“Fish Kill” by Dennis Mitch Maley

Can a quirky coalition comprised of a determined, grief-stricken widow, an aged political consultant nearly out of the game, and two alternative media journalists with gonzo journalism proclivities bring down some sleazy Florida politicians? And while they are at it, can this same gang find out who killed an outspoken activist who not incidentally targeted the same corrupt politicians?

These are the primary plot lines in Fish Kill (Punk Rock Publishing 2026) by journalist and author Dennis Mitch Maley. Fish Kill is a robust and wickedly entertaining character-driven novel, with more than a kernel of hard truth in all the zany action, and it fits comfortably into the Florida crime caper genre.

While this book is high-energy and amusing to read, under its humorous style lies a cautionary tale about the destruction of coastal Florida. Maley, who knows coastal Florida and understands the science involved, weaves in enough hard, cold facts about red tide, overdevelopment, corruption, delicate coastal ecosystems, and short-sighted greed to educate readers—but he does so in a smooth, intelligent way without coming across as didactic. In short, this book is fun to read. But don’t be surprised if you acquire some important knowledge while enjoying it.

In a more conventional novel, the protagonists would be directly threatened by the villains, but Fish Kill is anything but a conventional murder mystery. Here, the antagonists are too self-absorbed to realize their own predicaments or to fight back against those gunning for their ill-gotten positions in running a county’s government. Yet, the two journalists often get in their own way and aren’t above sabotaging their chances.

Broke and soon to be evicted, Shelton Hamner enters the story as an out-of-work investigative reporter and columnist. He is skilled enough to have been a celebrated wine critic at a paper, even though he was a wine novice. But his drunken antics at a cultural event cost him his last job. Shelton reflects that the wine and beer he consumes “would be considered by most to be, if not yet problematic, knocking on its door.”

Shelton’s sidekick and friend, Ringo Khan, is a photojournalist whose behavior and substance abuse could make Hunter S. Thompson wince. A powerful physical specimen, Ringo comes in at 6’3” and 240 pounds, with an “impressive ability to damage other humans within short, violent bursts.” Despite Ringo’s penchant for acute physical assertiveness, his kind and righteous heart is demonstrated when he rescues a starved dog and nurses him back to health.

Shelton and Ringo are pulled into investigating the shotgun murder of Micky “Fish” Pesch by the editor of The DeSoto Gazette, a small independent alt-weekly that happens to be the newspaper Micky had owned and published before his murder. Micky’s widow, Amber, opts to keep the paper going. She and the Gazette’s editor are both determined to learn who killed Micky and why. They turn to Shelton since he previously helped solve a brutal murder while working as a reporter.

Even as Ringo and Shelton investigate Micky’s death, Amber decides to fulfill one of Micky’s goals by defeating the reelection of three dirty county commissioners who are systematically selling out their constituents to lard their own bank accounts. Amber hires Dutch, a seventy-one-year-old political consultant who calls himself an “old Irish ward heeler.” Among his several campaign strategies, Dutch enlists Ringo and his camera to spy upon the three county commissioners. Much of the outrageous humor and bitter energy of Fish Kill flows from this political plot line. Ringo proves himself capable and talented—and diabolically clever.

While Shelton and Ringo often control center stage, the female characters in Fish Kill more than hold their own. Amber does not allow her considerable grief to get in the way of her bold, decisive actions. Emily Bartlestone, a brilliant environmental scientist, is far more than Shelton’s love interest. A well-turned character, hopefully she will reappear in a sequel (hint, hint, Mitch Maley!). And Ringo’s girlfriend Tina, who operates at times as sexy comic relief, more than carries her weight in a plot to right a grievous wrong.

For all that this is an amusing, riveting read, it is also an apt illustration of what is happening to coastal communities in Florida. Red tide, smog-inducing stalled heavy traffic, environmental disasters like flooding, chronic corruption, fraud, and overdevelopment lay the foundation for this novel. The devastating impact of red tide, with its resulting toxic fish kill, is what gives the book its title.

Fish Kill is just plain rollicking fun to read, and Maley will also teach you some important things about the fragile environment of coastal Florida.

Mitch Maley

Dennis Mitch Maley is a longtime featured columnist and senior editor for The Bradenton Times, as well as the host of its podcast. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University, where he earned a degree in Government while minoring in Economics. He has won national silver medals as a heavyweight boxer and was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army, earning the rank of Captain. His field was Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons, and he is a graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne School. Fish Kill is his fifth novel.