When the supercontinent of Pangea split apart, the upheaval created a “bump” that became the Appalachian Mountains. When the glaciers melted during The Great Ice Age, a lot of the clay and sand from those mountains washed down over the coral and limestone base of Florida. So, you could say, when you’re in Florida you’re walking on the Appalachian Mountains!
• The Most Dangerous Animal in The World
The American Alligator may be the most dangerous animal in the Everglades (tied with the American Crocodile, found in certain salt water habitats), but the animal that causes the most deaths worldwide is a lot smaller. It’s the tiny mosquito. Killing an estimated 750,000 people a year.
• Gator vs. Croc
The Everglades is the only place in the world where the alligator and the crocodile co-exist in the wild.
• Do NOT Lick a Toad
One of the poisonous animals in the Everglades is the Bufo Toad. Two elongated glands, right behind the eyes, contain Bufotoxin, a known hallucinogen. In Miami, it is well-known that the large, chunky, warty creature likes to sit in the water bowls of pet dogs. Many a dog has been paralyzed or even killed because of this. And, shockingly, many human “dope heads” have discovered the psycho hallucinogenic effects and have actually been licking these toads. Amazing what some people will do in search of a “good time”. Needless to say, possessing these toads is illegal in some States.
• Pick Your Poison
There are about 50 species of snakes in all of Florida. But there are only four species of poisonous snakes in the Everglades - the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (the largest snake in North America), the little Pygmy Rattlesnake, the Coral Snake (drop for drop, venom as deadly as cobra venom) and the aggressive Cottonmouth Moccasin.
• Piles of Pythons
During Hurricane Andrew, in 1992, pet pythons escaped from homes and breeding centers in and around Miami. Today, those escapees have reproduced and invaded areas as far west as Naples, as far north as Cape Coral, and a few have even been spotted in Jacksonville. Even though they are not poisonous, they are virtually wiping out many animals in their path, such as racoons and birds.
• Only 230 Florida Panthers in The Wild
In the 70s, the estimated number of Florida panthers was at about 20. Thankfully, that number is up to about 230 today. Obviously, the Florida panther is an endangered species. Males can weigh up to 160 pounds and prowl within a range over 200 square miles. The panther is almost identical to the Mountain Lion, except the Florida panther has a peculiar “crooked” tail and a whorl of hair on its back, as well as being a bit smaller in size and weight. It is extremely stealthy and solitary. Seldom seen. Except by its prey.
• Sowing Seeds Around the World
There are 110 species of mangrove trees in 118 countries around the world. Perhaps they are found in so many countries because their cigar shaped seed pods can float for as long as a year, until they can anchor themselves along coastal areas and start their land-building process.
• How Big, How Wet, How Deep
1,542,526 acres. That’s how big the Everglades is. 100 miles long and 60 miles wide. Average elevation is about six feet. Average annual rainfall is about 60 inches. That adds up to an average water depth of four to five feet. The deepest water is about nine feet. That’s a lot of water when you consider the vast area this river covers. Yes, river. That’s what the Everglades is. Not a swamp, but a very slow-moving shallow river that flows constantly from around Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Everglades is one of the most unusual, fascinating, naturally wild locations on Earth. That’s why it has been designated a World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve. If you enjoyed this book, you will probably enjoy learning more about the incredible Everglades. I urge you to go online, visit the Everglades yourself, and experience this wonderful American treasure for yourself.
Thanks for reading Saving an Innocent Man.
Please go to RobertWrightThrillers.com for highlights of my current books and novels to come.
Let the thrills continue!
SAVING NEW YORK
Who is this man called Chance.
And why is the Mayor of New York willing to pay him almost anything?
Edward Wertz, Mayor of New York City, has a deadly problem on his hands. A serial killer - an expert sniper - is assassinating police on the streets. One a week…two a week…three a week. There seems to be no end in sight.
The NYPD can't even get close to this obsessed maniac. Is he one of them? The FBI can't find him. Or her. Are they the next target?
Fear and desperation grip the city. Families of policemen urge them to stay home - let someone else die today. Rioting and looting run rampant and unstopped. The National Guard is all but powerless to control the chaos.
A local TV reporter has a wild idea — and a phone call is made to a man most people have never heard of. A man who can track anything that breathes… who can see what others can't see…who can process information as fast as a computer. A man forged as tough as steel in the steaming cauldron of the Everglades…with the strength to fight the strongest enemy. His name is Chance. His fee: ten million. His deadline: one week.
