Tag Archives: tourism

Sequel exposes dark side of tourism in Florida

Posted on by under Authors, Books, e-books, Fiction, Novel, Writers, Writing

If tourism is the lifeblood of Florida, the killers in Tourist in Paradise are intent on draining the state dry. Whether they succeed depends on a female sleuth who moved to the Sunshine State to escape this kind of violence.

What CW McCoy finds is a tsunami of corruption and deceit as she battles punks and politicians in the second in the McCoy series of mystery/suspense novels.

TIP covers top bookThe stakes are high for residents of the fictional city of Spanish Point, a tony resort town located between Tampa and Naples on Florida’s Gulf Coast. When a gunman mistakes CW for a wealthy tourist, the real estate agent is thrust into a series of crimes that pit visitor against visitor. Is the violence the start of a full-blown war on tourists? Or are the attacks a smokescreen for an even greater threat?

And if CW unmasks the killers, will it spell the end of her career, her friends and her life?

Published by Allusion Books, Tourist in Paradise is the sequel to Peak Season, a book Kirkus Reviews calls “an entertaining mystery romp.” The crime novel is available through Amazon, iBooks and Barnes & Noble in both e-book and trade paperback formats. Readers can view the book trailer at jeffwidmer.com or YouTube.

Fans of Janet Evanovich, Robert B. Parker, Ruth Rendell and Chelsea Cain should enjoy the book.

I hope you’re one of them.

What if serial killers had agents?

Posted on by under Authors, Books, Commerce, Creativity, Culture, e-books, Fiction, Novel, Writers, Writing

A doctor wants to euthanize his terminal patients. A disgraced journalist wants a better job than flogging tours of crime scenes. The tour business is dying. There aren’t enough murders in this sleepy town to draw a crowd.

A good serial killer would help.

Mr MayhemSo begins Mr. Mayhem, the new crime thriller that fittingly goes on sale on Black Friday.

For a man known only as Brinker, the trouble starts when he’s fired for reporting his publisher’s DUI. Reduced to doing PR for a funeral home and its trolley tour of murder sites, Brinker despairs of ever restoring his pride, or his bank account. Compared to journalism, PR is degradation, an excuse to lie for a living. His addiction to prescription medication only fuels that rage.

When his doctor asks for a hand in dispatching hopeless patients, Brinker hires a wildly successful assassin named Angel, who brings chaos and fame to this backwoods town. But as Angel’s demands soar with the body count, Brinker wonders whether he’ll become the latest addition to his own list.

With Mr. Mayhem, I’ve tried to turn the suspense genre on its head. Fans of Elmore Leonard and Gillian Flynn will enjoy the double- and triple-crosses that give the book its dark edge. And readers who like a little sugar with their spice may come to think of Brinker as the king of the comic sex scene.

Mr. Mayhem is set in the snowy mountains of Pennsylvania, from whence I come. Published by Allusion Books, the novel is available in print and ebook formats through Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Kobo,  my website and bookstores that place orders through Ingram. The audiobook version is due by the end of December.

What a way to end the year.