The Oysterman’s Son Preview

The Oysterman’s Son

Coming soon in the month of January from author James Sheehan. Here is a preview of the book:

Anoka is a small coastal town in Northwest Florida. At one time Anoka was known as the ‘Oyster Capital of the South,’ but that was ten years ago before the oil spill in the Gulf disrupted the oyster beds, and many folks in Anoka lost their way of living. Delia Abbot’s father was one of them.

On June 16^th, 2021, Percy Fuller, a member of Anoka’s eight-man police force responded to a home where gunshots had been heard. Inside the home, he found the victim, Tom Abbot, lying on the floor in his own bedroom with two bullet wounds, one to his shoulder and one to the head. Lying across from the victim, was his wife Delia, unconscious with a gun in her hand. It was the first murder in Anoka in thirty-five years.

Sam McDowell was once a prominent and successful criminal lawyer in the state of Florida. However, several years before the murder in Anoka, Sam was involved in a car accident, wheresomeone was killed. Rumor had it that Sam was drunk and caused the accident. Through a series of legal maneuvers, Sam escaped any criminal responsibility. However, the subsequent civil suit left him destitute. With his reputation and personal life ruined, Sam moved back to Anoka to languish in obscurity handling DUI’s and uncontested divorces and drinking his way to a slow death.

The powers that be in Anoka which included the only judge in town, Judge Stephen Roosevelt, wanted the murder kept quiet. Tourism was what kept Anoka on the map. The press and lawyers from Tallahassee would stir the pot and make this national news. The town leaders had other reasons as well to keep this murder quiet. The public defender had a conflict of interest. Who better to appoint to put this case to bed thandrunken Sam McDowell, the lawyer who never wanted to be involved in a contested criminal case again.

The best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go awry. Sam and Delia grew up together. Their fathers were oystermen. When Delia told Sam she was innocent, Sam had to fight for her. Maybe if he could save Delia, Sam might save himself in the process. ​​