By Brett Nichols
Blood in the Water
Becoming an author has been a learning process. All those years of documenting evidence and interviews had me telling what I had learned about the case. Now, I’m learning to show my readers the story I want to tell. I started this murder mystery with a unique location in mind, a place very few people have visited. This story was fun to write and flowed from the start, but I did change the ending. I hope you see an improvement in my storytelling and enjoy the book.
Blood in the Water has Miami-Dade Homicide Detective Max Hahn assigned to a new case in the waters of Biscayne Bay. His two victims were found murdered in one of the few remaining shacks in an area known as Stiltsville. He coordinates the investigation, which yields a few
pieces of evidence, but nothing that points to the killers. Before leaving the scene, one of Hahn’s team members spots something in the water below the dock. He’s unsure if it’s related to the case, but it could provide a possible motive. By following the leads, Hahn locates and
arrests one of the killers but is unable to find the other. He also struggles to explain a piece of evidence recovered from the scene. Through a series of events and good police work, Hahn figures out the last clue and solves the mystery.
Author & former homicide detective
Brett Nichols
Through his years of service, Detective Nichols received numerous awards from the department; the Life-Saving Award, a Silver Medal of Valor for assisting in the rescue/recovery of Value Jet Flight 592 in the Everglades, and two Exceptional Service Awards for investigative work. He also received dozens of commendations from victims’ families and numerous attorneys for his testimony in many homicide trials.
My Journey as a Writer
I can’t say I grew up with a passion for writing. It was something I was forced to do;
write thank you notes to relatives, book reports in school, and then detailed reports for the
police department. It was never fun, just one of those things required in life by your parents,
teacher, and employer.
I never thought of myself as a particularly good storyteller, but people enjoyed hearing
about my experiences. A friend encouraged me to write a story, so I put my first story to paper.
I was told it read too much like a police report. That story got tossed in a drawer, but my mind
kept spitting out ideas for a real story. I jotted about a dozen ideas on the back of a bank
deposit slip and weaved a story together. It was a decent story that wasn’t told very well. Too
much telling and not enough showing.
Tired of rereading it for the hundredth time, I set it aside and started another project. I
planned on writing a book about the homicide cases I handled. The first chapter was fantastic,
but I hated my second case as lead detective. With that plan ruined I had the idea of writing
about a serial killer. The more bodies, the higher the word count. That is how this story, Follow
the Leads, came about. It flowed as I imagined how it could happen and be handled in real life.
I had several people read it and enjoyed the story. Then, as I toyed with the idea of
having it published, I began writing another story. I had a great location for the murder and it
flowed even better. At the same time, I joined a writer’s group and met an editor, Stacy
Jackson. She tore my writing apart and was extremely patient in teaching me how to better
show my story.
Follow the Leads is a fictional story about a serial killer. It’s told through the eyes of
Miami-Dade Police Homicide Detective Max Hahn. I’ve tried to keep it realistic and included
small side stories showing the work involved and demanding hours.
I hope you enjoy this story and continue to follow my journey.
Brett Nichols