Dark Road, Dead End

At the start of this suspenseful cautionary eco-thriller from Cioffari (Catholic Boys), U.S. Customs Service agent Walter Morrison is dismayed to learn that his boss is terminating his investigation in Mangrove Bay, Fla., a major station on the underground route of monkeys, pythons, and other exotics poached in South America and bound for roadside zoos or hunt clubs. Instead, the boss wants Morrison to raid a suspect fishery in just a few days. A loner with few friends in the Customs Service, Morrison worries that he’s being set up. Colorful characters include two sexy women and their sleazebag boyfriends, but for a novel about wildlife set in the Everglades, there’s a disappointing lack of either. And where are all the swamp creatures? It’s a tale that could have taken a cue from Carl Hiaasen’s Everglades, so rich in quirky species of both animal and humankind, and just as concerned about the fragility of the natural world. [em](Nov.) [/em]