DEVIL'S HARBOR

A routine patrol turns into a nightmare for alcoholic Marine Interdiction Agent Nick Finn.

Patrolling the California coast, Finn and his partner and brother-in-law, Diego Jimenez, spot a boat with no running lights. When they approach the suspected smuggler, the boat takes off. Once it's stopped, the man on board attacks them with an automatic weapon, and Finn shoots him dead, plunging himself deep into hot water. His boss gives him no support when the government is sued by the victim’s family, which claims he was an unarmed fisherman. Although Diego backs up his story, there’s no other supporting evidence because the gun went overboard and trace evidence was washed away. To make things worse, a search reveals no indication of smuggling. Finn’s wife, Mona, a lawyer specializing in defending underdogs, is furious that Finn has been targeted. Their marriage is already cracking under the strain when Finn’s beaten and robbed of his gun, which is apparently the weapon that was used to kill Diego, neatly framing Finn. Even as he seeks refuge in the bottom of a bottle, Finn has a feeling that the case is tied to the unusual number of floaters recently recovered. Identifying one of them leads him to the Pacific Belle, a fishing craft partly owned by attractive Linda Blake, who has a daughter with medical problems. Once Finn learns that Linda had reported no catches, he suspects her of smuggling. But his sympathy for a mother desperate to save her child launches him into a dangerous orbit that could easily end his life before he can prove his innocence.

Gilly’s debut is a real page-turner filled with thrills, chills, and unexpected surprises.