Grayce MacKenzie is a spirited, fiercely loyal wife and mother, but she's also a wildlife biologist and a former U.S. Army military police investigator. Facing the loneliness of an almost empty nest at home, Gray answers an invitation from her best friend, Sheila Barnes, to help out at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida for a couple of weeks before Christmas. Gray looks forward to simply surveying wintering birds on the Atlantic coast; instead, she finds herself thrust into a terrifying web of theft, deceit, and murder swirling around a very rare timepiece that has been missing for more than a century. Gray befriends Jake Easton, a Canadian who comes to Florida searching for his missing brother, Charlie, and who suspects that Charlie was murdered on Pelican Island. When Gray finds a badly decomposed body on the refuge, she begins a race against the clock to unravel this mystery. But will she be able to discover who killed Charlie Easton before she becomes the murderer's next victim? Watch of the Pelicans is a mystery that will resonate strongly with anyone who loves America's wild animals and the places in which they live. Although national parks and monuments have figured prominently in some recently published novels, our country's national wildlife refuges have not been featured. "Watch of the Pelicans" will begin a series of "Grayce MacKenzie" mysteries set in the jewels of America's critical wildlife habitats.
About the Author: Lenela Glass-Godwin holds a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from Auburn University and a Master's degree in Wildlife Science from Texas A&M University. She has taught in the biological sciences departments at both Texas A&M and Auburn and worked as a wildlife education specialist in Florida. She has more than 25 years of experience writing and editing in the life sciences, and has worked with a number of publishers including Salem Press, Scholastic, Krieger Publishing, Chicago Review Press, and Desert Southwest Fitness. Her environmental and medical articles have been published in Wildlife Conservation, Salem Health: Addictions and Substance Abuse, Encyclopedia of Global Resources, Encyclopedia of Infectious Diseases, Ranger Rick, Magill's Medical Guides, Alabama's Treasured Forests, Florida Wildlife, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Bird Watcher's Digest, Highlights for Children, Country, Atlanta Parent, and Mature Years, among other publications. She has been an American Council on Exercise Certified Fitness Instructor for 24 years and teaches aqua classes at a local rehab facility. In addition, she is a primary soprano soloist for her church and has performed in operas in Texas, Florida, and Alabama. Mrs. Glass-Godwin lives on her family's Century Farm in Alabama with her husband, four sons, three dogs, and one horse.