The Swamp Yankee Mysteries

Gus Haddock never expected to take over as chief of police in tiny Little Penwick, Rhode Island—the smallest town in the smallest state—while his father Julius sat in jail, framed by the corrupt state Attorney General. Fresh off three tours with the Army Rangers and battling PTSD, Gus dives into his first case: the mysterious disappearance of a local fishing boat captain and his 40-foot trawler on a freezing January night.

The missing man was the head of Little Penwick's most notorious family of scofflaws, and the deeper Gus digs, the more obstacles he faces—including a sharp, beautiful Special Master named Maggie Wells sent by the AG to watch his every move. The pressure mounts as Gus and his small team unravel layers of lies, while Maggie begins to question her boss's motives.

Then she walks in: Janine Stone, the Glitter Girl—young, drop-dead gorgeous, and apparently a criminal mastermind who knows exactly what happened to the missing fisherman. As Gus fights his inner demons, bureaucratic stonewalling, and Rhode Island's shadowy power players, he uncovers something far bigger: a ruthless human smuggling ring operating right under everyone's noses.

In the tradition of gritty small-town procedurals with a strong sense of place, Glitter Girl delivers classic police procedural tropes—tenacious cops, tangled family secrets, and local corruption—mixed with the resilient spirit of New England's "Swamp Yankees," who've carved life from rocky shores and dangerous seas for centuries. Can Gus clear his father's name, stop the Glitter Girl's deadly operation, and keep his town safe… before the smugglers strike back?

If you love atmospheric mysteries with flawed heroes, high-stakes twists, and the authentic flavor of coastal Rhode Island, grab Glitter Girl today—the thrilling first book in James Y. Bartlett's Swamp Yankee Mystery series.