Michael A. Walton
Author of Environmental P.I.: Volume One Novels I–V. Quest McLane investigates chemical spills, corruption, and political cover-ups across Miami. Crime fiction with a conscience.
A chemical spill beside the Deering Estate — and the private investigator who won't stop digging.
The Book
Environmental P.I.: Volume One Novels I-V
by Michael A. Walton
After the Miami Police Department disbands its Environmental Crime Unit, Quest McLane resigns and sets out on his own as a private investigator. Work is scarce — until a mysterious chemical spill poisons the bay beside the coastal estate of millionaire environmentalist Charles Deering. What begins as a single spill soon exposes a wider web of corruption, negligence, and political cover-ups stretching across Miami.
ISBN: 979-8275611335
Reading age: 10–18 years
Superpowers
The abilities that make Michael A. Walton the author who wrote this book
The Miami Insider
Deep knowledge of Miami's environmental landscape, politics, and coastal communities. Walton doesn't write about Miami from a distance — he writes from inside it, with the kind of specificity that only comes from knowing the streets, the bay, and the people who live on both.
Environmental Crusader
Passion for environmental justice woven into every page. This isn't a thriller that uses pollution as window dressing — it's a book that makes you understand how environmental crime actually works, who profits from it, and why nobody stops it.
Five-Novel Vision
Crafted five interconnected novels into one cohesive volume. Most authors struggle to finish one book. Walton built an entire saga — five novels with interlocking plots, recurring characters, and a narrative arc that spans the full scope of Miami's environmental underworld.
The Character Architect
Quest McLane is part Magnum P.I., part Erin Brockovich — an investigator you root for. He's not a superhero. He's a former cop who lost his unit and refused to stop doing the work. That's the kind of protagonist who stays with you.
Accessible Storytelling
Reading age 10-18 means the story lands for everyone. Walton made a deliberate choice to write environmental crime fiction that young readers can access without dumbing it down for adults. That's a rare skill — making complex subjects feel natural to any audience.
How I Know Michael
Miami Beach, environmental crime fiction, and a story that hooked me
I met Michael through the Miami Beach community. He told me about this novel he'd written — a crime fiction series about an environmental detective in Miami who goes private after his unit gets disbanded. I was curious but not expecting much. Then he told me the setup: Quest McLane, former Miami PD, investigating a chemical spill in Biscayne Bay next to the Deering Estate. I was hooked.
The concept is exactly the kind of story Miami needs. Everyone knows Miami for nightlife and real estate. Almost nobody talks about the environmental crimes happening in the bay, along the river, under the surface. Michael wrote the book that makes people pay attention — and he did it as a thriller, not a lecture.
Quest McLane is a character who sticks with you. He's not a superhero — he's a guy who lost his job because the city decided environmental crime wasn't worth funding, and he refused to stop doing the work. That's the kind of protagonist I can get behind. So I built him a page, a movie script, a video game concept, and a playable browser game. Because that's what I do.
ENVIRONMENTAL P.I. — The Motion Picture
An Original Screenplay Concept
“When Miami's last environmental crimes detective goes rogue as a private investigator, a single chemical spill beside a billionaire's estate pulls him into a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of city government.”
Act I — "The Spill"
COLD OPEN: Dawn on Biscayne Bay. A fisherman pulls up his net — dead fish, slick of chemical foam. Camera pulls back to reveal the waterfront estate of CHARLES DEERING (70s, old-money environmentalist). His dock is covered in dead marine life.
FLASHBACK: QUEST McLANE (30s, sharp, idealistic) at Miami PD, leading the Environmental Crime Unit. Budget meeting. The chief announces the unit is being dissolved. 'Environmental crimes don't get votes.' Quest stands up, drops his badge on the table. 'Then neither do I.'
Quest hangs a shingle as a private investigator. Business is nonexistent. He's eating ramen in a strip mall office when Charles Deering walks in with a folder of water test results. 'Something is killing my bay.'
Quest drives to the Deering Estate. Stands at the water's edge. The bay is brown, foamy, lifeless. He kneels, takes a water sample. 'This isn't runoff. This is industrial.'
Act II — "The Trail"
Quest traces the chemical signature to a shell company. Shell company leads to a waste management firm. Waste management firm has contracts with the city.
A city inspector warns Quest off the case. 'You're not a cop anymore, McLane.' Quest: 'That's exactly why I can do this.'
Quest discovers multiple illegal dump sites along the Miami River. Each one worse than the last. He photographs everything, catalogs samples.
Deering funds Quest's investigation. 'I didn't build this estate to watch the bay die.' They form an unlikely alliance — old money and no money, united by the water.
Act III — "The Cover-Up"
Quest's evidence points to a city commissioner who's been approving illegal waste permits in exchange for campaign contributions. The commissioner's chief of staff threatens Quest directly.
Quest's office is broken into. Files stolen. But Quest kept copies on a USB drive in his boat's glove box. 'You don't survive Miami PD without learning to keep backups.'
A whistleblower from inside the waste company contacts Quest. They meet at a marina at night. The whistleblower provides the missing link: signed documents proving the commissioner knew.
The commissioner holds a press conference denying everything. Quest watches from the back of the room, smiling. He has the documents.
Act IV — "Justice"
Quest assembles the full case. Water samples. Photographs. Corporate documents. Whistleblower testimony. Signed permits. He delivers it all to the U.S. Attorney's office.
