
Salvagia
Diversion Publishing · Paperback · August 12, 2025
Tim Chawaga’s sci-fi mystery debut, in which a diver searching for nostalgic salvage discovers the body of the most infamous man in flooded Florida and must avoid suspicion from both feds and corporate mafias.
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- Who it’s for
- A waterlogged Florida backdrop gives this sci-fi mystery its noirish edge.
- Themes
- Life in a flooded Florida, Government and corporate power, Freedom and sustainable living
- Genres
- Sci-Fi Crime, Dystopian, Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic
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For younger readers: Salvage, Star Splitter, Below
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Tim Chawaga’s sci-fi mystery debut, in which a diver searching for nostalgic salvage discovers the body of the most infamous man in flooded Florida and must avoid suspicion from both feds and corporate mafias. Reminiscent of Kim Stanley Robinson's New York 2140 and inspired by John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series.
Continue reading
Triss Mackey is flying just under the radar, exploiting a government loophole that lets her live quietly aboard the Floating Ghost—her rented, sentient CabanaBoat. In exchange, she dives for recycling, recovered from the flooded area of formerly-coastal cities known as the yoreshore. If she happens to find some salvagia—nostalgic salvage, valued artifacts from the past—well, that’s just between her and the highest bidder. But when the federal government begins withdrawing from Florida entirely, Triss must buy the Ghost outright or lose her loophole. Meanwhile, the corporate mafias are poised to seize power, especially Mourning in Miami, led by the legendary Edgar Ortiz, owner of the Astro America luxury hotel. Triss needs a score big enough to keep her free from both the feds and corporations, before the Ghost is sent to a watery, insurance-scamming grave. In pursuit of such a score, she stumbles upon the chained up, drowned corpse of Ortiz, and winds up with more than she bargained for, including a partnership with Ortiz’s hotshot spaceracing son, Riley. If she can help Riley solve the mystery of his father’s death, it may lead them to a valuable piece of salvagia and with it, the hope of a sustainable, free way of Florida living.
Salvage and Suspicion
A waterlogged Florida backdrop gives this sci-fi mystery its noirish edge.
Come here for
- Salvage diving tangled with corporate-mafia pressure
- A crime mystery with flooded-Florida atmosphere
Expect
- Edgy, immersive science-fiction crime
- A resourceful diver caught between federal and corporate power
Where it sits
| Sci-Fi Crime | 97% |
|---|---|
| Dystopian | 56% |
| Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic | 37% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Women Detectives
- Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic
- Sci-Fi Crime
- Authors
- Tim Chawaga
- Publisher
- Diversion Publishing
- Published
- August 12, 2025
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Life in a flooded Florida · Government and corporate power · Freedom and sustainable living
- Reading lane
- Women Detectives