Bone Island Mambo : An Alex Rutledge Mystery [Paperback]

Tom Corcoran (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Saint Martin's Press, LLC (2001)
• ASIN: B000WL1MSQ
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Miss This Key West Mystery, May 24, 2001

By 

Sandie Herron (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bone Island Mambo: An Alex Rutledge Mystery (Alex Rutledge Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Whew, can Tom Corcoran weave a complicated yarn! I had a blast reading BONE ISLAND MAMBO for the plot, the scenery, the characters, the fun. As woven together as the numerous clues become, Corcoran expertly leads the reader through this intricately textured story.

Alex Rutledge returns for his third adventure living in his own paradise on Key West. Out for an afternoon of photographing the changes taking place around the island, he is suddenly confronted by thugs who don't want his camera or his Cannondale, they want him. Successfully escaping the attack, he finds himself back at the new development on Caroline Street within hours photographing a grim murder scene for the local police department.

What follows is one of the wildest chases on which I've had the pleasure of riding. Another murder takes place, body parts show up later, identities are crossed, a motorcycle is torched, cars are stolen, bullets fly, another murder takes place, knives fly, a bum provides crucial clues, love is found on the pier, and the history of Key West is backdrop to it all. Did I mention the car chase in Alex's Shelby Mustang? Or the ride in the back of the police cruiser? Don't miss the familial conflicts over money -- or the food fight. And, fish aren't the only things caught from a fishing boat.

I'm not so sure the characters are any more tame than the circumstances with a sheriff named "Chicken Neck" Liska and the detective sergeant of the police department nicknamed Dexito. Wiley Fecko lives in a bum's idea of paradise with his own version of a hot water shower. Alex Rutledge keeps himself one step ahead of them all and manages to keep himself alive. Barely.

As zany as this plot may seem, Corcoran doesn't rely on hijinks to make his storyline move. While a zillion things go wrong for Alex Rutledge, they are believably so, kind of a Murphy's Law gone horribly awry. No sooner does Alex extricate himself from one nightmare than he is jostled into another extraordinary situation and from there into coincidence. Still Alex knows that it is the bonds of friendship that ultimately save the day.

Key West, Florida, is a character and a clue and a place all in one. Corcoran captures its flavor and charm and quirks through his deft storytelling abilities. His writing style is rich with details yet not the least bit overdone. He can describe a scene in a few brief sentences, or even words, and conjure up a full-blown picture. Like referring to the overhead wires as a "utility pole forest." Or the way he can use language to depict a scene just so: "Stringy dark hair hung from a Budweiser cap that had faded to pink, then grimed to four dull shades of brown." Perhaps it's his photographer's ability to catch details and depict them with just the right amount of background and flash, focusing in on the subject with full clarity.

After all is said and done, Key West is still Paradise. Don't miss dancing the BONE ISLAND MAMBO.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining mystery, April 21, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bone Island Mambo: An Alex Rutledge Mystery (Alex Rutledge Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Freelance photographer Alex Rutledge takes pictures of a construction site that he will add to his collection of shots over the years reflecting changes to Key West. However, first he is yelled at for taking photos and soon three thugs attack him.

Later that same day, Detective Sergeant Dex Hayes hires Alex to take shots of a murder scene at the same construction site he was at earlier. No time to change film rolls, Alex quickly arrives at the crime scene and takes pictures of the dead project manager Richard Engrom. However, Dex cuts him off early and tells him to give the roll to the official police photographer, who is also at the location. Alex wonders why Dex contaminates the crime scene, flushing any hope of catching a killer down the toilet. Other murders follow and Alex realizes that he is either paranoid or the link to the homicides. Wondering if his turn is next, Alex begins his own inquiries.

Tom Corcoran Key West mysteries (see THE MANGO OPERA and GUMBO LIMBO) are always fun to read as the audience gains a taste of the Conch Republic. The latest Rutledge mystery, BONE ISLAND MAMBO, continues the entertaining nature of the previous novels. Alex remains a wonderful complete character and his girlfriend and friends help the audience understand him better. The who-done-it is an enjoyable well written amateur sleuth tale that enhances the key cast members. Mr. Corcoran is three for three.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tom Corcoran Does It Again!, May 15, 2002

By 

Shannon Rogers Simpson (Wellington, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bone Island Mambo: An Alex Rutledge Mystery (Alex Rutledge Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Tom Corcoran treats us to another look at the life of Alex Rutledge. It is filled with his trademark wit, grit and "Key Westicisms" that can only come from the man that photographed Jimmy Buffett in his early days. I'm dying for the next one, Tom!