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The Bait Man
An action-mystery, set in breezy Florida, stars a former Marine.
Chessie Partin is a 34-year-old ne'er-do-well living in her hometown of Vero Beach after a four- year stint with the Marines, now studying archaeology. She lives with her brother, Reading, a police officer on suspension for arresting the wrong person-someone with higher-up political connections. Hootie Barnes, who runs a deep-sea fishing rig, offers Chessie a part-time job as a mate on the boat, cleaning the vessel and helping tourists with their rods. The money's good, but Chessie soon discovers the downside to the dealing with the bait man, Rooster Cocker, who delivers chum to the outfit every week. Rooster is a gruff man who reeks of chum-a vile smell-and scared off Mary Perez, the last ship's mate, with his unwanted sexual advances. He takes the same sort of liking to Chessie, who immediately despises him.
She believes that something may have happened to Mary-the word about town is that she eloped with her beau, but nobody's heard from her-because of Rooster. Chessie's suspicions are confirmed when she sees what appears to be a human jawbone in one of the blocks of chum. Using her archaeological skills and with some help from her brother, she starts to gather information on Rooster, tailing his truck and digging into his business. All of her investigating snowballs into something much bigger than she could've imagined, involving a shadowy ranch out in the boonies and a smuggling operation run by men even scarier than Rooster. Havlin (Bully Route Home, 2015, etc.) writes in a brisk, conversational style with loads of affection for the sunny Florida setting and an abundance of humor. Lewd jokes and snappy comebacks abound, although some of the quips-about Chessie's breasts, for instance-get repetitive. While Rooster and Chessie are memorable, fully developed characters, many of the supporting players lack depth, leading to some predictability. But the cast takes a back seat to the fast-paced plotting, as the author is skilled at teasing out new revelations and keeping the entertaining novel suspenseful.
A well-spun yarn with plenty of love for its salty environs that should satisfy beachgoers and conspiracy theorists alike.
Chessie Partin is a 34-year-old ne'er-do-well living in her hometown of Vero Beach after a four- year stint with the Marines, now studying archaeology. She lives with her brother, Reading, a police officer on suspension for arresting the wrong person-someone with higher-up political connections. Hootie Barnes, who runs a deep-sea fishing rig, offers Chessie a part-time job as a mate on the boat, cleaning the vessel and helping tourists with their rods. The money's good, but Chessie soon discovers the downside to the dealing with the bait man, Rooster Cocker, who delivers chum to the outfit every week. Rooster is a gruff man who reeks of chum-a vile smell-and scared off Mary Perez, the last ship's mate, with his unwanted sexual advances. He takes the same sort of liking to Chessie, who immediately despises him.
She believes that something may have happened to Mary-the word about town is that she eloped with her beau, but nobody's heard from her-because of Rooster. Chessie's suspicions are confirmed when she sees what appears to be a human jawbone in one of the blocks of chum. Using her archaeological skills and with some help from her brother, she starts to gather information on Rooster, tailing his truck and digging into his business. All of her investigating snowballs into something much bigger than she could've imagined, involving a shadowy ranch out in the boonies and a smuggling operation run by men even scarier than Rooster. Havlin (Bully Route Home, 2015, etc.) writes in a brisk, conversational style with loads of affection for the sunny Florida setting and an abundance of humor. Lewd jokes and snappy comebacks abound, although some of the quips-about Chessie's breasts, for instance-get repetitive. While Rooster and Chessie are memorable, fully developed characters, many of the supporting players lack depth, leading to some predictability. But the cast takes a back seat to the fast-paced plotting, as the author is skilled at teasing out new revelations and keeping the entertaining novel suspenseful.
A well-spun yarn with plenty of love for its salty environs that should satisfy beachgoers and conspiracy theorists alike.
352 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2024
About the author
D.L. Havlin
8 books10 followersDL Havlin is an eclectic author whose novels, novellas, and short stories mirror his rich, varied background. He has packed three lifetimes of experiences into one brim full existence. An avid lover of the outdoors and sports enthusiast, his passion for fishing, hunting and camping are frequently included in his writing. A deep love for nature and especially wild Florida often furnish settings for his work, but his travels make places such as Kiev, Singapore, London, New York Modena, or Saxonhausen backgrounds for his stories as well. His unique combination of a vivid imagination and his ability to weave intricate plot lines, seasoned by his life-time exposure to fascinating story possibilities and his knowledge of human nature, provides the heart-felt, enjoyable reading his novels provide. He answers, “Why do you write?” by saying, “To entertain-that’s first, but to provoke thought is a close second. I firmly believe both are done through the heart, for the mind is seldom opened until it is emotionally conditioned to respond.”
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 21, 2018
I had read 2 other books by this author and had not berm impressed. However, since this book had been given to me as a gift, I figured I'd go ahead and give it a try. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! It was very good. Character development and plot flow were excellent. The story takes place in Vero Beach, an area I'm familiar with. The main character, Chessie Partin, is a thirty-something who happens on some information that seems to connect the local bait man to murder. As Chessie begins to follow some leads, she finds herself in more trouble than she bargained for. Very suspenseful book!
February 7, 2019
This is a fast-paced mystery, lots of gruesome details that might make some queasy, but couldn't stop reading once I started. I confess to being the editor on this book and was excited to get started every day to work on it.
July 1, 2017
Carol Stone Review 9/03/2020
"The Baitman" was a real nail biting, edge of your seat thriller. As I turned each page in anticipation of these characters, I could only speculate what was about to happen. Although a fiction piece, it reminds us of the evil people around the world who are involved in such business activities.
And now-on to "Escaping Skeletons". I can't wait! Thank you for your works.
"The Baitman" was a real nail biting, edge of your seat thriller. As I turned each page in anticipation of these characters, I could only speculate what was about to happen. Although a fiction piece, it reminds us of the evil people around the world who are involved in such business activities.
And now-on to "Escaping Skeletons". I can't wait! Thank you for your works.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews