Keys To Death: A Booked For Travel Mystery [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Emily Toll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2005

Travel agent Lynne Montgomery is making travel plans - but this time, they're for her. With no tour groups to lead, she and her daughter are going to visit her old friend Peggy Parker, whose new resort has just opened in the Florida Keys. But Lynne finds herself caught in a tropical storm of trouble when she discovers one of Peggy's friends dead on the beach.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A superb writer who entertains and mystifies with equal skill."
-- Carolyn Hart

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing; 1 edition (August 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597220442
• ISBN-13: 978-1597220446
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,142,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder of a Retiree, May 18, 2005

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Keys to Death (Booked for Travel Mysteries #4) (Paperback)

Lynne Montgomery is taking a true vacation. No group to lead. No future trips to plan. Just a chance to relax and hang out with some old friends who have just started running a resort in the Florida Keys. And the fact that it's only a couple weeks until Christmas certainly helped make the decision easier.

The morning after Lynne and her daughter arrive, Lynne finds a dead body on the dock. Darcy lived in the mobile home park next door and was fundamental in running the activities the resort and park did each month. Certainly she didn't have any enemies. But as the police investigate, they turn up a habit of kleptomania and a sideline of drug smuggling. Could either of these be what got her killed?

These books are all about the characters, and once again, Emily Toll has created a strong set, many of whom I'd like to get to know as friends. A few are annoying, but they're supposed to be, and it's rather fun watching them misbehave. The problem comes with the plot. Again, Lynne hardly does any investigating, trying to ignore the problems swirling around her as much as possible. This bothers me a little, maybe because of the other books I read. The conclusion is less then satisfying in this one.

Even with a plot that's on the weak side, it's hard not to like this book because of the strong characters. 3.5 rounded up to a four.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder in Margaritaville, May 6, 2005

By 

L. Kelly (Lakewood, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Keys to Death (Booked for Travel Mysteries #4) (Paperback)

California tour guide Lynne Montgomery is on the road again, and this time she and her daughter Jenna are visiting old California friends who have recently purchased a resort on the Little Sister Key in the Florida Keys. In this installment of the "Booked for Travel" series, Lynne is taking a real vacation, with no tour group to worry about. Of course, it seems that wherever Lynne travels, she manages to stumble upon a dead body while on one of her early morning strolls, and this trip is no different. On her second day in Florida, Lynne discovers the body of her hostess' friend Darcy Gainesborough, and the police determine that Darcy's death appears suspicious.

The plot of this story was thoroughly enjoyable, with just the right mix of travel tidbits and development of the mystery. The subplots include some mischievous pranksters vandalizing the Dos Hermanas resort, some secrets that the murder victim has been hiding, and a search for some pirate treasure. Ms. Toll skilfully weaves together all these plots with a very likable group of characters.

I particularly enjoyed Lynne and Jenna's visit to Key West and the author's tongue-in-cheek description of the Margaritaville store there.

I felt this fourth installment in the "Booked for Travel" series is the strongest one yet. Grab yourself a copy of this book and a nice cold ice tea (or perhaps a margarita) and prepare to enjoy this tropical travel adventure!

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story but not a real mystery, February 8, 2010

By 

MsLo (Charleston, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keys to Death (Booked for Travel Mysteries #4) (Paperback)

I enjoyed the story and a lot of the characters but found the mystery a little lacking. The main character really did no sleuthing and the main and sub-mysteries were resolved by chance and confession. I thought the ending sort of came out of left field and had no real clues leading up to it.

This was my first book from this author and I'm not sure I would read another one. I don't feel like my time was wasted as it was an enjoyable book, I just prefer mysteries with a bit more detecting.