Normally, for my summertime reading suggestion, I select books that relate to innovation, technology and similar genres that interest me. This summer I went in a new direction; it’s not really a beach read but a swamp read.
The book I just finished reading is about the dark heart of Florida: Way Dead Upon the Suwannee River, by Bryan E. Robinson. Bryan is a family friend, psychotherapist and Professor Emeritus at University of North Carolina, Charlotte, who has authored fiction and non-fiction novels. You can see his works at https://bryanrobinsonphd.com/.
Gritty Florida Mystery
When people think of the Suwannee River, they often think of the Old South nostalgia and southern charm. But in the this gritty Florida noir, the Suwannee isn’t just a river—it’s a graveyard of crime, secrets, and desperate people.
This is not the Florida of theme parks and high-rise condos, but the hidden Florida. It’s a place of limestone, high-humidity rain forests and swamps, the sound of the cicadas and rural backroads where the law is often a suggestion. The past never truly stays buried here.
We read about small-town corruption, murders, and moral questions where you never know who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. Bryan combines psychological thriller elements with social commentary on racism and domestic extremism in this novel.
Murky Pasts Make for Plot Twists
The main character is Dr. Einstein Brad Pope who is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist but who takes on the role of a detective to solve the town’s mysteries. His Grandmother is the leader of The Women’s Preservation Club (WPC), a group of women who work to protect the environment and keep the town from being overrun by developers. Their counter-group is the Sister Friends, a “gossip” group with the skill of knowing everyone’s business. There’s also Voodoo Sally, a mystical woman with a murky past who lives along the banks of the Suwannee.
Each of the characters has weirdness, quirks and secrets. Their pasts are periodically uncovered and woven together for a fun read and a gritty perspective on human nature. It is summed up by quoting the book’s idea of “Limestone Gumption.”
“Limestone does not argue with the Suwannee, it yields and changes until its true character is revealed.”
See you back in the fall for Powder & Bulk Solids – Texas (Houston), 15 – 16 September 2026, where I am organizing eight “wet processing” sessions to give attendees a robust overview of unit operations for wet processing.