Devilfish Key

by Todd Cameron

The third noir thriller from Florida author Todd Cameron . . .

August 2022. Dean Murdock is a minimum wage laborer at a marina in the small town of Englewood, Florida. He can only dream of owning a boat like the ones he works on, toiling on multimillion-dollar vessels under the blazing subtropical sun. Murdock is a nobody to his superiors, he’s an invisible and expendable boatyard grunt. His name has never made the invite list to the annual Labor Day meetup at Devilfish Key—a slow burn for years. One Friday night, after another long grueling workweek—on a total fluke gamble—he hits the big time, winning the Mega Millions jackpot to the tune of $333 million.

Murdock claims his prize under a cloak of anonymity and carries on at work as normal. Denied an invitation out to Devilfish Key once again, he plans to make a vaunting display at the island’s sandbar gathering aboard his brand-new yacht, Revenge. The day before the meetup, Murdock’s estranged son gets word of his windfall and comes out of the woodwork, angling for a handout. This starts a chain reaction of bad luck and trouble, a downward spiral leading to murder, mayhem, and a fiery confrontation out at Devilfish Key. Murdock learns the hard way that money has not brought him nothing but chaos and death . . .

569 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2023

About the author

Todd Cameron was raised in a small town, far from the ocean and tropical latitudes. His early pursuits were athletic before an injury finally settled him down to focus on writing—a yearning he has had since childhood. His debut novel, Snowblind, published in 2021 and became a bestseller on Amazon. He has since founded Shark Island Press and published three more novels, Hurricane Hole, Devilfish Key, and Twisted Straits.

Influenced heavily by nautical adventure novels and a passion for sharks, Todd acquired his scuba certification on his 17th birthday at Fathom Five National Marine Park in Tobermory, Ontario, the freshwater diving capital of the world. Shortly thereafter he ventured south for an inaugural shark dive in The Bahamas. The experience was a life-changing dream come true—he was hooked!

As a former elite athlete Todd competed successfully in open water swimming in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the Caribbean, with sponsorships from Arena Swimwear and Orca Wetsuits. He completed a 1430-mile (2300km) swim challenge to raise awareness for sharks, swimming the same distance as the Great Barrier Reef. He was the first person to swim the 9-mile (14.5km) channel between Whitsunday Island and Hamilton Island in Queensland, Australia. He retired from competitive swimming on a high note, placing first overall back-to-back in his final three races.

Todd, his wife Valerie, and their daughter Isla, divide their time between New York and Florida.

Reviews

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a home near Englewood, Florida so was happy to find a local author writing books that take place near my home. I have also read Midnight Pass and Hurricane Hole. I sort of expected Hurricane Ian to have a bigger part of the story line, but it was barely mentioned at the end. Of course there is a cliffhanger making you want the next book, however I know I will get over it. I am not planning to read future books by this author.

There are situations in this book (and in Hurricane Hole) that seem quite unlikely to be real and that is a deal breaker for me. Without providing spoiler information I cannot elaborate. To me a book needs to seem like it could be real. I think the drama in the story crosses that line.

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I went into Devilfish Key completely blind, and I must say it was HIGHLY entertaining. Todd Cameron managed to ratchet up the tension with dramatic irony in such a way as to make me laugh out loud throughout the entire novel, culminating in an extended drug-fueled climax that I just couldn't put down.

This novel was carefully crafted and the plot really draws you in to make you wonder what is going to happen next. The twists were great and unexpected, and the prose made the story come alive really well. The characters were fleshed out and believable. The action and dramatic scenes were just straight up fun.

Ever wondered what it feels and looks like to win the lottery? Look no further.
Ever wondered what it feels like to lose control with strippers and blow? Look no further.
Ever wondered what if feels like to own and be surrounded by constant boat-porn? Look no further.

If you want a tropical-flavored, hilarious ride of an entertaining novel to read, do yourself a favor and read Devilfish Key. You won't be disappointed.

Now I want to go win the lottery in a tropical location...

[Frank Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Devilfish Key, Todd Cameron creates a dark spin on the old maxim of 'Be careful what you wish for,' in this tale of ordinary people finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

The story which begins with an underdog receiving a chance for a much better life, and who intends to use it positively, only to have fate having other ideas makes for compelling reading.

As before, the author continues to add to the worldbuilding he started with his previous novels, so if you've read Snowblind and Hurricane Hole, you'll recognise some of the characters and events mentioned in the narrative.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because this story was SO UNBELIEVABLE and far-fetched (to me), it was only a 2** read for me. However, I live in Englewood area; it was so fun reading about real places here, I bumped my rating up to 3***.

[Debbie Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was too much talk about boats. And once the story hit a certain point, the characters were always doing drugs and drinking.

[Reading Divas · Rating 2 out of 5]

May - Irene
Set in Englewood Florida- cool! Very very slow moving.... boring