The TV reporter is Nicole Jensen. Smart, tenacious and beautiful. She saw the elusive Chance years ago, but briefly. This time, she's hell-bent on putting herself in the middle of the action, even with life-threatening danger all around her. Never mind! She wants the scoop and a big anchor desk in the worst way. She also wants Chance. Will she get between Chance and a bullet? Or will Chance get between a bullet and Nicole Jensen?
From crime-ridden tenements to luxurious, historic Gracie Mansion… from the rat-infested sewer system to the majestic Statue of Liberty…Chance is on the hunt. And being hunted.
Let the thrills continue!
SAVING KENYA
Who is this man called Chance?
And why is the President of Kenya desperate for his help?
Newly-elected President of Kenya, Victor Mutuma, is at the pinnacle of his life. It wasn't easy getting to the top. Now it’s up to Mutuma to take his country to the next level. To take his hard-won success and create a legacy of achievement that would last a century.
But something is in his way. The explosive increase in the poaching of Kenya's treasure trove of wildlife. The animals millions of tourists come to Kenya to see. A single rhinoceros horn can bring $340,000 on the Black Market. A leopard pelt, $35,000. A Cape buffalo head, $30,000. Ounce-for-ounce, poached parts sell for more than cocaine or heroine. It's a nineteen billion dollar-a-year-business of ruthless international crime syndicates equipped with night vision scopes, high-tech weapons, drones, helicopters and armies of savage killers. They're not just slaughtering endangered species and tens of thousands of animals, they're murdering hundreds of rangers trying to protect the animals. They're killing the tourism industry of Kenya. And they’ll kill anyone who tries to stop them.
Mutuma declares war on the poachers.
The syndicate declares war on him.
They’ll stop at nothing. Not assassination. Not the kidnapping of his son. And not the man Mutuma brings in to fight them.
A man called Chance.
Chance revels in the nature of Kenya. It reminds him of his beloved Everglades. Bucolic in a way. But the upheaval is about to start.
Chance has never seen a woman like Nefertari Mahmoud, obvious mistress of President Mutuma. And she has never seen a man like Chance.
Chance has his hands full in more ways than one.
From the squalid poacher tent camps in the African bush to a sex-nest penthouse in Dubai…from a billionaire’s luxury yacht moored in the Persian Gulf to the filthy smuggler ships steaming to China and Asia…Chance is climbing on top of dead bodies, both human and animal.
To save a boy.
To save a country.
To save a continent.
Will he have to sacrifice his own life to do it?
Acknowledgments
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My thanks go out to a few people who graciously volunteered to read advance copies of Saving New York. Fortunately for me, their eagle eyes spotted some elusive typos, saving me from embarrassment after publication. Thank you to Linda Gavit, Ian Harrison and Lindy Leftwich.
Thanks also go to Lindy Leftwich and Jed Leftwich at Hilton Graphics for their talent, skill and patience crafting the cover concept into an exciting visual.
And thanks to my wife, Valerie Cardarelli-Wright, for her excellent editing and unending patience evaluating continuity, accurate time lines and story logistics. Valerie also took on the tedious task of typing the entire manuscript and handled book interior design and digital formatting.
About the Author
Robert E. B. Wright was born in New York City with a fitting last name. It means maker (shipwright, cartwright, playwright). And that’s exactly what Robert has been doing since he could hold a pencil. Making. Creating. Writing.
For many years, Robert had the good fortune to be Vice President/Creative Director at some of the largest advertising agencies in the world making award-winning ads and TV commercials. His travels have taken him to many continents…from the tops of snowcapped mountains to the dark depths of the ocean…from the vast Everglades to the jungles of Africa and South America. As Robert says, “If you’re gonna write a thriller, it helps to live a thrilling life.” Robert does. He’s an accomplished pilot, scuba diver, skier and musician.
Robert and his wife, Valerie, divide their time between an authentic, hand-hewn log cabin in the high mountains of the Western Rockies and a beach house on a tropical ocean…as well as exploring the worldwide locations described in the Saving Series of novels.
Visit the author’s official website at RobertWrightThrillers.com and sign on for unexpected adventures and breathtaking thrills! Join the journey to exotic places, heart-stopping dangers and “Aha” moments at every twist and turn along the way.
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