Jake Savage is doing some underwater photography off Key West when a shadow floats above him. Much to his surprise, it is a young girl, scantily dressed and floating face down. The police are called ... and they are labeling it an accident. Jake takes it upon himself to find out who she is and how she wound up dead. He soon learns that he has all kinds of help .... his elderly step-mother, her caretaker, a cop who is terminally ill, and assorted strangers he happens to bump into. It gets dangerous when he finds that the girl was somehow involved with sex trafficking, a crime committed against someone high up in the government with ties to a crime lord, and the super-rich (think people like the late Jeffrey Epstein). Attacks come fast and furious .... and Jake and his partners find themselves in deeper trouble than they ever imagined.
About the Author :
Elliott Light grew up outside Washington, D.C. in McLean, Virginia before the beltway encircled the capital city, before farms were turned into housing developments, and before open fields became mega-malls.
Light attended the University of Virginia, receiving degrees in Electrical Engineering and Law. He has several patents to his name.
After stints as an environmental lawyer and a high tech in-house counsel, he practiced patent law in a private law firm.
Now retired, he resides in Naples, FL with his wife, Sonya.
Throwaways is his fourth published novel.
Review :
"Light's understated whodunit thrives on its richly drawn atmosphere... The story likewise boasts a notable sense of realism throughout. Relationships are decidedly complex... Even the investigation is believable, as ostensibly rock-solid evidence doesn't necessarily lead anywhere. The author's focus on the main mystery, which starts from the opening scene, stokes a consistently swift pace. He crafts detailed environments, including the vividly drawn coastal setting. The ending couples a satisfying payoff with the hint of a sequel. A sublimely nuanced and enthralling murder mystery."
--Kirkus Reviews
"This satisfying series starter from Light (author of the Shep Harrington Smalltown Mysteries series) tackles sex trafficking and what it takes to expose the powerful with a mystery ripped from the headlines about the likes of Jeffrey Epstein. In addition to the natural tension of the mystery, Light wrings suspense from society's insistence that some stones should go unturned. The well-crafted plot turns on missing girls, a stolen laptop, a welcome sense of outrage, and a first-time detective with a rousing dedication to seeing that justice is served, at whatever cost. Lovers of sharply told mysteries that target injustice will want more."
-BookLife/Publishers Weekly
"Elliott D. Light builds a compelling story based on issues as much as the murder scenario and the life challenges of protagonist Jake Savage. Light's ability to juxtapose the lives of disparate individuals who become part of the complex puzzle of a young woman's death in Key West waters and her friend's subsequent disappearance brings many confrontations to the table as social issues and racial concerns entwine with life-and-death situations. All these elements make Throwaways more than just another whodunit, but a social probe that places Jake in the center of a maelstrom of controversy, leading him into a personal confrontation with the murders in his own past history. Libraries and readers seeking a multifaceted story that moves both outwards to embrace a community and internally to unravel the puzzles affecting Jake's past and present will find Throwaways thoroughly absorbing. It's powered by realistic characters whose pursuit of truths against all odds lead them in unexpected directions that readers won't see coming."
-Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer)
"In Elliott Light's foreboding and refreshing thriller Throwaways, a Florida Keys man (Jake Savage) with a traumatic past gets embroiled in a murder case. The Key West setting is developed in terms of the town's variations. It is acknowledged both as a hot spot for tourists and as a haven for misfits fleeing their pain; hedonistic cruises stop there as well. Because of its contrasts, it is both beguiling and threatening. A larger theme concerning the wealthy's power to suppress news and pressure law enforcement is provocative, too: it pits Jake and his supporters against odds that seem insurmountable. Their resolve becomes all the more salient, and suspense gathers around how they might circumvent their pursuers. Throwaways is a chilling mystery novel that introduces a solitary amateur sleuth who's attuned to his Key West community."
-Clarion Forewords Reviews
