Customer Reviews

Air Dance Iguana (Alex Rutledge Mysteries)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Air Dance Iguana is absolutely wicked. The twists and turns of the plot along with the unsual and intriguing cast of characters makes it impossible to put the book down. Corcoran has an eerie knack for weaving a tantalizing tapestry revealing the unexpected. A "who done it" that shouldn't be missed.

I am not sure why this author does not get more buzz in the Florida contingent of mystery writers - I find his stories very entertaining and always look forward to the next Alex Rutledge
mystery. This one is another interesting story - and it disappopints me that Corcoran gets no press. I checked out of curiosity and saw that the Borders near my house did not carry this book nor did any Borders in St. Louis - you could order it and get it in a week. Obviously the published is not doing much to promote - and I believe the release of this book was delayed for some time - not sure what is going on but I encourage the writer to keep up with this story line.

Another indication that Harriet Klausner does not read all of the books she posts about is her description of Air Dance Iguana as "zany." Despite the uniquely Floridian manner of murder and the title, in tone, the Alex Rutledge books are far closer to John D. MacDonald and Steve Hamilton than Carl Hiaasen and his countless imitators-- which is what someone who only looked at the COVER of this book might mistake it for.

Like Travis McGee, Alex works when he needs to, and enjoys his lifestyle, like Steve Hamilton, the cases are an imposition on his real life. At the heart of this book is Alex's attempt at rescuing his derelict brother. Sure there's humor, but this book is anything but "zany." Check it out if you like MacDonald and Hamilton, and would like something set in Florida that's not a cheap rip-off of Hiaasen like FAR too many other series.

This was my first Alex Rutledge mystery and I've gone on to buy the rest of Corcoran's catalog. These are great books -- some of the best and most nuanced mystery novels I've ever read.

I have read all of the Alex Rutledge series and if you love Key West these are the books for you. If you do not love Key West get ready to.

Alex Rutledge actually gets into action out of Key West, albeit it is just across the seven mile bridge. Maybe it is that Corcoran's soul is in Key West more than most of the many writers based there, but this latest of his tightly plotted and well written novels has a sense of the spirit of the place that I find in few of the others. The author knows his setting and characters (with Alex Rutledge the sometimes crime photographer, sometimes freelancer, pal of "Chicken Neck" - former Key West city detective, now Monroe County Sheriff, Alex's past and present lovers, associates and now rogue brother, Tim) there is a cast appropriate to the Keys. The actual strange mix of legal jurisdictions - Monroe County, State of Florida, City of Key West and other Keys' cities, the Feds with immigration, shore patrol, coast guard and FBI - has made for the sort of tangle of ambitions, secrets and confusions which a crime novelist of Corcoran's skill can exploit to create a great read.
The everpresent signs spotted by every tourist describing the Keys: "A quaint little drinking town with a fishing problem!" are at work here. We first see Tim in custody, outside the Bull and Whistle after a few of their very cold draft beers. The mysterious coincidences of the Keys: lookalikes, chance meetings, odd meetings of e spouses and old friends in saloons or walking along Smathers beach, which all Key residents know happen, may be the greatest stretchers of readers' credulity, but spend a month in Marathon sometime and the reality of such unrealities will sink in. And then there are Keys' jokes. "jackalope" would not stand a chance there. We wonder throughout about the murders by davit that start the novel off - are they some ironic joke. Only at the end will you learn. And it will be worth it. A word of caution Do not skip ahead and spoil it .

Other people have stated the kindle version is junk. It appears they have created a better version and the one I read on my kindle was great. It had the new chapter format etc.

My wife and I both keep reading Tom Corcoran's novels and they are always great. If you've ever been to Key West his novels take you right back. These are by far the best modern novels set in Key West.

This time you don't need a relationship chart. But why are all the killings in the Keys related to our hero? A more or less straight ahead hunt for the killer helps the reader turn the pages. The local color is still a big plus. Well done.

Florida Keys resident Alex Rutledge is a photographer and, lately, a police photographer. There hasn't been a hanging on the Keys in thirty years and, suddenly, there are two and maybe three. The odd thing is that Alex, rather than a policeman, was the only one at all three crime scenes and he's having a hard time convincing the police the three crimes are not suicide and are related. His problems increase when his older brother, who looks almost like Alex but has a less than clean record, comes to town and becomes a suspect.

I enjoyed the setting of the Florida Keys and, to me, it was one of the most interesting parts of the book. The plot was improbable that, even with so many jurisdictions, the police work could be that sloppy and that Alex could come up with information and connections the police couldn't. But that's my problem with most stories whose protagonists are amateur sleuths. Still, I enjoyed the characters, the dialogue and the setting. It wasn't a great book, but it was an okay read.