On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, Detector Man by Paul Ferrante is a hilarious and heartfelt 2025 summer beach read where retired teacher Barney Caprio uncovers love, mystery, and himself while metal detecting in a quirky Vero Beach 55+ community.
Detector Man
As the summer of 2025 approaches, beachgoers and book lovers alike have a new reason to get excited: Detector Man, the latest comic novel by Paul Ferrante, is set to make waves as the perfect beach read. Released just in time for the sunny season, this delightful story set in a fictional 55+ community in Vero Beach, Florida, promises a blend of humor, mystery, and self-discovery that will keep readers hooked from the first page to the last.
A New Chapter for Barney Caprio
Detector Man introduces readers to Barney Caprio, a recently divorced and newly retired high school teacher and coach who finds himself adrift in the swanky Flamingo Pointe, a gated community along Florida’s Treasure Coast. What was meant to be a dream retirement with his beautiful wife quickly turns into a “tropical prison” when she walks out, leaving Barney to navigate endless days of Tiki Bar Happy Hours, Early Bird Specials, and lackluster rounds of golf and fishing.
Listless and bored, Barney resists when he’s gifted a metal detector, wary of becoming “one of those weirdos” scouring the beaches for treasure. But when odd events start stirring up his usually quiet community, Barney’s new hobby pulls him into a whirlwind of wacky misadventures—and straight into Flamingo Pointe’s first-ever murder mystery. As he untangles the chaos, Barney also grapples with his disastrous love life, all while exploring twenty real-life bars and restaurants around Vero Beach that add a vibrant, local flavor to the story.
Ferrante describes Barney’s journey as one of self-discovery. With a colorful cast of quirky characters and a hurricane-like spin of events, Detector Man delivers a heartfelt and hilarious tale of reinvention.
Paul Ferrante
Paul Ferrante, a retired secondary-level English teacher and athletics coach with over 40 years of experience, brings his knack for storytelling to Detector Man, his 12th novel. Based in Stratford, Connecticut, with his wife Maria, Ferrante is no stranger to crafting engaging stories. His daughter, Caroline, an award-winning screenwriter and director, continues the family’s creative legacy.
Ferrante’s catalog spans young adult and adult fiction, including the acclaimed T.J. Jackson Mysteries series (Fire and Ice Books), 30 Minutes in Memphis: A Beatles Story, The Girl Who Stole J.E.B. Stuart (the Ionian Press), A Bermuda Triangle Love Story (the Ionian Press), and The Rovers: A Tale of Fenway (Melange Books). His young adult novels are known for weaving life lessons into entertaining narratives, free of gratuitous sex, violence, or profanity. For adult readers, his stories dive into themes of love, history, and adventure, often set against vivid backdrops like Bermuda or Boston’s Fenway Park.
In an interview with The Table Read about his earlier work Terror In The Tower, Ferrante shared his goal to both entertain and educate, a philosophy that shines through in Detector Man’s blend of humor, mystery, and relatable human struggles.
Why Detector Man Is Your 2025 Beach Read
With its lighthearted tone, engaging mystery, and vivid Vero Beach setting, Detector Man is tailor-made for summer reading. Whether you’re lounging by the ocean or relaxing poolside, Barney Caprio’s misadventures offer the perfect escape. Readers will chuckle at the antics of Flamingo Pointe’s eccentric residents, root for Barney as he navigates love and loss, and savor the local color of Vero Beach’s bars and restaurants.
Ferrante’s knack for creating relatable characters and weaving real-world settings into his stories makes Detector Man a standout. It’s a story about second chances, unexpected friendships, and finding treasure—not just on the beach, but within oneself.
Find more from Paul Ferrante now:
Kindle: https://amzn.to/43ivYxc
Paperback: https://amzn.to/4kimicP
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