Though Babauta was a law-enforcement officer, Renner recounts, he often felt a kinship with the poachers he was tasked to bring in. Or the developers and politicians who cater so eagerly and profitably to that voracious demand. Rather, they crawl toward us out of the dark ooze, slowly opening long jaws lined with sharp teeth. They lurk in the murk like primordial fear and sometimes find themselves on the wrong side of a golf course fence. GATOR COUNTRY: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades | By Rebecca Renner | Flatiron | 277 pp.

---

Persons: Renner, Jeff Babauta, finessing, Babauta, Karen Russell, Lauren Groff, Rebecca Renner Organizations: Flatiron Locations: Florida, South Florida