Hours after hiring Mac McClellan to investigate the supposed suicide of her archaeologist brother, single-mom Jessie dies in a car accident. Jessie had just showed Mac artifacts and a copy of a map Jake found, items that indicate Hernando de Soto and his explorers might have camped on Five Mile Island during the winter of 1539-1540. Studying the map, Mac determines the site lies in the middle of a planned resort, The Dunes. Declaring the area an historic site could shut the project down. Suspicions aroused, he forges ahead, even though he no longer has a paying client. Everywhere Mac turns, greed abounds, and no one he interviews seems innocent, even Jessie's closest friends the Deckers, who have adopted her teenage daughter. Ron Decker's construction company is building the Dunes, and he is heavily invested in its success. Then there is the oily son and ex-stripper wife of an old curmudgeon who won't sell the one lot the project still needs to acquire. Jake's estranged wife Laurel had plenty to gain from his death, and as Mac continues to dig, he begins to wonder if Jessie herself had more at stake than he was led to believe. No one is happy about Mac's persistence, and someone is unhappy enough to crash his truck and frame him for yet another murder. But Mac isn't giving up, no matter what the cost. Book 3 in the Mac McClellan Mystery series.
About the Author :
E. Michael Helms grew up in Panama City, Florida. His memoir about serving in the Marines as a rifleman during some of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War, The Proud Bastards remains in print after twenty-five years, and he recently published a fictional sequel, The Private War of Corporal Henson. A longtime Civil War buff, Helms is also the author of the historical saga, Of Blood and Brothers. He has written two other novels in the Mac McClellan Mystery series, Deadly Catch and Deadly Ruse. Helms lives in South Carolina with his wife Karen.
Review :
"Another deftly crafted mystery/suspense masterpiece from author E. Michael Helms, Deadly Dunes is the third title in his outstanding Mac McClellan Mystery series. Very highly recommended reading for action/adventure mystery buffs."
--The Midwest Book Review
"E. Michael Helms has the perfect blend of action, suspense and mystery that is sure to grab anyone who like a semi-hard-boiled PI tale. Great dialogue, along with detailed scenes set the mood for every page."
--Dianne Bylo, Tome Tender Reviews
"Mac confronts a colorful host of characters, all of whom lie, cheat, and steal their way onto his list of suspects.... Add in a sexy locale, exotic dancers, and more twists and turns than salt water taffy on a pulling machine, this clever whodunit is the perfect getaway, a great beach read that includes the actual beach."
--Elena Hartwell, author of One Dead, Two to Go
"Michael Helms has done it again! In this engrossing, nonstop action adventure, Mac McClellan investigates treasure hunters, greedy developers, and even greedier heirs."
--Connie di Marco, author of the national bestselling Soup Lover's Mysteries
"The Florida Panhandle is a terrific locale for a crime tale. The action is well-paced and the military interlude--where the sleuth shoots photos of a cheating ex-Army husband--is wrought with precision."
--Robert J. Ray, author of the Matt Murdock Mysteries
"This story is addictive and an easy one to get lost in.... The characters are well-drawn, the even pace builds tension, and the ending satisfies."
--Edie Dykeman, BellaOnline mystery reviewer
5 Stars: "Deadly Dunes is a sleuth mystery with good action and suspense.... The dialogue is witty and I like Mac's dry sense of humor."
--Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite Reviews
"An apparent suicide, a missing map, a dead client--Mac's latest case takes him from the earliest history of modern Florida to a present day murder in his own backyard. The story grabs you on page one and the twists and turns don't let go until the do-or-die conclusion." --Kait Carson, author of the Hayden Kent Mystery series
