Brigands Key

by Ken Pelham

“A perfect storm of menace…breathtaking! The underwater scenes are marvelous, and the portrait of the monstrous hurricane as it batters the key and surges over it is mightily gripping.” --the Florida Weekly... Death Sweeps in off the Gulf of Mexico… An ageless, impossible corpse at the bottom of the sea. A lethal plague. A ruthless murderer. A monster hurricane. Archaeologist Carson Grant came to Brigands Key to escape the limelight and repair his shattered reputation, and finds himself instead staring down the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. When Carson Grant discovers the body of a man at the bottom of the sea, suspicion of murder falls squarely upon him. Citizens mysteriously begin to fall ill and die, others disappear, and others are murdered, while an ambitious governor and an unbending president engage in a battle of wills over the fate of Brigands Key. With a hurricane bearing down on the quarantined island, Grant enlists infectious diseases researcher Kyoko Nakamura and teen misfit Charley Fawcett in a desperate race against time to break the spiral of death and unravel the mystery of a decades-old corpse and a staggeringly valuable prize shrouded in secrets of the past. Pitted against them is a killer who will stop at nothing to claim that prize. Winner of the Royal Palm Literary Award, Brigands Key is an edge-of-your-seat roller coaster ride through murder, vengeance, and secrets best left undisturbed.

Genres: Thriller

328 pages, Paperback

First published August 8, 2012

About the author

Ken Pelham is primarily a writer of suspense and thrillers, although he has been known to dip into horror, science fiction, fantasy, and mainstream fiction. As a nonfiction author, he's penned articles on environmental issues, public open space, and the fields of suspense writing. He frequently lectures on the topics of writing in viewpoint and on building suspense in fiction, and has turned those two topics into concise guidebooks.

Ken is a three-time winner of the Royal Palm Literary Award, and a member of International Thriller Writers and the Florida Writers Association.

Reviews

[Rick Soper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome book! The best way of describing it is it's one part Michael Crichton, and one part Clive Cussler. This book has a little of everything, action, mystery, a little romance, a pinch of teen angst, and a lot of political intrigue. The first part of the book sets the scenes, throwing a few hooks out to capture your attention, then it starts building the tension, one event on top of another, until all Hell breaks loose and the novel just explodes with non-stop action that will have your heart pumping and you fingers flipping pages as fast as you can read. I enjoyed Kan Pelham's two books of short stories Treacherous Bastards and Tales of Old Brigands Key, but they were quick, good, colorful stories that hit fast and were over. With Brigands Key, Pelham takes the time to flesh out characters, to build up the story lines, and then brings it all together for a frenzied finish. I couldn't recommend a book higher and will be moving on to A Place Of Fear without hesitation.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well-crafted and researched mystery. Characters, narrative and plot = a riveting read.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this is clearly a "guy book," I sat down and read it in one day. One surprising turn of events after another, many of which would have been unbelievable before Hurricane Katrina. Clearly Ken Pelham knows south Florida inside and out. Highly recommended for readers of suspense and thrillers. Terrific debut.

[Kami Bumgardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a nail-biter! there were several time I was holding my breath in anxiety wondering what was going to happen. this was a very interesting story line that I can honestly say I've never seen before, and was very believable and enjoyable. I hope there is a follow up that lets us in on how Brigands Key carries on!

[Tanya Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book. Read it.

[Angela Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story that starts with a bang and never lets up--highly recommended for those who like a fast-moving, action-packed mystery.

And actually, that's also the only thing that was wrong with it. Several years ago I heard Donald Maass speak at a Sisters in Crime workshop, and he stressed that once you've made the most trouble possible for your protagonist--make more--then make more. Speaking from my relatively powerless position as a reader, I prefer characters who overcome believable odds, not those who perform at the level of super heroes. As I read, I found myself just kind of setting aside the last couple of terrible things that happened to each character in order not to surpass my willingness to suspend disbelief.

Counteracting that is the convoluted plot. One of the things I love about mysteries is matching wits with the authors--they give clues to lead me forward without revealing too much too fast, and I try to solve the mystery before they want me to. This one kept me wondering how in the world Mr. Pelham was going to tie up all the loose ends until almost the last page.

I received this book in a goodie bag at Left Coast Crime Mystery Writers and Readers Conference in Colorado Springs, but it's definitely worth buying.

[Jodie22 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Archaeologist Carson Grant came to Brigands Key to repair his reputation. When Grant discovers the body of a man at the bottom of the sea, he becomes the prime suspect. If that's not bad enough, townspeople begin to fall ill and die, while others disappear or are murdered. With a hurricane headed for the quarantined island, Grant enlists the help of others to uncover the mysterious illness and the murderer.

Pelham has an easy writing style, and I found myself liking the characters, especially Grant. I quickly got lost in the story. Pelham made it easy for me to picture Brigands Key. However, when he came to the action scenes, I sometimes found it difficult to picture what was happening. A few scenes toward the end made we wonder about character motivation while other things were simply unbelievable. For instance, one character is able to hear his ribs break in the middle of a hurricane, yet moments later, he can barely hear himself yell.

These things were not enough to detract from the story, and I would definitely read another book by Ken Pelham.

[Sharon Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beginning with a fairly standard buried treasure scenario, unexpected twists propel this into a different stage that includes treasure, murder, a hurricane and plague, involving the archaelogist that finds the original treasure site and a CDC agent investigating the plague.

Interesting, relatively well developed characters, entertaining.

[Amee Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

a really good book! it kept me guessing until the end when all was explained. a must read for everyone. I can not wait for Ken Pelham's next book to come out. a mysterious death and sickness will keep you on the edge of your seat.

[Cdp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent mystery. Would have liked to had more indepth characters, but that may have burdened an already lengthy read. I love books that incorporate the "man against nature" scenario into a good mystery.

[Sherry]

Not done yet!