Keys to Death

Booked for Travel Mystery #4

by Emily Toll

While visiting her old friend Peggy Parker in the Florida Keys, Lynne Montgomery finds her peaceful vacation shattered by murder when one of Peggy's friends is found dead on the beach. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 3, 2005

About the author

A pseudonym used by Taffy Cannon.

Reviews

[Lauri]

An interesting, twisty December vacation as Lynne travels from California to the Florida Keys to stay with some old friends. A myriad cast of very eclectic characters, some residents, some tourists throw a wide smokescreen to hide the murderer's true identity. You may guess at it, but will never in a million years guess the truth till the very end!
Only 3 stars for this one from me. It goes off in so many different directions. There are smugglers, romance gone wrong, exotic birds, motel sabotage, diving, day trips, pirate enthusiasts, Christmas craft fairs -- you just name it, it's probably in there.

[Ana]

I've read others in this series and I like the characters and the travel theme. I liked the setting of this book in the Florida Keys in December, but I was a little annoyed that some B-plot threads were never resolved or explained. The main mystery was fine.

[Jessica Bell]

I did not realize there were other books in the series as I bought it used. This made for a decent airplane read. However, there was a lot going on and yet nothing went on. There were many characters and even after the resolution (disappointing as it was) there were things that were never explained! Also I thought that the travel agent lady would solve the mystery, but she did not do anything to solve it. The little Key West "facts" actually irritated me more than making me feel interested. They were presented in what felt like a know it all sort of way that was off putting. Others might find them interesting, however.
If you need a quick vacation read, then this would fit the bill.

[Regan]

This was a kind of quick read -- I had a day to just sit and read and this was a good one for that. Once again Toll/Cannon describes an area so well you feel like you are there or want to go. Interesting ending I didn't see coming. I'm bummed this series is over.

[Kris]

Enjoyed reading, story line moved along at a good pace...

[Tomi]

Interesting read but lots of loose ends. And in none of these books has Lynne actually solved the murder. She just knows the people involved.

[Barbara Blindauer]

This is the fourth in the series. Started off okay, but then there were so many things that went on and at the end of the book there were still to many issues that had not been addressed.

[Shirley]

Enjoyed the book! Easy read!

[Jill Harman]

It was slow hard to stay interested.

[Roy Lawton]

I was trying to figure out what had happened in the beginning. The result was surprising and fun. Good light reading.

[Avid Series Reader]

Keys to Death by Emily Toll is the fourth book of the Booked for Travel mystery series set in California, New England and now the Florida Keys. I’m sad this is the last book of an enjoyable series. I like the author’s relaxed writing style and her friendly, practical and resourceful heroine.

Lynne Montgomery is a widow and owner of a travel agency in fictitious small town Floritas in San Diego County, California. In Keys to Death, Lynne travels with her adult daughter Jenna to the Florida Keys for pure vacation. She isn’t leading a travel agency tour, like she did in the first two books, and she isn’t evaluating prospective sightseeing stops for future tours, like she did in the third book. She’s just visiting long-time friends, treating her daughter to a vacation, and soaking up the warm December sun. Lynne’s friends Peggy and Rick Parker retired to the Florida Keys, where they own and manage the Two Sisters resort on Little Sister Key.

In the weeks before Lynne arrived, Peggy and Rick suffered from unexplained incidents at the resort like power outages and fish tank poisoning. On Lynne’s first full day at the resort, she discovers a murder victim. Lynne doesn’t try to unravel the mystery, but many subplots unfold around her and gradually involve her. Residents of the nearby Little Sister Court trailer park figure prominently in the plot/subplots and outcomes. One subplot concerns a young man’s determination to find buried treasure, and a kindred spirit who shares his love of all historical pirate stories. Other plots concern drug smuggling and kleptomania. Lynne’s friendly personality inspires friendship and trust in acquaintances, and leads her to the solution to the murder ahead of the local police.

Lynne’s daughter Jenna, an avid diver, goes diving with the engaging young man who cares for rare tropical birds at the resort. As in the third book of the series, Jenna does some soul-searching about her under-employed status and general lack of purpose in her post-college life. Since the LA bookstore where she works is about to close, for a while it seems a possibility that Jenna may find a true calling in caring for rare birds, in the tropical climate of the Keys, and with her new friend. But that thread just isn’t developed.

Emily Toll is a pseudonym for author Taffy Cannon. Learn more about Taffy Cannon’s books at http://taffycannon.com, and read her Emily Toll interview to learn why the series ended: http://taffycannon.com/emilyint.html.

[Linda Haring]

Different than a lot of these mysteries in that the main character is not out poking around trying to solve the murder. A lot of different things are going on. It was an easy read but a lot going on.

[Jamilah]

picked up at Goodwill for $1 (too bad, their paperbacks always used to be 50c). Just started it, don't really have an opinion yet. Begins predictably, however, for a murder mystery!

[Diane]

2 1/2 - Not Bad