When Sheriff Tom Bracken is summoned to Tampa to testify before a federal committee, he expects bureaucratic nonsense and a few pointed questions. He does not expect to find Senator Edwin Clayborne — the man who’s hunted him across two states — smiling from the front row.

Clayborne claims he’s in Florida to inspect agricultural improvements and maritime investments. In truth, he’s forging alliances with Samson & Sons Shipping, the powerful Tampa consortium whose influence stretches from the rail lines to the Gulf. Backed by northern money and polished lies, Clayborne quietly arranges the final downfall of the sheriff who once defied him.

Tom walks straight into a political swamp deeper than anything in Cypress Run. Tampa is bigger, faster, and crawling with enemies who don’t need badges to kill. When a key witness vanishes and Samson & Sons tightens its grip, Tom realizes he’s not there to give testimony — he’s there to be eliminated.

Ellie Bracken reaches Tampa determined to keep her husband alive, unimpressed by senators, city power brokers, or anyone who believes Florida will roll over for a northern politician. Together, Tom and Ellie uncover a conspiracy that connects Chicago boardrooms, Gulf shipping routes, and every enemy they’ve made along the way.

But Clayborne underestimated two things: how fiercely the Brackens protect their own, and how badly Florida bites back.

Cypress Crown is a frontier romantic thriller filled with dockside danger, political intrigue, rising cities, and a sheriff who refuses to bow to any crown. Also smugglers. Also sabotage. And yes, gators. (Did you think there wouldn't be?)