Review of a Trouble in Tampa by Louise Titchener, a Book to Add to Your To Be Read List

Author Louise Titchener has a new fan in this avid reader and writer. This novel of historical fiction held my interest from the first word to the last. It is meticulously researched and masterfully written, highly entertaining and informative. The characters are believable and engaging. The plot is clever and satisfyingly complex. It is one of the best books I have read this year.  I read it in eBook format for this review, but when finished, I ordered a paperback of it. This is one I will add to my library. Review by Linda Lee Greene, author of Cradle of the Serpent.

Currently a semifinalist for the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Award for Best Historical Mystery of 2018, Trouble in Tampa is a thrilling look at the Wild South of Florida in 1885. An easy assignment for sharpshooter and ex-Pinkerton investigator, Oliver Redcastle, turns deadly. A wealthy Baltimore art collector sends an employee to Florida. When that man goes missing, the rich man hires Oliver to find him. Reluctantly, Oliver boards Henry Plant's newly constructed train to Florida. At the end of the line he gets off in Tampa to find a swamp load of trouble. He's betrayed by an old acquaintance, and by not one, but two passionate women. Oliver is railroaded into one of old Florida's infamous turpentine camps. There he must use his sharpshooting skill to escape certain death. But that means a harrowing trek through miles of dangerous animals, dangerous people, and shocking intrigues. In Key West he meets female Pinkerton operative, Hannah Kinchman. She got him into trouble in Tampa. But Oliver has a soft spot for Hannah. Together they fight their way through kidnapping, treasure hunts, intrigue, and the beautiful but treacherous Florida Everglades. Will Oliver overcome the many hurdles blocking his way home? It won't be easy!