Mel Taylor was born and raised in Chicago, graduated from Southern Illinois University and started a broadcast career in Des Moines, Iowa. Mel left the Midwest after two years and continued his journey as a reporter in Miami, Florida. Mel has reported on and witnessed history unfolding in South Florida, from major trials to the brutality of the Cocaine Cowboys, and at times, powerful hurricanes. Mel's time on television earned him an Emmy Award. He then took all his experiences to craft mystery novels and thrillers, all based in South Florida. Mel's Private Investigator series, featuring Frank Tower, blends the colorful beauty of the Atlantic with the exotic and natural growth of the Florida Everglades.