Eye of the Ocelot (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780972751810)

"Detective Abigail Fiorelli expertly examines links between human culpability and the natural world, tugging on the chain of causality for weakness and also for strength. Volta Rose's debut novel, EYE OF THE OCELOT, is an eye-opener indeed." -Gregory Maguire, NYT best-selling author of WICKED

"Eye of the Ocelot seamlessly blends mystery and romance in the first book of the Abigail Fiorelli series. Her journey will delight not just avid mystery readers, who will readily recognize the difference in quality between this blend of environmental and social examination and the usual genre story, but will reach audiences who usually eschew mysteries for their too-predictable plots. Few mysteries can claim such attention to building a sense of environmental understanding and purpose. Fewer can maintain an effort to bring their characters into touch with not only their surroundings, but their broader life purposes and the effects of their actions. Libraries seeking exceptional reads based as much on environmental discovery and personal recovery from loss and trauma as on a ruthless international organization's purposes will find Eye of the Ocelot satisfyingly unique and original in its approach, character-building, and blend of romance, social understanding, and intrigue." -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Under the waning light of a late-summer day, a visit to a quiet fishing spot leads to a macabre discovery: the slaughter of an endangered ocelot. From the moment she arrives on the scene, Detective Abigail Fiorelli begins to interweave a series of seemingly unrelated clues: a mysterious pendant with two crescent moons surrounding a dagger, distinctive tracks along the Cape Cod shoreline, and incriminating traces of DNA.

A serendipitous discovery in the personal ads hints at a connection with a cryptic and darkly ruthless international organization. When a car chase through a maze of back roads leaves the trail cold, the case pivots on the discovery of a delicate endangered flower Fiorelli identifies with the help of her lover and partner in crime-solving, Chris Armstrong.

Abby has spent a lifetime building a world around the hole in her heart created when her mother, Fiona, died of cancer when she was only eleven years old. Her life is also colored by the absence of her father, Angelo Fiorelli-an ordained minister and trained police officer turned missionary in Rwanda. The stress and loneliness of life as a detective are eased by the support of Abby's best friend and colleague, Rhonda, whose thick mid-Cape accent and off-color humor lighten up her life.

Can long nature walks along trails through the beloved dunes near her seaside cottage and passionate interludes with her lover save Abby from a horrific late-night discovery on her doorstep...and the conflagration that plunges her into a netherworld where life itself hangs in the balance? When news goes viral about the desecration Abby has prevented, she becomes a global champion for lovers of all things wild.