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Wrongful Conviction Mystery #2
Caspersen Beach: A Wrongful Conviction Mystery
"Heijens weaves a story of regret, guilt, hope, and redemption as she alternates timelines and point of view.... a wild ride on its way to a satisfying resolution." - Teresa M, Goodreads
A mother's worst nightmare occurred on a sunny Florida beach.
Melanie Troy told her older child, Carrie Ann to watch little Savannah while she went nearby to buy ice cream for the girls.
Minutes later, Savannah was gone.
Carrie Ann, only nine at the time, gave police a clear-eyed description of the kidnapper. Months later Savannah's remains were discovered on nearby Caspersen Beach. The homeless man who found her, Randy Cousins hoped to collect the reward money for finding the body. When Detective Lalo Sanchez put Cousins in a line-up, Carrie Ann did not hesitate to identify him as Savannah's abductor. After four hours of deliberation, the jury unanimously found Cousins guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Twenty years later a deathbed confession of a confused homeless woman brings new light to the case. Recognizing the potential that she got the wrong man, Detective Geri Garibaldi enlists the help of retired lawyer Cate Stokes who joins with Lalo Sanchez to prove the innocence of a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder. The stakes are raised when another child goes missing. The race is on for Cate and Lalo.
Can they save this child's life, or will they again be too late?
A mother's worst nightmare occurred on a sunny Florida beach.
Melanie Troy told her older child, Carrie Ann to watch little Savannah while she went nearby to buy ice cream for the girls.
Minutes later, Savannah was gone.
Carrie Ann, only nine at the time, gave police a clear-eyed description of the kidnapper. Months later Savannah's remains were discovered on nearby Caspersen Beach. The homeless man who found her, Randy Cousins hoped to collect the reward money for finding the body. When Detective Lalo Sanchez put Cousins in a line-up, Carrie Ann did not hesitate to identify him as Savannah's abductor. After four hours of deliberation, the jury unanimously found Cousins guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Twenty years later a deathbed confession of a confused homeless woman brings new light to the case. Recognizing the potential that she got the wrong man, Detective Geri Garibaldi enlists the help of retired lawyer Cate Stokes who joins with Lalo Sanchez to prove the innocence of a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder. The stakes are raised when another child goes missing. The race is on for Cate and Lalo.
Can they save this child's life, or will they again be too late?
349 pages, Paperback
Published November 4, 2023
5 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Janet Heijens
4 books21 followersJanet Heijens is the author of the Wrongful Conviction Mystery Series including SPANISH POINT, SNOOK WALLOW, CASPERSEN BEACH and WRONGFUL CONVICTION.
Detective Lalo Sanchez returns in SPANISH POINT to solve another Wrongful Conviction Mystery. Once again he partners with retired Lawyer, Cate Stokes, to prove their client, Jez Landon - currently serving time in Florida's infamous Lowell Women's Prison - is innocent of murdering her pimp. Armed with very few clues, Lalo and Cate are determined to find justice for Jez. A dark look at the underbelly of human trafficking and abuse, SPANISH POINT delivers a surprise ending that has become the signature style of Ms. Heijens' novels.
Pinnacle Book Award winning SNOOK WALLOW transports Heijens' readers back to South Florida where the death penalty is the law of the land and drug-dealing traffickers abound. Earning a Starred Kirkus Review, Heijens keeps readers guessing until the last page is turned.
In CASPERSEN BEACH, an innocent man is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a small child. Years later, as a homeless woman lay dying, she confesses to knowing who murdered the little girl. With another child's fate hanging in the balance, Cate and Lalo rush to find the real killer.
WRONGFUL CONVICTION, the prequel to Heijens' other three books, exposes flaws in a racially biased legal world. Cate Stokes attempts to clear a wrongfully convicted man who is serving a life sentence for killing his wife and two children. With a myriad of twists and turns, WRONGFUL CONVICTION premiers a cast of characters who won't soon be forgotten.
Ms. Heijens lives with her husband, Pieter in Sarasota, Florida
Detective Lalo Sanchez returns in SPANISH POINT to solve another Wrongful Conviction Mystery. Once again he partners with retired Lawyer, Cate Stokes, to prove their client, Jez Landon - currently serving time in Florida's infamous Lowell Women's Prison - is innocent of murdering her pimp. Armed with very few clues, Lalo and Cate are determined to find justice for Jez. A dark look at the underbelly of human trafficking and abuse, SPANISH POINT delivers a surprise ending that has become the signature style of Ms. Heijens' novels.
Pinnacle Book Award winning SNOOK WALLOW transports Heijens' readers back to South Florida where the death penalty is the law of the land and drug-dealing traffickers abound. Earning a Starred Kirkus Review, Heijens keeps readers guessing until the last page is turned.
