The Mango Opera

First in the series featuring photographer-turned-amateur sleuth Alex Rutledge: “The Mango Opera reconnects my heart and brain to Key West.” —Jimmy Buffet

Although he prefers magazine work, freelance photographer Alex Rutledge won’t turn down an occasional crime scene shoot for the City of Key West Police Department. But when a string of murders takes his viewfinder into strangely familiar territory, Alex’s mellow island lifestyle shatters.

One after another, someone is killing women who have intimately crossed Alex Rutledge’s path. Maybe it’s a coincidence. Maybe it’s a conspiracy. Or maybe he’s crazy. But the connection marks Alex as the prime suspect in a case so hot it’s drawn in the county sheriff, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

In a desperate race to save his name and his life, Alex dives into a one-man search for the dark, sweltering truth beneath a case that’s pounding toward meltdown . . .

“A viciously creative plot and a perfectly rendered description of Key West as it really is, and the result is good to the bone.” —P. J. O’Rourke, New York Times–bestselling author

“A promising debut that gives a glimpse of Key West that tourists seldom see . . . The Mango Opera brings a new and imaginative mystery writer with a unique view to the Florida fold.” —Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

“A powerful novel full of juicy characters and thrill a minute action. Not since 92 in the Shade by Tom McGuane has Key West been rendered so vividly and with such spare poetry.” —Jim Harrison, New York Times–bestselling author