The Story of the Sarasota Assassination Society

By Tony Dunbar

Blind Pass Publications announces publication of its first book, a Southern crime novel by Tony Dunbar. The Story of the Sarasota Assassination Society is a work of historical fiction, the first in a series of Florida Fables set in and around Sarasota, following Gawain MacFarlane’s storied career as a lawman.

In the beginning, Sarasota was a tropical outpost for cowboys and mullet fishermen, but in the 1880s, as “pioneers” with money began moving in from the North, jealousies, political differences and greed gave rise to a secret Vigilance Society whose members plotted to assassinate competitors and foes. The murder of the town’s first postmaster launched young Gawain MacFarlane’s tireless pursuit of the assassins across the wild scrub prairies of Southwest Florida. At the end of the chase he was able to answer the question that has plagued historians since—what was the true motive behind this murderous conspiracy.

The Story of the Sarasota Celery Fields

By Tony Dunbar

The Story of the Sarasota Celery Fields and Other Mysteries continues the story of a town speeding towards its future as a tourist and agricultural paradise, as told by Deputy Sheriff Gawain MacFarlane. The explosion of wealth brought by Bertha Palmer and other visionaries not only spurred a vast real estate boom but also an irresistible market for bootleggers, marauders such as the John Ashley Gang, and an unexplained tragedy—the murder in 1921 of Harry Higel, the town’s three-time mayor and most prominent booster. The gruesome bludgeoning that left Higel almost unrecognizable occurred near his home on Siesta Key, the beach he was developing, and historians have long puzzled over who committed this heinous crime. MacFarlane’s relentless investigation produces a disturbing outcome and a final resolution to the mystery.

For a real life story about the discovery of a weapon that may actually have been used to murder Harry Higel, see Bill Warner's account at www.billwarnerpi.com.

The Story of Whiskey Corners

By Tony Dunbar

The Story of Whiskey Corners recounts real stories about the arrival of the Ringling Circus to Sarasota, the corruption of big money and, with the real estate bust and the approach of the Depression, rum runners, turpentine camps, anti-union hysteria, and the advent of gambling mobs. Gawain MacFarlane, and his son Mack, are in the middle of it and see the side of events that have been intentionally hidden from view.