Reviewed by Jeanne
The Florodora is a very exclusive apartment complex in
Peerless Point, Florida. You can’t just
buy your way in, or win a spot because of celebrity.
No, you have to be a genuine Florida Man. Or Florida Woman.
You know, the ones who make improbable headlines usually
involving alcohol or alligators or both, and ill-advised run-ins with the law. It
makes for a very colorful mix of characters who form a close-knit family.
Norah inherited the Florodora from her grandmother, a true
Florida Woman who was a former showgirl, married rich, and became a widow at 17. And as a true Florida Woman, Grandma was
stubborn and had a bit of a temper. She refused to sell out to developers who
wanted to raze the old Florodora and put in more cookie-cutter condos, and
Norah is following her lead, despite the Florodora needing a lot of
maintenance, especially around the pool.
While the pool area is being excavated yet again, the first
body turns up. Unfortunately, it’s someone Norah recognizes—Sammie Lant, an
adult film star who Norah had loudly and angrily refused to rent an apartment
to, and not because of her occupation.
That would have been acceptable.
No, it was because Sammie filmed herself having sex on the beach with a college
football player and posted the video to promote her new movie, costing the
young man his scholarship. Norah is justifiably outraged.
The argument lands Norah in the police crosshairs as a person
of interest, but that’s nothing compared to what happens when the next body is
found.
That body belonged to someone who disappeared a long time ago
and who was directly responsible for the deaths of Norah’s parents.
Now Norah has to not only clear her name; she has to clear
Grandma’s as well.
Not to mention save the Florodora.
Viets is a veteran mystery author who has written several
different mystery series. I read her
because I like her sense of humor, which can be sharp but never mean. I also like the plots, and I love the
characters who tend to be more free-spirited than not. Norah herself, while sometimes
serving as the adult on the premises, is also a Florida Woman which means she
has a temper and may take ill-advised actions in the best of causes.
This is the first in a new series and I look forward to Beach
Blonde Betrayal, due out this month.
And I really hope to see a photo of the pool with its “Twenties
bathing beauty” mosaic.
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