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Della: A Drake Marlow Mystery (Book 1)
“She sashayed into my office on a hot steamy Monday morning before I’d had my first cup of joe, her hips swaying to some Caribbean beat only she could hear.”
Palm Beach P.I., Drake T. Marlow finally has his first client—Della Carmichael—a rich, seductive beauty who doesn’t know who she is. Tasked with unraveling her twisted past, Drake faces Prohibition-era rum runners, thugs, a mental hospital, and political intrigue, all while trying to juggle a potential romance. But some very powerful people want Della’s past to remain a secret and will do anything to keep the truth buried.
Set against the backdrop of 1930s Florida, Della is a Palm Beach noir mystery full of history and intrigue.
Palm Beach P.I., Drake T. Marlow finally has his first client—Della Carmichael—a rich, seductive beauty who doesn’t know who she is. Tasked with unraveling her twisted past, Drake faces Prohibition-era rum runners, thugs, a mental hospital, and political intrigue, all while trying to juggle a potential romance. But some very powerful people want Della’s past to remain a secret and will do anything to keep the truth buried.
Set against the backdrop of 1930s Florida, Della is a Palm Beach noir mystery full of history and intrigue.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 24, 2023
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Sally J. Ling
29 books3 followersSally J. Ling, Florida’s History Detective, is an author, speaker, and historian. She writes historical nonfiction, specializing in obscure, unusual, or little-known stories of Florida history and mysteries with a Florida connection.
As a special correspondent, Sally wrote for the Sun-Sentinel newspaper for four years and was a contributing journalist for several South Florida magazines.
Based upon her knowledge as well as excerpts from her books, Sally has appeared in three feature-length TV documentaries—“Gangsters,” the National Geographic Channel; “The Secret Weapon that Won World War II,” and “Prohibition and the South Florida Connection,” WLRN, Miami. She served as associate producer on the latter production. She has also appeared in and served as a production consultant for several short documentaries on South Florida history produced by WLRN, Miami.
Sally has been a repeat guest on South Florida PBS TV and radio stations, guest presenter at the Lifelong Learning Society at Florida Atlantic University, and guest speaker at numerous historical societies, libraries, organizations, and schools.
As a special correspondent, Sally wrote for the Sun-Sentinel newspaper for four years and was a contributing journalist for several South Florida magazines.
Based upon her knowledge as well as excerpts from her books, Sally has appeared in three feature-length TV documentaries—“Gangsters,” the National Geographic Channel; “The Secret Weapon that Won World War II,” and “Prohibition and the South Florida Connection,” WLRN, Miami. She served as associate producer on the latter production. She has also appeared in and served as a production consultant for several short documentaries on South Florida history produced by WLRN, Miami.
Sally has been a repeat guest on South Florida PBS TV and radio stations, guest presenter at the Lifelong Learning Society at Florida Atlantic University, and guest speaker at numerous historical societies, libraries, organizations, and schools.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 23, 2025
What a great series this is going to be. I feel like I have literally been transported back to the 1930's. Prohibition is still in force and smugglers are very active.
Drake's best friend Cookie is a fellow Aussie, and quite the character. They met in France after the war and their friendship has stayed the hands of time. Cookie is part owner of the Palm Beach Green Turtle Restaurant and he and Drake often take 'fact finding' road trips.
What happened to Della's mother and then to Della herself, was quite shocking. It was also something that I believe happened quite often if a person wanted someone to disappear and they had the financial means to facilitate it.
Parts of this story brought me to tears. Some sad. Some happy. Either way, you may want to keep the tissues handy.
Drake's best friend Cookie is a fellow Aussie, and quite the character. They met in France after the war and their friendship has stayed the hands of time. Cookie is part owner of the Palm Beach Green Turtle Restaurant and he and Drake often take 'fact finding' road trips.
What happened to Della's mother and then to Della herself, was quite shocking. It was also something that I believe happened quite often if a person wanted someone to disappear and they had the financial means to facilitate it.
Parts of this story brought me to tears. Some sad. Some happy. Either way, you may want to keep the tissues handy.
August 7, 2023
Della -- a mysterious woman with various last names -- is such a fun story and a quick read! The short chapters make it quite the page-turner. Drake Marlow and Betty Lou will become your new favorite crime-fighting duo! I love the familiarity between the two since she once worked for Drake's father, but also because she cares for Drake. A period piece is always interesting because the author does a great job of peppering details about 1930s Florida so that you feel like you're there with the characters. Overall, I enjoyed the ride and the mystery of Della Carmichael, Smith, Brown, Wright. Hopefully, we will see more adventures from Drake Marlow!
October 11, 2024
A good way to start a series
Classic Noir Good plot. The characters are interesting and have a nice start to what will be a nice series,
Classic Noir Good plot. The characters are interesting and have a nice start to what will be a nice series,
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews