Author's first novel. 189 pp. "Dennis Gimmel’s first novel, Dog Lot, is an action-packed thriller set in Myrtle Beach. Jake Brown, a retired Postal worker and now a licensed part-time detective, spends most of his days fishing and playing golf, until he is hired by Liz Alton, a wealthy woman who has been the target of strange, ominous pranks. A pair of women’s underwear is left on her doorstep. She finds binoculars in her mailbox, and, later, a knife on the ground by her front door. Who is doing this to her, and why? The events all appear to be innocent and unrelated, until she turns up missing. The light-hearted Jake Brown flies into low gear as he tries to get to the bottom of her mysterious disappearance. The aging, rookie detective begins his search in all the wrong places. Meanwhile, a desperate game unfolds, as the kidnappers demand ransom. The taunting ransom letters are whimsical and confusing, as Brown and the police investigators search frantically for any sign of the missing woman. The search will take Brown from Wilmington to Savannah, from gated suburban communities to the desolate swamps north of Georgetown. A fast-paced, first-rate thriller, Dog Lot is a panic-filled caper full of humor and regret."
