A Deadly Calm in Cedar Key

Advance Reader Copy

Genres

Southern Gothic, Noir, Suspense Thriller, Crime Mystery, Rural Suspense, Vigilante Justice, Crime Thriller, Police Procedural, Novels, and Debut

Trigger Warnings

Drugs, Death, Rape, Profanity, Sex, and Violence

Type of Ending

Series

First in series

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Publication Date

Feb 25, 2026

Page Length

335 pages

Available Formats

ePub and PDF

A Deadly Calm in Cedar Key

Advance Reader Copy

Blurb

An aging lawman chooses between redemption and revenge in a gritty Gulf Coast crime thriller.

When a popular local figure is murdered in the small fishing town of Cedar Key on Florida’s Gulf Coast, retired police chief Kemper McRae feels an urgent need to pick up the badge and help find the killers.

Joining the investigation might restore his standing in the community and bring justice for his longtime friend, but it also risks exposing things from his past he would rather leave buried, like the brutally violent incident that led to his departure from law enforcement years earlier.

With a hurricane bearing down on Cedar Key, Kemper must determine how much he is willing to sacrifice to bring the killers to justice and whether his purpose is to seek redemption or exact revenge.

Details

Genres

Southern Gothic, Noir, Suspense Thriller, Crime Mystery, Rural Suspense, Vigilante Justice, Crime Thriller, Police Procedural, Novels, and Debut

Trigger Warnings

Drugs, Death, Rape, Profanity, Sex, and Violence

Type of Ending

Series

First in series

Author Prefers A Review On

Goodreads or Amazon

Reader Spots Remaining

Number of days to read

Publication Date

Feb 25, 2026

Page Length

335 pages

Available Formats

ePub and PDF

Author

Edward Braddy was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and grew up in Dixie County, where the Suwannee River meets the Gulf. He attended Santa Fe College, the University of Florida, and earned a Master’s degree in history at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

He has worked in higher education for over twenty-five years and has served in elected office, first as a city commissioner and later as mayor in Gainesville, Florida. He and his wife, Pauline, are avid anglers and enjoy the outdoors. They live in Old Town, Florida.