COURTROOM MONTAGE: The commissioner is indicted. The waste company executives are arrested. The bay cleanup begins.
FINAL SCENE: Quest standing on Deering's dock. The bay is starting to recover. Deering hands him an envelope — a retainer. 'I have a feeling this won't be the last spill.' Quest looks at the water. 'It never is.'
TITLE CARD: Based on the novel "Environmental P.I." by Michael A. Walton. Available now on Amazon.
ENVIRONMENTAL P.I.: BAY PATROL
“Patrol the bay. Collect the evidence. Expose the truth.”
A side-scrolling action game where you play as Quest McLane, patrolling Biscayne Bay and investigating environmental crimes across five levels. Collect water samples, photograph illegal dumping, dodge corrupt officials, and build your case file to take down the conspiracy.
Level 1: The Spill
Investigation / CollectionYou're on the shore of the Deering Estate. Chemical foam is spreading across the bay. Collect water samples, photograph the dead marine life, and catalog evidence before the tide washes it away. Avoid contaminated zones that drain your health. Boss: a cleanup crew sent to destroy evidence before you can document it.
Level 2: The Shell Game
Stealth / PuzzleTrace the chemical signature through a maze of shell companies. Navigate corporate offices after hours, access filing cabinets, and connect the dots between dummy corporations. Security guards patrol on set routes — time your movements. Boss: a corporate lawyer who shreds documents faster than you can photograph them.
Level 3: The River
Boat Patrol / ActionPatrol the Miami River in Quest's boat. Illegal dump sites line the banks — photograph each one while dodging barrels of toxic waste being rolled into the water. The further upstream you go, the worse it gets. Boss: a barge captain dumping industrial waste who tries to ram your boat.
Level 4: The Cover-Up
Survival / EvasionThe commissioner's people are after you. Your office has been broken into. Navigate Miami at night, meet the whistleblower at the marina, and retrieve the signed documents. Enemies include corrupt cops, hired thugs, and a city inspector who's been bought. Boss: the commissioner's chief of staff in a waterfront confrontation.
Level 5: The Case
Strategy / CourtroomAssemble your full case file from all the evidence collected in previous levels. Present water samples, photographs, corporate documents, and whistleblower testimony to the U.S. Attorney. The defense tries to discredit each piece — counter their arguments with the right evidence. Final boss: the commissioner himself on the witness stand. Win, and the bay gets cleaned up.
New Game+ — New Game+ unlocks 'Deep Water Mode' — replay all levels with harder evidence requirements, smarter enemies, and a second conspiracy hidden beneath the first. Just like the book — the deeper you dig, the more you find.
Why Michael A. Walton Matters
Environmental crime fiction is a genre that barely exists. Carl Hiaasen gets close. John D. MacDonald laid the groundwork decades ago. But Michael A. Walton went all in — five novels in one volume, all centered on a private investigator who specializes in the crimes that nobody else wants to touch.
Quest McLane is the kind of character fiction needs more of. Not a vigilante. Not a genius. A former cop who believed in his mission, lost his institutional backing, and decided to keep going anyway. The Deering Estate setting grounds the story in a real place with real environmental stakes, and the conspiracy McLane uncovers — waste permits, campaign contributions, political cover-ups — is the kind of thing that actually happens.
Walton wrote this book for readers aged 10–18 and adults who care about what happens when nobody is watching the water. That's a choice that matters. Making environmental justice accessible to young readers without condescending to older ones is hard. Walton pulled it off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Michael A. Walton?
Michael A. Walton is the author of Environmental P.I.: Volume One Novels I-V, an independently published crime fiction series set in Miami. The book follows Quest McLane, a former Miami PD Environmental Crime Unit detective who becomes a private investigator and uncovers a web of environmental corruption. Glen Bradford knows Michael through the Miami Beach community.
What is Environmental P.I. about?
Environmental P.I. follows Quest McLane, a former Miami Police Department detective who resigns after the department disbands its Environmental Crime Unit. Working as a private investigator, McLane is hired when a mysterious chemical spill poisons the bay beside millionaire environmentalist Charles Deering's coastal estate. The investigation exposes corporate negligence, political cover-ups, and systemic corruption stretching across Miami.
Who is Quest McLane?
Quest McLane is the protagonist of Environmental P.I. — a former detective with Miami PD's Environmental Crime Unit who becomes a private investigator after his unit is disbanded. He's sharp, idealistic, and relentless in pursuing environmental justice. Think part Magnum P.I., part Erin Brockovich — the kind of investigator who follows the evidence wherever it leads, no matter how powerful the people involved.
Where can I buy Environmental P.I.?
Environmental P.I.: Volume One Novels I-V by Michael A. Walton is available on Amazon in paperback for $14.99. The ISBN-13 is 979-8275611335. It was independently published on February 11, 2026, and is 277 pages long with a reading age of 10-18 years. You can buy it at amazon.com/dp/B0GNGZ9WMS.
Is there a game based on Environmental P.I.?
Yes — Glen Bradford built a playable browser game called Environmental P.I.: Bay Patrol inspired by the book. You can play it for free right on this page. It's a side-scrolling investigation game where you patrol Biscayne Bay as Quest McLane, collecting evidence and exposing environmental crimes.
Get Glen's Musings
Occasional thoughts on AI, Claude, investing, and building things. Free. No spam.
Unsubscribe anytime. I respect your inbox more than Congress respects property rights.