FOWL MOUTH

A Gumbo Malone Mystery | A Weird & Whacky Florida Mystery

🐔 A prize-winning chicken disappears. A hawk stands accused. And one Florida private investigator is about to discover that the truth can be stranger than fiction.

🌴 Welcome to Cedar Key, Florida, where the mysteries may be small, the personalities are enormous, and even a chicken can cause a neighborhood crisis.

Danny “Gumbo” Malone thought he'd seen just about everything since trading his corporate career for life as a private investigator on Florida's Gulf Coast. But when Eugenia Pratt arrives with a meticulously documented case involving her missing champion chicken, Gumbo finds himself investigating one of the most unusual cases of his career.

The missing bird? Countess von Beak, a celebrated Buff Orpington hen with six blue ribbons, a devoted owner, and forty thousand social media followers.

The prime suspect? A red-tailed hawk that has been watching the chicken coop with what Eugenia considers deeply suspicious intent.

The problem? Hawks don't open latched chicken coops.

With the Levy County Agricultural Fair just days away, Gumbo must unravel the mystery of the missing Countess before her disappearance destroys a championship record and sends a tight-knit Florida neighborhood into a full-blown poultry panic.

🔎 A MISSING CHICKEN. A GROWING LIST OF SUSPECTS. A CASE THAT DEMANDS A CLOSER LOOK.

Armed with his trusty composition book, a talent for noticing the details other people overlook, and the occasional unsolicited judgment of Pete, his resident pelican and unofficial marina security consultant, Gumbo begins piecing together the evidence.

His investigation leads to a retired locksmith with a competitive streak, a schoolteacher with an unusual attachment to the missing bird, a retired wildlife biologist who knows more about hawks than most people know about their own relatives, and a former county fair judge with a few observations of his own.

As Gumbo examines the evidence, questions assumptions, and separates suspicious-looking behavior from actual clues, he discovers that solving a mystery isn't always about catching a criminal. Sometimes it's about understanding why people do the things they do—and finding a solution that makes things right.

🐔 WHAT YOU'LL FIND IN FOWL MOUTH:

• 🌴 Weird Florida mystery: A distinctly Cedar Key investigation featuring small-town eccentricity, Gulf Coast atmosphere, and the wonderfully unexpected.
• 🕵️ Private investigator fiction: Follow Gumbo Malone as he uses careful observation, logical deduction, and old-fashioned detective work to solve an unusual missing-animal case.
• 🐓 A champion chicken mystery: Countess von Beak's disappearance threatens a celebrated agricultural fair record and puts a neighborhood's competing loyalties to the test.
• 🦅 Unusual suspects: From a suspicious hawk to a retired locksmith and an overly devoted schoolteacher, everyone has a story worth investigating.
• 😂 Offbeat humor and quirky characters: Enjoy dry wit, understated comedy, eccentric locals, and the everyday absurdities of life on Florida's Gulf Coast.
• 🌊 Small-town Florida charm: Explore Cedar Key's marinas, residential streets, local diners, bait shops, and close-knit community.
• ❤️ A character-driven mystery: Beneath the humor lies a thoughtful story about compassion, personal boundaries, community, and understanding what matters to other people.

WHY READ FOWL MOUTH?

If you enjoy funny Florida mystery novels, quirky detective fiction, cozy crime capers, and unconventional private investigator stories, FOWL MOUTH offers a refreshing change of pace.

Fans of character-driven mysteries, small-town sleuths, animal-centered mysteries, Southern humor, and the offbeat atmosphere of Florida crime fiction will find plenty to enjoy in this unusual Gumbo Malone adventure.

With its clever investigation, memorable characters, gentle humor, and satisfying resolution, this is a Florida mystery that proves you don't need a body count to have a compelling case.

Perfect for readers searching for:

• Funny Florida mystery books
• Humorous private investigator novels
• Gumbo Malone mystery series
• Weird and wacky Florida fiction
• Cedar Key Florida mystery
• Missing chicken mystery
• Champion poultry mystery
• Cozy crime and lighthearted detective fiction
• Quirky small-town mysteries
• Animal-themed mystery novels
• Southern humor and character-driven crime fiction
• Gulf Coast mystery adventures
• Amateur sleuth and investigative mysteries
• Offbeat Florida detective stories
• Clean, low-violence mystery adventures

🐔 ONE CHICKEN. ONE DETERMINED PRIVATE EYE. ONE VERY INNOCENT HAWK.

In Cedar Key, Florida, the truth is hiding somewhere between the chicken coop and the neighbor's fence.

Danny Malone is going to find it.

Get FOWL MOUTH today and discover why the strangest cases sometimes come with feathers. 🌴🔎