Danger in Numbers takes place in my home state of Florida—a strange state to say the least! We’re home to Disney World and Universal Studios, and all kinds of historical wonders–head North near Jacksonville and you’ll find the oldest city established by European settlers in the country—St. Augustine. In many areas, however, you’ll find communities that have barely crawled onto the map. Of course, I grew up in Miami, diverse, thriving, filled with sunshine—and, naturally, tons of traffic.
Our ecology is awe inspiring—and can be terrifying. Yes, we sometimes have alligators on golf courses. When water sources connect, critters will get around.
We have acres and acres of sugar cane and other farm battles have gone on through the years over the economy and ecology—with much having to do with our “Great River of Grass,” the Florida Everglades.
To me, the Florida Keys are amazing. They are as crazy mixed as the rest of the state—some of the little islands are almost as nature created them, while you also have Key West, a fascinating mixture of history, architecture, music, and water sports. And parties, yes. But what a beautiful place, and what wonders to be found with a mix of forts, pirates—the “Conch Republic”—fantastic boating and diving and restaurants.
You can explore Native American culture at the Miccosukee Village off the Tamiami Trail, walk for miles and climb an observation tower at Shark Valley, sample amazing pumpkin bread at the restaurant across from the entrance, or head to Big Cypress and learn about the extraordinary history of the Florida Seminoles.
The Everglades have roads that cut north and south and east and west.
And there are many places along those roads where the population is sparse, where you can drive for miles, perhaps pass a church or a farmhouse, and drive again for miles where the River of Grass flows, where the landscape can be deadly—and where a million sins might be committed and never discovered.
Danger in Numbers is the first in a four-book series in which an evil identity with a nefarious agenda is using the Biblical Horsemen of the Apocalypse to bring about ruin, death, and ultimately, a goal, heedless of the consequences, or gleeful regarding them.
A young agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement joins forces with another agent with a mysterious past since the ritual killings they’re called to investigate appear to be cult related.
Of course, many states have vast stretches of land that might be forest, desert, or swamp. The Everglades is a place where you can see the most amazing and beautiful birds, hammocks that are charming, acres of water that can host moccasins and alligators, and in the brackish water at the tip of the peninsula, you may see crocodiles as well. Now, we have invasions of boas and other constrictors, and on the rare days that our South Florida temperatures really dip, we have “falling iguana” warnings as well.
But in the miles of lonely roads and marshy ground, there are dozens of places to hide all kinds of sins that one might not get away with in a populated area. A great place to carry out a murder that you might want to be discovered, but not until you’ve had time to carry out in just the precise manner you intend!
Heather Graham is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author has written over two hundred novels and novellas, has been published in approximately twenty-five languages and with about 60 million books sold in print in the categories of romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. For more information, visit her at TheOriginalHeatherGraham.com.
