Swamp Princess

Solving murders, kissing criminology professors, and just the right amount of alligators combine in Swamp Princess, the cozy mystery + romance follow up to Gator Queen.   Maggie Andrews is swamped-literally-as she tries to balance running her family's gator trapping business, 'defining the relationship' with tattooed professor Jack Bianchi, and helping her twin sister Vera with her bookstore.   When she's invited to speak at a conference about the dangers hunting for cryptids in gator-infested waters, she assumes it's a joke she doesn't have time for. But it's all too real; hundreds of Bigfoot fans are sure that their monster has migrated to the swamps of Florida. Against her better judgement, Maggie agrees to lead a group of them on a small expedition. And it's going well-until a cryptozoology influencer ends up dead.<   With her twin sister Vera dating the town's only homicide detective (and Maggie's own sparks still flying with criminology professor Jack), she has an in on solving murders. But navigating conspiracy theories, petty jealousies, and Bigfoot sightings make the investigation even more complicated than last time. Plus, she's gotta figure out - is Jack just along for the crime-solving ride and a summer fling, or are they playing for keeps?

Tara Lush is a Florida-based author and journalist. She's an RWA Rita finalist, an Amtrak writing fellow and the winner of the George C. Polk award for environmental journalism. She was a reporter with The Associated Press in Florida, covering crime, alligators, natural disasters and politics. She also writes contemporary romance set in tropical locations under the name Tamara Lush. Tara is a fan of vintage pulp fiction book covers, Sinatra-era jazz, 1980s fashion, tropical chill, kombucha, gin, tonic, seashells, iPhones, Art Deco, telenovelas, street art, coconut anything, strong coffee and newspapers. She lives on the Gulf coast with her husband and two dogs.