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Bone Deep

"I just can't help it. I got to know what happens to the forgotten ones. 

Even though the answer usually ain't pretty."


The Story

When low-profile people go missing in the swamps of central Florida, Clementine Brooks is the gal to call. A self-made sleuth with a puzzling past of her own, Clementine prides herself in finding "the forgotten ones." And at first glance, Ivan Kiss's disappearance isn't unusual: the only person who seems to miss the immigrant field hand is his sister.

But snooping around the cotton plantation where Ivan Kiss worked reveals the case is anything but ordinary---despite the best efforts of debutante Arden Harris. For Arden, it's bad enough Clementine married the man she's in love with; she doesn't need Clementine sticking her nose in this Ivan Kiss business, too---especially since the truth is so ugly.

But when supernatural occurences start upending the peace in their Old Florida community, everything Arden and Clementine think they know about Ivan Kiss is turned upside down. Between warnings from local ghosts and the appearance of Dinah---an undead slave woman with spine-tingling powers---it's clear Ivan Kiss's interest in the Harris plantation predates any recent injustice by centuries.

With the secrets of their pasts converging, Clementine, Arden and Dinah each must unravel the mystery of Ivan Kiss before he destroys their futures. 

Status

Another Florida fantasy, though---where This is the Way We Drown bends literary, Bone Deep leans upmarket, blending bold voice with kitschy horror and fantasy tropes. This novel is in progress and will be queried to literary agents and publishers in 2021.

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