Staying Afloat

Tugboat captain Calpurnia Allison is piloting her craft into the harbor when she her crew have found a dead body—one that spent several days in Long Beach Harbor. When the police identify the corpse as Thomas Hawke, an unpleasant seaman with a fondness for blackmail, there is no shortage of suspects, where everyone in the harbor knew the dead man and no one liked him. Suspicion falls on a member of Cal’s small crew. Cal is no lawyer, but she knows injustice when she sees it. If she doesn’t derail the police investigation, her struggling tugboat business will be down to one man, and Cal will lose a valued friend. Could she lose her new beau Mike Bollard in the process? Everywhere she looks there are suspects. Author Judy Villella knows the world of ships and boats in Southern California firsthand, and she knows how to keep her readers turning the pages. Filled with the suspense of storms and saltwater as well as the hunt for a killer, Staying Afloat will keep you staying awake until you finish the story.