the
fact he is biracial and has a bit of an attitude. Considering what happened
with the last police chief--- allegedly--- and the applicant pool it isn’t like
they have much of a choice.
Hired
with the understanding he is on a probationary period of six months Troy Adam
begins to change the culture of the police department. That is when he isn’t
working a murder case, dealing with a hurricane, developing a romantic
connection, and a few other things. The man is busy and motivated for a variety
of reasons in this very good book.
Very
reminiscent of the Jesse Stone series by Robert B.
Parker, the tale is complicated with a considerable amount of character
backstory present in the book. While Troy Adam is dealing with trauma and that
storyline is a major presence, he copes in other ways that has nothing to do
with alcohol. A refreshing change from what is usually portrayed with these
characters and an angle that makes him all the more real.
Mangrove Bayou: A Troy Adam Mangrove Bayou Mystery by Stephen Morrill is an excellent start to what could be a very entertaining series. Published by Untreed Reads this is an excellent fast paced mystery that has frequent funny moments. Along with a richness of detail that really brings the work alive in the mind of the reader. It also proves that the old adage about how one should not open with the weather wrong as the weather is a major character force through the book.
eBook book
review copy supplied by the publisher for my use in an objective review.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2015, 2022
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