Story of the Sarasota Assassination Society

A rich historical novel set in Southwest Florida, the first of a series featuring Gabe MacFarland, a lawman who solves crimes that truly happened. It begins with a young man's quest to capture the Sarasota Assassination Society.

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

Tony Dunbar has managed a deft blend of fact and fiction in his latest novel, The Story of the Sarasota Assassination Society. He paints a fascinating portrait of the good, the bad, and the ugly of Sarasota during its pioneer days, and it makes for a great read. 

Jeff LaHurd, author of Hidden History of Sarasota & Gulf Coast Chronicles

The illimitable Tony Dunbar charges forward with another spectacular work, this time a historical fiction-a Southern, as this new genre is being called--about the most alluring of places, Old Florida. Lovingly researched and beautifully imagined, Dunbar brings to life a history that cannot stay buried, a moving and explosive story of murder, love, and redemption in the bizarre and rich landscape of the frontier. This fateful and gripping story is about the dramatic entanglements that kill us and those that save our lives. 

Janisse Ray, author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood & Wild Spectacle

Ever the consummate storyteller, Tony Dunbar power-dives into Florida history to produce a crime thriller that makes you want to say, "Wow! That really happened here?" Can't wait to see how the series unfolds!

Julie Smith, Edgar Award winning author of bestselling mystery series featuring Skip Langdon and Rebecca Schwartz. 

"Though I was too young by today's conventions, I had the chance to do a very daring thing that no one else wanted to try, which was to go on a manhunt and bring in a murderer. It's hard not to be proud of that, looking back.

Some of this I will relate as it was told to me. Some I'll have to imagine, based on what I saw in people. But for the most part, I was there.

My name is Gawain Wallace MacFarlane, and I'm now an almost famous lawman."