Doug Sahlin's Blog, page 5

Sour Grapes

I’m helping a dear friend find out who murdered one of his employees, a key employee who was integral to the success of my friend’s vineyard. A piece of the puzzle falls into place when I find the victim’s car. And the key’s are in the ignition. Surmising the key to her home might be on the keychain, and her home might contain clues that would help me solve the mystery, I pocketed the keys. Was I disturbing evidence at a crime scene of thinking outside of the box. You’ll find out when Sarasota Sour Grapes is published in December.

A Writers Best Friend

I’m always on the lookout for ideas when I’m out and about. Inspiration strikes at the strangest times; when you’re shopping, working out at the gym, taking a yoga class and so on. One thing I’ve learned is never to trust memory when I see something that could be fodder for future fiction. I never leave home without a notebook and a small pen to capture inspiration when it strikes. When a notebook is filled, I file it for future reference. I put my notebooks to good use when writing my first mystery novel, The Myakka Murders, which is now available on Amazon.

Click the cover to buy the book!

The Myakka Murders is now available at Amazon!

I am proud to announce that my first mystery novel, The Myakka Murders is now available at Amazon.

A picture perfect day in paradise goes south!

Sarasota, Florida Private Investigator Yale Larsson identifies the body found floating in the Myakka River as that of his estranged father. Yale and his half-brother Jayson join forces to bring the killer to justice. The tension reaches the boiling point when one of their father���s associates is killed. Will the body count escalate? How will he bring the killer to justice?

To find out more, or to order the book, click the cover.

Click the cover to buy the book!

Fox’s Low Road

While bringing my father’s killer to justice, I met a photographer named Laurie Fisher. We went to Myakka to do some sightseeing, and a bit of sleuthing. Laurie recognized a buy who was hanging around with my old man before he got killed. I chased him down and he had the audacity to pull a gun on me and start firing. He hustled off in a Jeep, and ran the barricade at Fox’s Low Road. Find out what happens next in Doug Sahlin’s first mystery novel, The Myakka Murders.

Fox’s Low Road in Myakka State Park.

Subscribe to my newsletter

The best way to find out what I’m up to, what I’m writing, and what Yale Larsson is up to is to subscribe to my newsletter. After you subscribe, you’ll get a free copy of my eBook, “Murder, Mayhem and Other Delights.” To subscribe, click here: Doug Sahlin’s Newsletter

The Myakka Murders

After finding my father’s body in Myakka State Park, I decided not to investigate the case until the next morning. At the end of my 5-mile run, I noticed someone sitting on the stairway to my back deck. Erring on the side of paranoia, I grabbed the Glock I keep by the fusebox. I mean you’d be paranoid too if you’d almost been killed in the line of duty.

I confronted the unknown subject—known as an Unsub in police speak—only to find out he was my half-brother Jayson. A few minutes later, he convinced me to investigate if after the autopsy, the county coroner decided my old man had indeed been murdered. What happens next is well documented in The Myakka Murders.

A Body is Found at Myakka State Park

Oh my. I’m relaxing with a cold Warsteiner while watching my next-door neighbor’s girlfriend do yoga poses in the nude when my phone rings. It’s my old love, Sarasota Sheriff’s Office Deputy, Janet Brown telling me she needs me at the scene of a crime in Myakka State Park near Sarasota, Florida.

When I get to the park, I find out the body that Janet and Crime Scene Investigator Bill Livingston are examining, is non other than my estranged father, Yale Augustus Larsson, Senior, whom I hadn’t seen the man in twenty years. I was upset, but decided to leave the investigation to the sheriff’s office. Or did I? Stay tuned.

My father’s body washed up on the shore of the Myakka River

Introducing Yale Larsson, Private Investigator

Marlowe the Cat having a zen moment

I’m Yale Larsson, a private investigator who lives in a beach house on Longboat Key, Florida with my stalwart companion, Marlowe the Cat. I know what you’re thinking. How can a private investigator afford a home on Longboat Key? Well it wasn’t from the money I made while I was a homicide detective for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. That gig almost cost me my life when I got in the way of a bullet while investigating a brutal murder. I tendered my resignation after a skillful surgeon patched me up. I feel great except when the humidity skyrockets. Then my hip acts up. Such is life.

But every cloud has a silver lining. While recuperating in my apartment in South Sarasota, my lotto numbers came in and I won the biggest Powerball Drawing in Florida history. Yup, I won enough money to keep Marlowe the Cat and me in kibbles for the rest of our lives. I was also able to buy a cool beach house with a great view of the Gulf of Mexico. But boredom set in, so I got my private investigator’s license and created the Larsson Foundation, which my mom Inez administers. The Larsson Foundation helps the sick, elderly and needy.

Stay tuned to find out what happens after I get a phone call from Janet Brown, a Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office deputy and my old love.