Florida Straits - Laurence Shames

Joey Goldman tries to escape the low level mafioso life he had in New York. Key West offers the paradise he is looking for, but not for long. Family ties and obligations follow Joey to the Keys. This book is a fun read. It is not a hard hitting crime novel or a true “Who done it?”, but it offers a colorful description of the Keys that is not on the tourist maps. Anyone who has spent a lot time in Key West should appreciate this one. I was really enjoying the book until the end. A little more research into the mafia and/or gangs/ cartels may have led to a more plausible ending. Halfway through this novel I bought several books in the series. Based on the Florida Straights ending, I haven’t read them. This was a fun and interesting novel that seemed to give up at the very end. If you want an escape to the Keys and don’t mind an implausible ending, get this one. If you’re a stickler for details, “Forget about it.”

Devil's Slew - Darryl Wimberley

Darryl Wimberley’s fifth book, Devil’s Slew, is a true hard hitting mystery that kept me reading. FDLE agent, Bear Raines is forced to kill an old friend’s son. Is the death tied to a missing Treasury Department agent, a Mexican drug cartel, a rogue group of Marines, or a major counterfeiting operation? There were several twist to this fast moving plot that I did not expect. Wimberley knows the flora, fauna, and culture of the Panhandle well. He also has done his research with law enforcement operations which makes this a smooth read. This is a very well written and researched true mystery that takes the reader from their home, to the Panhandle of Florida. Probably the biggest mystery is; why haven’t I heard of Bear Raines before now?

Baja Florida

It's the beginning of the Florida mystery/crime season when our favorite writers release their new novels. Bob Morris starts us off with what I think is his best writing yet. Below is a review of Baja Florida.

Zack Chasteen is living the peaceful life with his wife and infant daughter until an old friend comes asking for a favor. All he has to do is pilot a mega-yacht to a private island in the Bahamas and find the friend’s missing daughter along the way. Sounds easy; but as Zack looks for the missing woman, he finds more questions than answers. This is Morris at his best; bringing the charm of the Caribbean into your living-room while taking the reader through twist and turns of true mystery. The character and relationship development took on a genuine quality that drew me in while the plot unfolded at a pace that kept me reading late into the night. I couldn’t put this one down. This novel has put Bob Morris at the top of my favorite mystery writers list and I would recommend this book for anybody.