A Splendid Little Murder: Death on La Tempestad (2012) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

• Inspector Ed Lane (Federal Police): veteran homicide investigator and Army retiree
• Detective Miranda Bell (California Fish and Game): Lane’s impulsive novice assistant
• Juan Banos: demented organic farmer and pot grower
• Ferdinand Hale, PhD: Marine biologist and Grateful Deadhead
• U.S. Congressional Representative Alonso B. Duncan: politician and hunter
• Vito Garza: ex-con Mexican Mafia kingpin
• Susan Miller: ruthless, ambitious investigative reporter
• Duke Stockton: CEO of Stockton Cattle conglomerate

Quotes edit see section history

• “Hey, now, this is not a good place to be at night, especially a nice lady like you, alone. Best thing for you, go back where you come from. Adios.”

  Vito Garza

• “Don’t look at me, Inspector. I’m a Conservative. We draw the line at Cuban cigars.”

  Alonso Duncan

• “I was upset at the time. Got over it. Steve had all the right attributes. He was good looking, funny, charming, and not too bright. His drawback was he didn’t want to grow up or take responsibility for anything. Losing him was like dropping a bad habit.”

  Miranda Bell

• “Beautiful. What you’ve got there is a charismatic professional criminal, working without supervision, with access to weapons and contacts off island. If this were the old west, he’d be running this town.”

  Ed Lane

• “Do you know that Grateful Dead song, U.S. Blues, about Uncle Sam, hiding out in a rock 'n roll band? Well, in a way that's me, except I’m out here on an island in the channel, hiding from academic life. Nothing much happens here. Over there, beyond the gate, is where the action’s at. It's like Mexico, circa 1840. I mean, it's a genuine class system, the Don and his minions. Ain't likely to have a revolution anytime soon.”

  Fred Hale

• “Is this federal property? I thought it was the Stockton cattle ranch. I was a runner up for the Pulitzer Prize, you know”

  Susan Miller

• “When you grow up you get . . . it’s a hard way to make it through life, real hard. Most these vaqueros, they’re like me, don’ know nothin’ else to do and some of them, they don’ have papers so, they get fired, it’s back to Mexico even, they ain’ been home in twenty year.”

  an aging vaquero

Organizations edit see section history

• varous agencies and departments: Federal Police, Mexican Mafia, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, Department of the Interior, Department of State, California Department of Fish and Game,
• The Grateful Dead: A famous rock band with a loyal following

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• the usual suspects: weather, sky, sea, landscape

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Henry Simpson (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

intended audience: adults

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Mystery
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Genre Fiction › Political