There is one word that brings out the worst in people: TREASURE.
When special agent Kurt Hunter finds a boat adrift in the Biscayne National Park with the dead body of a famous treasure hunter aboard, the race is on to find his killer. Alliances shift and the bodies start to pile up as Kurt and Justine navigate the devious and dangerous world of treasure hunters to find the killer. From the iconic Intracoastal Waterway of Miami to the beauty of the Biscayne National Park, this new mystery from bestselling author, Steven Becker, reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of South Florida.
I've known a few 'professional' treasure hunters, and after reading Backwater Tide I'm pretty sure that Steven Becker must have crossed paths with one or two as well. He captures the intensity of those that view it not as a job, but as their way of life. The closer that some people come to treasure, the more many get twisted and change. Trust can become a joke as even close friends become suspect. Again, Steven Becker does a great job of showing how this can happen.
Becker's Kurt Hunter Mysteries just keep getting better and better. The characters are becoming more defined and interwoven, and I'm loving the plots. Backwater Tide is one of the best yet, and I can't wait until the next one comes out!
Kurt Hunter is sort of the National Parks Service's version of Columbo. He gnaws away at the scraps of evidence he finds until he solves the murder. He is quite adept at finding dead bodies in the most unusual way and places. Steven Becker has developed a cast of characters that play off of one another quite seamlessly. Each book has made me anxious to see what happens in the next book. Keep up the good work Steven Becker.
Kurt Justine and their crew certainly impressive when they embellished their many attributes to take on the bad guys. There is one ongoing exciting adventure after another but the secrecy surrounding these incidents is what maintained my undivided attention. This story definitely kept my undivided attention from beginning to end and the ending is certainly impressive. Great suspense throughout this story, and the camaraderie of agencies really is inspiring!
Definitely a five star masterpiece by an exceptionally talented author. Mr. Becker is definitely well versed in his descriptiveness of each and every episode, as they were well thought out before penning a word. I definitely enjoyed the character selections throughout the entire story, as the author certainly impressed me with their individual exploits. Too, his research was definitely impressive in his storylines, as there was definitely enough espionage to maintain my undivided attention throughout the entire book. I definitely recommend this book to anyone searching for suspenseful investigative procedures, as there are plentiful throughout this masterpiece. Too, the storylines do not reveal the culprits until the verbena of the story. Great murder mystery that keeps you guessing!
I read this book as a continuation of the Backwater series book. What caught my eye when choosing which book in the series to read next was the word “treasure” similarity to the characters in the book. This read was better than finding treasure, the book itself is a treasure. In the Florida Keys Have heard of many shipwrecks and boat wrecks and the first thing that most people think of is treasure such as that in real life. An important theme that Steven Becker uses in the book is greed, greed over treasure and wealth and that treasure can bring the worst of us out. The characterizations he uses are government officials and treasure-hungry people. They all have an eye on the dead treasure hunter's boat wreck coordinates and his treasure. The book also brings forth the fact that some people will do anything if it benefits them, even if it means harming those closest to them. People who should read this book are people who like a good treasure hunt/chase. It is also great for people who like a good murder mystery in the tropics and or people who just enjoy the tropics in general. This book isn't really for people who have little to no interest in murder mysteries or treasure chases. Younger/much older people will not find too much interest in the book.
In and around the Florida keys and Biscayne national park are lots of ships that have sunk over the last several hundred years. Kurt was in his first paddleboard race when he found a boat of drift. It didn’t matter that it was his day off, he boarded the boat and discovered a dead body. There is a mystery as to how Gil Gross died. Was it a murder, or did he die from an embolism from ascending too fast after diving? Mac Travis joins Kurt, Ray, and Justine to figure out what happened to Gil. there are some ugly ugly words in this book. It fits the character. Just skip over them. Yes I recommend this book.
The surprise ending of the previous book had me fearing the series had been wrapped up. Nope! Back as strong as ever with a new case to solve. While the characters' lives progress, each novel is an independent tale, so fear not if you've missed the previous episodes. This is Miami (Vice); this is the Keys. Murder, mystery, skullduggery, boats and bikinis, freewheeling and institutional regulation, cool friends and co-workers versus obstructive boss and . . . co-workers. Shhh! Don't disturb me! I'm busy attending another autopsy and searching for clues!
I LOVE Steven Becker!! I love his books, because they sweep you off of your feet, and drag you into his stories. His characters have become like old friends- and I love following their lives, as they unfold in his books. I love this. I love him, he's such a great author. And what he writes doesn't make you cringe- meaning, he keeps everything adult, with no uncomfortable scenarios... I love it! Super guy! Definitely one of my top 5 authors. Keep on writing, Steven, please! You have made me an addict!! LOL!
This story was not as well written as the others. It started off with a blank page 1 and page 2 started in the middle of a sentence. The plot seemed week, but the characters were more developed and the relationship between Kurt and Justine stronger after their marriage. The ending seemed a bit unfinished as well as if the author made his contracted quota for the number of words in the book and just stopped.
A murder story. A sunken treasure story all in one.
Kurt just can't do anything that doesn't end up a murder investigation. All in all, one of my favorites. I brings in characters from other books that I have enjoyed . Read this book and you will busy from where I am coming from.
A different Kurt Hunter mystery since this involved a treasure hunter and finding his killer. I enjoyed the parts with Mac Travis, from the Mac Travis Adventures. It is always interesting to revisit characters from other book series. This was an entertaining read!
My favorite are mystery series with characters that are easy to bond with and feel like you know them. I started to care about Kurt and Justine several books ago. This is a must read for series junkies.
Kurt and Justine get more underwater action than they bargained for in this sixth book of the series. Treasure hunt are words that can drive people from really into a world of darkness, both on land and underwater.
Kurt and his new wife set the stage for new adventures together as a couple. Always a Interesting piece of history to set the stage for a great story. This time a civil war relec makes for mayham and suspense.
I started on the first book about a week ago. Each one led me to download the next. If you love being on the water and adventure, this is the series for you.
Interesting setup, really rushed ending. Not sure what happened to this one. Becker seemed to hit his stride in book 5, but this one just didn’t end well at all.
Kurt has found an interesting method to skip out on a paddleboard race. I have been to Biscayne park and can truefully say I never got into the trouble that Kurt does. I enjoyed the story and recommend the book.
My fave line in this series...’What the HE!! Hunter?’ Our lovable US Park Service Special Agent, Kurt Hunter, is participating in his first paddle board race. That is, until he gets side tracked by a drifting dive boat. Further investigation reveals the body of a man...a famous treasure hunter. Of course, since the boat/body is located in federal water, Kurt gets a brief respite from the typical @$$ chewing from SSAIC Martinez. This gives Kurt jurisdiction and he gets to work investigating. As always, there is nonstop action during Kurt’s adventures. He encounters the partner of the dead diver, a cigar chewing guy called Slipstream, who becomes an informant...of sorts. There is the FL state underwater archeologist, who is a really strange dude; the missing backer of the diver; and last but not least, the daughter of the diver. The list of suspects isn’t getting shorter so Kurt has to play the usual mind games with his boss, Martinez, and fellow special agent, Susan McLeash, to get help to solve the case. Kurt’s interactions with his teen daughter and new wife, Justine...a Miami Dade CSI...are interspersed throughout, and gives a well rounded view of our Agent. With the help of Mac Travis, Det Grace, Agent Ray, Justine and even Susan, Kurt finally solves the case...but not without a few bumps and bruises. All is well and quiet once more...until the next ‘What THE HE!! Hunter?’ is bellowed! I accepted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.