Murder at Eagle's Nest

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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.

Read an Excerpt


Esther invited them inside and turned to the waiting Randy and Freddy. Angelo stepped forward to make the introductions, “Good morning, thank you for meeting with us. I am Angelo Rossi, I think you know Bernice Brown the Treasurer, and this is Hazel Davies the newest owner at Eagle’s Nest. “He turned to Hazel and said, “This is Freddy Beaner,” who nodded in acknowledgement, “And I am assuming you are Randy Jacket.”


Randy stepped forward, “Yes of course, please, everyone, take a seat.” Ignoring any niceties, he turned to Angelo and said, “I understand you had asked to see us regarding the financial statements. I realize a condo association is a little different from other businesses, because it has to operate under Florida State law as a non-profit organization, but we will try to help you understand what is going on. Which expenses are you concerned about?”

Angelo did not appreciate being talked down to by Randy, but he swallowed hard and held his Italian temper, at least for the moment. He explained, “Let me give you a little background first. I own and operate a multi-million dollar business back home and Hazel here, was an auditor for a prestigious accounting firm back in Seattle before she retired.” He paused to let this piece of information sink in. Randy looked a little startled and Freddy, swallowed hard. Angelo continued, “Hazel and I looked at the financial statements, such as they are, yesterday. We had two sets of accounts, one provided to Bernice by Esther each month, and one to me from you, Freddy. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that a comparison of the monthly figures revealed that they were totally different!”

Earlier, Hazel, Angelo and Bernice had discussed their strategy for the meeting. As Bernice had already raised questions in the past and had basically been ‘blown off,’ as unreasonable or unnecessary, they were already prepared for confrontation. They had decided not to lay all their cards on the table initially, in case it shut down even the pretense of cooperation. Instead they hoped to obtain more information.

Randy’s response was predictably defensive, “Impossible, you must have made a mistake.”

My Review...

This is a mystery about older retired people who live in condos in Florida. It is full of sharp seniors all still on top of their game and high-flyer developers who think they can take advantage. This might be of more interest if you have an idea how a condo association works. An idea of who handles whose finances and which finances and who owns what. That being said, it seems like there is an exorbitant amount of conversation about checking the books, statements, invoices and balancing statements.  

This isn’t a hard or tough mystery. Most of its crime is not violent. Then again, no matter how it is described, murder is violent. There can’t very well be a nice murder can there. There are interesting amateur detectives here and some good character pictures created.

Overall this is an easy and enjoyable read.

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.



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Buy the book at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Eagles-Nest-Pat-Duggan/dp/1711002771/ref=sr_1_1



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