D.L. Havlin's Blog

Out & About: Join me at Englewood Sports Complex Arts & Crafts Show, Saturday, 11/22, 9 AM to 2 PM. Let’s talk mystery/suspense. amzn.to/3eOAfhI

"Historian and author, DL Havlin discusses his book, “Blue Water, Red Blood”" by Angelina Assanti via #spreaker https://t.co/JcR4z7sSov

— DL Havlin (@PrLady2016) November 11, 2025

The Grave with Greener Grass – Can you solve a mystery buried for over a century?

When Sly Harrell, a rugged Florida historian with a knack for uncovering secrets, is hired to find a lost family fortune, he never expects murder, deception, and a coded letter passed down for 120 years. From the graveyards of rural Florida to the shores of Paris Island, Sly is in a race against ruthless treasure hunters.

Who will find the gold first? And who will survive?

A gritty, fast-paced mystery where history meets danger.
A “red-necked-light Sherlock Holmes” takes on his deadliest case yet.
Espionage. Romance. Treasure. Betrayal.

Are you ready to dig into the truth? Click below to learn more and join Sly’s hunt.

#MysteryNovel #TreasureHunt #FloridaHistory #TheGraveWithGreenerGrass #HistoricalThriller #BookLovers #FindersSeries

For 30 years, Benny Dupree has lived a quiet life in Turtle Point—until the secrets he buried in 1980 begin to surface. A double murder. A buried love. And strangers asking too many questions.

When the past threatens to destroy everything, Benny turns to Harper Sturgis—a brilliant criminal attorney and former Marine intelligence officer. But even Harper may not be able to stop the deadly chain of events that’s been set in motion.

Set against the haunting beauty of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Turtle Point is a gripping mystery of secrets, second chances, and the high cost of truth.

Start reading now and meet the unforgettable Harper Sturgis in the first volume of the Iron Lady Mystery/Suspense Series!

https://amzn.to/2selUnr

#MysteryBook #SuspenseFiction #DLHavlin #TurtlePoint #CrimeThriller #BookLaunch

Excited moving forward with this series. Please share your thoughts.

Exciting NEW RELEASE “Deadly Development”, a Chessie Partin Archaeology Mystery by DL Havlin immerses readers in the gripping story of Chessie Partin, an archaeologist determined to unearth the secrets buried deep within Florida’s history. Tired of life behind a desk at East Florida University, Chessie leaps at the chance to lead an excavation on the historic Buehl Ranch, a sprawling ranch nestled in Florida’s heartland.
What begins as an academic venture quickly descends into a nightmare. As Chessie digs deeper, both literally and figuratively, her life and the lives of her team come under threat. Someone will go to deadly lengths to keep the ranch’s sinister secrets buried.
DL Havlin’s vivid storytelling captures the essence of Florida’s lush, eerie landscapes-the dense foliage, the sprawling ranch, and the hallowed burial sites. You’ll feel the grit of the dirt, the weight of the artifacts, and the oppressive tension as Chessie unravels the truth.
For fans of mysteries with rich settings, historical intrigue, and relentless suspense, Deadly Development is a must-read. This gripping adventure will leave you guessing who’s behind the sinister plot-and why-until the very last page. https://amzn.to/4237jND

The Florida Hurricane season begins June 1st. Englewood Public Library invited me to share “Florida Hurricane History, 23 Memorable Florida Hurricanes” with their community. Please contact me if you are interested in this program. For information contact PRLady2016@gmail.com or 239.283.3975.

Congratulations DL Havlin! “The Grave with Greener Grass” Royal Palm Literary Award entry has just been named a FINALIST! RPLA Award winners will be announced at the Saturday evening Banquet on October 21 as part of Florida Writerscon 2023, October 20-22. https://amzn.to/3sSz8X8

Congratulations DL Havlin! “The Grave with Greener Grass” Royal Palm Literary Award entry has just been named a FINALIST! RPLA Award winners will be announced at the Saturday evening Banquet on October 21 as part of Florida Writerscon 2023, October 20-22. https://amzn.to/3sSz8X8

Brandi and Me! We console each other about what’s going on around us.

I’ve been struggling with a few health problems over the last six months. Combating such issues is never easy, but it seems the fates and the outside world is conspiring against me! A badly injured knee, type two diabetes flareups, a wound that refused to heal, and mix up with my prescriptions have made things difficult. However, I battled those to the point of gaining control. A few more things have left me feeling down! First my agent and I have been fighting with one of my publishers…no, better stated, we are trying to contact it to argue with them. Second, as I previously stated in my blogs, Ian devastated our area. Though the storm was easier on us than many of our neighbors, it still did considerable damage to our home. Enter the insurance vampires. We carry every type insurance possible, home-owners, flood, wind. Guess what? Everybody tells us the other guy is responsible. It is so bad we have had to get a professional adjuster and a lawyer. Of course, the media support disappears and leaves us with what you see below.

After 9 months, most of the damage remains!

While those are weighty problems, the prospect of facing the national news coverage of the 2024 election makes me cringe! I don’t know if I can survive another horror movie like the last few.

I’m sure they’re good folks, but I wish someone would put a rag in their mouths for 30 days!

Listening to and seeing the press idiot’s vomit into microphones and cameras forces one to consider burning the national media to the ground. Choosing between the probable candidates, Biden and Trump? ……Yuk, that’s like a restaurant menu with only two selections: Cow Crap and Horse Shit! Oh, well. I wonder if Rip Van Winkle knew how lucky he was!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~