Tropical Heat [Import] [Hardcover]

John Lutz (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Holt (1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0333427149
• ISBN-13: 978-0333427149
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,455,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NOT QUITE A SIZZLER, September 20, 2004

By 

Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tropical Heat: A Fred Carver Mystery (Paperback)

I had read the second novel in this series (SCORCHER)first, and actually it is better than the debut novel, TROPICAL HEAT. John Lutz obviously has to establish his characters in this one, and so some of this exposition tends to diminish the plot's suspense ratio.
We meet Fred Carver, a 45 year old, former Orlando police detective. Carver was forced into retirement after suffering a debilitating knee wound in a convenience store robbery. Now, he is a private investigator, still rehabilitating after his life-changing injury. He is friends still with Detective DeSoto, a handsome and debonair Latin/Italian, who wears tailored suits and wants Carver's life to get meaning again. Carver's wife, Laura, has left him taking his two children with her. So when deSoto sends the lovely Edwina Talbot to procure Carver's services to locate her missing lover, Carver reluctantly takes the case.
Did Edwina's Willis Davis commit suicide, fake suicide, or has he been kidnapped or murdered?
Carver's quest leads him on a search for potential drug runners and real-estate scams.
Lutz has created a complex, albeit human, protagonist in Fred Carver. Carver of course finds himself falling for Edwina, and she's still clinging to Willis' chances.
The novel doesn't have the terse, brisk pace of SCORCHER, but it is a worthwhile series. The Florida locales add a lot to the narrative.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, July 19, 2007

By 

Christine Wood - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tropical Heat: A Fred Carver Mystery (Paperback)

John Lutz does an incredible job of creating a novel packed chalk full of suspense, humor, mystery and tops it all off with a just a hint of romance to make you crave more.

I find myself snickering to myself throughout most of the book and laughed out loud more than once.

Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Detective Mystery, December 3, 2011

By 

Michael (SoCal) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tropical Heat: A Fred Carver Mystery (Book One) (Kindle Edition)

This is a very enjoyable detective mystery and the first book I have read by John Lutz.

The story and characters were interesting and the writing style made it an easy read. The only ding I would give it is that some of the details unwinding the mystery are spoon-fed near the end in an all-too-convenient fashion.

I look forward to reading through the whole ten book series of Fred Carver mysteries which I picked up at a recent Kindle book sale for $1.99 each!

Appended to the end of the book is an endearing biography of the author including photos beginning from childhood and noteworthy achievements. Clearly, this is an author who thoroughly enjoys his craft.