Farewell, Conch Republic

Deaf PI Annabelle Hardy-Maratos and her offbeat sidekick, Dave ""the Monkeyman"" Enamorado, are hot on the heels of another murderer in Jackson's follow-up to The Alligator's Farewell. Drawing again on colorful and campy south Florida, Jackson puts her clever detectives to work defending a security guard employed at the famed Hemingway Museum who's been accused of the bizarre strangling of Millie de Vargas, a Key West attorney. De Vargas's involvement in the planned construction of a massive resort, threatening the view of the island's sunset, had left many ""Conchs"" resentful. Despite the bungling police force and a tight-lipped community, Annabelle and Dave uncover an even more compelling motive for de Vargas's murder. As the stories of numerous intriguing suspects unravel, Jackson displays a flair for lively dialogue and snappy comebacks, making for an amusing read. (Sept.)