In CASPERSEN BEACH, an innocent man is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a small child. Years later, as a homeless woman lay dying, she confesses to knowing who murdered the little girl. With another child's fate hanging in the balance, Cate and Lalo rush to find the real killer.
WRONGFUL CONVICTION, the prequel to Heijens' other three books, exposes flaws in a racially biased legal world. Cate Stokes attempts to clear a wrongfully convicted man who is serving a life sentence for killing his wife and two children. With a myriad of twists and turns, WRONGFUL CONVICTION premiers a cast of characters who won't soon be forgotten.
Ms. Heijens lives with her husband, Pieter in Sarasota, Florida
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 20, 2022
Casperson Beach captured my attention from the first page. Janet Heijens not only creates a great mystery with a twist, but she addresses social issues. She helps us understand the life of a homeless person and how it impacts their family. When I read her books (I am on book 3) I feel as though I am spending a couple hours with my new friend, Cate Stokes, her heroine in all 3 books. Janet's characters are well developed. She adds just the right amount of fun details to make them come alive, but still read quickly. Janet is very involved in the Florida Innocence Project, which is quite impressive and commendable.
January 23, 2025
This was my first read of 2025 and it was delightful. I bought it at an independent booksore in Venice, Florida. I asked the proprietor for recommednations on books by local authors and he was super helpful. I love reading about the places we visit. This story was of a murder mystery at Caspersen Beach, which is a popular whale tooth hunting location in Venice. The story was a compelling, easy read. While the story is fictional, the locations and restaurants mentioned in the story are real. Now I want to go check out some of those places! I did visit Sharky's at the Venice Pier and want to visit the Salty Dog! Likely I will buy and read another one in this series.
March 27, 2021
A great book. The story is complex enough to be challenging to those of us who like a mystery to solve, but not so complex as to be frustrating. A tragic story, told so convincingly, this book captures fear and sorrow amazingly clearly.
February 16, 2021
Keeps your interest all the way through. The story Janet weaves is universal . . .could happen anywhere to anyone. You won't be able to put it down until you know the truth.
March 11, 2021
Very interesting book, held my focus from beginning to the end. This was the type of book that made me think and feel sad for several different characters. Well worth the read!
April 12, 2025
Repetitive, overly sentimental, and filled with typos. I did enjoy the mentions of all the familiar places in Venice.
January 7, 2022
Cate Stokes never intended to spend her retirement years working wrongful conviction cold cases, but when Detective Geri Garibaldi called about the deathbed confession of a schizophrenic homeless woman, Cate couldn’t say no.
In Casperson Beach, Heijens reunites Cate Stokes and Lalo Sanchez, the investigative duo from Snook Wallow. But this time, Lalo has a stake in the investigation. He and Garibaldi were the detectives on the original case involving three-year-old Savannah Troy’s kidnapping and murder. Heijens weaves a story of regret, guilt, hope, and redemption as she alternates timelines and point of view between 1994 — Maggie Blue’s alcohol and mental health addled existence and 2017 —the widowed Cate working to move on with her new life in Florida. As Cate and Lalo rush to track down leads to the real killer, another child is kidnapped while Hurricane Irma roils in the Atlantic moving toward Florida. Heijens’ cast of characters and well-paced story take the reader on a wild ride on its way to a satisfying resolution with hope for future Stokes and Sanchez Wrongful Conviction adventures. Not a bad way for Cate to spend her retirement years.
In Casperson Beach, Heijens reunites Cate Stokes and Lalo Sanchez, the investigative duo from Snook Wallow. But this time, Lalo has a stake in the investigation. He and Garibaldi were the detectives on the original case involving three-year-old Savannah Troy’s kidnapping and murder. Heijens weaves a story of regret, guilt, hope, and redemption as she alternates timelines and point of view between 1994 — Maggie Blue’s alcohol and mental health addled existence and 2017 —the widowed Cate working to move on with her new life in Florida. As Cate and Lalo rush to track down leads to the real killer, another child is kidnapped while Hurricane Irma roils in the Atlantic moving toward Florida. Heijens’ cast of characters and well-paced story take the reader on a wild ride on its way to a satisfying resolution with hope for future Stokes and Sanchez Wrongful Conviction adventures. Not a bad way for Cate to spend her retirement years.
April 30, 2021
This is the second book in my Wrongful Conviction Series. Kirkus Review has this to say in a starred review:
Heijens . . . "presents another heroine who’s equally smart, resourceful, and empathetic—and more than worthy of an encore appearance." Kirkus Reviews - starred review
Heijens . . . "presents another heroine who’s equally smart, resourceful, and empathetic—and more than worthy of an encore appearance." Kirkus Reviews - starred review
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews