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Key West #11
Key West Luck
Sometimes small dreams are the ones most worth fighting for… Phoebe has a dream—a very modest dream. She wants to own a Sno-Cone truck at the beach in Key West. Nicky, her would-be boyfriend, also dreams small. All he wants is a decent gig as a guitar player in a bar. Doesn’t seem like too much to ask of life, does it? So why do things keep going so dreadfully wrong for Phoebe and Nicky? Is it just plain bad luck? Or is it the decidedly bad intentions of a sleazy local cheat, a Miami gangster desperate to stay in business, and a murderous Cuban smuggler looking for a fall guy? Against these enemies, and with only a pair of mangrove-dwelling philosophers and an ancient Mafioso as allies, Phoebe and Nicky will need more than a major shift in fortune to keep their hopes, and themselves, alive. They’ll need a kind of smarts and courage they never knew they had. Lush with Florida atmosphere, deftly balancing suspense and comedy, romance and mayhem, KEY WEST LUCK will leave you cheering for the exploits of its unlikely heroes.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2015
231 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Laurence Shames
40 books238 followersLaurence Shames has been a New York City taxi driver, lounge singer, furniture mover, lifeguard, dishwasher, gym teacher, and shoe salesman. Having failed to distinguish himself in any of those professions, he turned to writing full-time in 1976 and has not done an honest day’s work since.
His basic laziness notwithstanding, Shames has published more than twenty books and hundreds of magazine articles and essays. Best known for his critically acclaimed series of Key West Capers--14 titles and counting!--he has also authored non-fiction and enjoyed considerable though largely secret success as a collaborator and ghostwriter. Shames has penned four New York Times bestsellers. These have appeared on four different lists, under four different names, none of them his own. This might be a record.
Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1951, to chain-smoking parents of modest means but flamboyant emotions, Shames did not know Philip Roth, Paul Simon, Queen Latifa, Shaquille O’Neal, or any of the other really cool people who have come from his hometown. He graduated summa cum laude from NYU in 1972 and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. As a side note, both his alma mater and honorary society have been extraordinarily adept at tracking his many address changes through the decades, in spite of the fact that he’s never sent them one red cent, and never will.
It was on an Italian beach in the summer of 1970 that Shames first heard the sacred call of the writer’s vocation. Lonely and poor, hungry and thirsty, he’d wandered into a seaside trattoria, where he noticed a couple tucking into a big platter of fritto misto. The man was nothing much to look at but the woman was really beautiful. She was perfectly tan and had a very fine-gauge gold chain looped around her bare tummy. The couple was sharing a liter of white wine; condensation beaded the carafe. Eye contact was made; the couple turned out to be Americans. The man wiped olive oil from his rather sensual lips and introduced himself as a writer. Shames knew in that moment that he would be one too.
He began writing stories and longer things he thought of as novels. He couldn’t sell them.
By 1979 he’d somehow become a journalist and was soon publishing in top-shelf magazines like Playboy, Outside, Saturday Review, and Vanity Fair. (This transition entailed some lucky breaks, but is not as vivid a tale as the fritto misto bit, so we’ll just sort of gloss over it.) In 1982, Shames was named Ethics columnist of Esquire, and also made a contributing editor to that magazine.
By 1986 he was writing non-fiction books. The critical, if not the commercial, success of these first established Shames’ credentials as a collaborator/ghostwriter. His 1991 national bestseller, Boss of Bosses, written with two FBI agents, got him thinking about the Mafia. It also bought him a ticket out of New York and a sweet little house in Key West, where he finally got back to Plan A: writing novels. Given his then-current preoccupations, the novels naturally featured palm trees, high humidity, dogs in sunglasses, and New York mobsters blundering through a town where people were too laid back to be afraid of them. But this part of the story is best told with reference to the books themselves, so please spend some time and explore them.
His basic laziness notwithstanding, Shames has published more than twenty books and hundreds of magazine articles and essays. Best known for his critically acclaimed series of Key West Capers--14 titles and counting!--he has also authored non-fiction and enjoyed considerable though largely secret success as a collaborator and ghostwriter. Shames has penned four New York Times bestsellers. These have appeared on four different lists, under four different names, none of them his own. This might be a record.
Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1951, to chain-smoking parents of modest means but flamboyant emotions, Shames did not know Philip Roth, Paul Simon, Queen Latifa, Shaquille O’Neal, or any of the other really cool people who have come from his hometown. He graduated summa cum laude from NYU in 1972 and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. As a side note, both his alma mater and honorary society have been extraordinarily adept at tracking his many address changes through the decades, in spite of the fact that he’s never sent them one red cent, and never will.
It was on an Italian beach in the summer of 1970 that Shames first heard the sacred call of the writer’s vocation. Lonely and poor, hungry and thirsty, he’d wandered into a seaside trattoria, where he noticed a couple tucking into a big platter of fritto misto. The man was nothing much to look at but the woman was really beautiful. She was perfectly tan and had a very fine-gauge gold chain looped around her bare tummy. The couple was sharing a liter of white wine; condensation beaded the carafe. Eye contact was made; the couple turned out to be Americans. The man wiped olive oil from his rather sensual lips and introduced himself as a writer. Shames knew in that moment that he would be one too.
He began writing stories and longer things he thought of as novels. He couldn’t sell them.
By 1979 he’d somehow become a journalist and was soon publishing in top-shelf magazines like Playboy, Outside, Saturday Review, and Vanity Fair. (This transition entailed some lucky breaks, but is not as vivid a tale as the fritto misto bit, so we’ll just sort of gloss over it.) In 1982, Shames was named Ethics columnist of Esquire, and also made a contributing editor to that magazine.
By 1986 he was writing non-fiction books. The critical, if not the commercial, success of these first established Shames’ credentials as a collaborator/ghostwriter. His 1991 national bestseller, Boss of Bosses, written with two FBI agents, got him thinking about the Mafia. It also bought him a ticket out of New York and a sweet little house in Key West, where he finally got back to Plan A: writing novels. Given his then-current preoccupations, the novels naturally featured palm trees, high humidity, dogs in sunglasses, and New York mobsters blundering through a town where people were too laid back to be afraid of them. But this part of the story is best told with reference to the books themselves, so please spend some time and explore them.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 2, 2020
Took me a little longer than the others but that’s more to do with circumstances than the quality here.
As with all Mr Shames work, this flows like ice cream off a hot brownie.
Just wonderful.
As with all Mr Shames work, this flows like ice cream off a hot brownie.
Just wonderful.
December 11, 2015
Another fun read in Shames' Key West Capers series! Once again, the greedy machinations of underworld figures collide with the laid-back sensibilities of a tropical paradise and are gotten the best of. Perfect as a fun beach read or something to curl up with under an afghan while dreaming of warmer weather. I loved it.
It does have a few shortcomings, however. First, it's more of a novella than a full-sized novel and lacks the complexity of TROPICAL DEPRESSION or FLORIDA STRAITS. Also, for those who've already read (or in my case, re-read) Shames' books, the solution to the protagonist's problem feels more like a re-hash of a previous work rather than something new.
In spite of that, though, I highly recommend this book. Shames is a treasure. You won't be disappointed.
It does have a few shortcomings, however. First, it's more of a novella than a full-sized novel and lacks the complexity of TROPICAL DEPRESSION or FLORIDA STRAITS. Also, for those who've already read (or in my case, re-read) Shames' books, the solution to the protagonist's problem feels more like a re-hash of a previous work rather than something new.
In spite of that, though, I highly recommend this book. Shames is a treasure. You won't be disappointed.
July 18, 2016
I thought this was an entertaining book. This is the only one I have read in this series, and I didn't get a sense of missing out on something from previous books, so I'm guessing that the stories stand alone. I thought the characters/anti-heroes were interesting and the facing off between the dirty crime bosses and paradise beach bums was kind of fun. I listened to the Audible audio version of the book narrated by Jem Matzan. I thought the narration was fine and fit with the book. Overall, I think this book is definitely enjoyable, but not necessarily super memorable. But if you're looking for something like a beach read, this would be a great book to try out.
October 20, 2022
Another fun offering from author Laurence Shames; a great addition to the Key West Capers series. With a trio of young dreamers hoping for a change in luck, and several familiar characters, including Pineapple and Fred who live in a large hot dog, it's a full tilt tale that leads to a confrontation with the Mafia. Of course, all involved benefit from the aged wisdom of ex-Mafioso Bert the Shirt, ever present with his little Chihuahua, Nacho on his lap. Long live Bert the Shirt (and Nacho)!
January 30, 2016
Now that Larry Shames is back in control of his Key West Capers books, he's definitely getting back in his groove. This is the best of the three new ones and it follows the misadventures of a former tough guy who now plays jazz guitar and a female ex-con who wants to open a sno-cone stand. They get mixed up in a mob smuggling scheme and mayhem ensues. Just a ton of fun. If you like Carl Hiassen's brand of funny crime fiction, you'll also like Larry Shames.
April 5, 2021
Sometimes you think your luck is bad and is never going to change for the better: given time, you might come to see that what looked like bad luck was the best luck you have ever had. To Phoebe, in Key West to make her future running a Sno Cone truck (also serving as her home) and to Nicky, a former enforcer in Detroit, but not very good at it, now trying to make it as a guitar player in the bars of Key West, luck is in short supply. For an up and coming mobster who believes he holds the key to a fortune in Cuba, a mafioso that worries he is losing his moxie, luck is also badly needed to find the fortune and get back in the game. In a weird but believable way, Nicky gets selected to be a fall guy in a scheme to get the Cuban fortune in the hands of the mobster and to secure the mafioso as a guy who gets stuff done: all at the expense of Nicky and his friends. But the tides come in and go out and luck changes and Phoebe, Nicky, Ozzie, Fred, Pineapple and of course, Bert, take life by the horns and make their luck happen and happen to be good. A great story, with characters that you just pull for and bad guys that are bad but also human, set in the salty, dusty, worn and brilliant Key West.
January 8, 2024
I have always reserved 4 stars for ‘special’ books, books that change your life or how you look at life. Those books that are in every top one hundred or 50 or 25 or 10 list.
Well, those days are over. This is the 11th Key West book I’ve read. There‘s a certain formula to the characters, plot, and pacing of these—a comforting repetition. BUT! What sets this series apart from others, what justifies 5 stars is the smile. You smile while reading it. You smile while thinking about getting back to reading it. You smile when you finish. And you smile when you download the next book in the series.
Well, those days are over. This is the 11th Key West book I’ve read. There‘s a certain formula to the characters, plot, and pacing of these—a comforting repetition. BUT! What sets this series apart from others, what justifies 5 stars is the smile. You smile while reading it. You smile while thinking about getting back to reading it. You smile when you finish. And you smile when you download the next book in the series.
September 1, 2023
sometimes things get better
Essentially the premise of this story. Very well written in the manner of an evolving plot, some damaged main characters, the threat of a mob boss in decline against a Cuban boss ascending, and an old mobster and his dog helping to move things along. My hope is that Shames keeps these characters alive in other upcoming books as many are ‘endearing’ in their odd Key West way. Be nice to hear about Phoebe, Nicky and Ozzie and how the sno-cone empire is doing.
Essentially the premise of this story. Very well written in the manner of an evolving plot, some damaged main characters, the threat of a mob boss in decline against a Cuban boss ascending, and an old mobster and his dog helping to move things along. My hope is that Shames keeps these characters alive in other upcoming books as many are ‘endearing’ in their odd Key West way. Be nice to hear about Phoebe, Nicky and Ozzie and how the sno-cone empire is doing.
March 5, 2020
Key West Luck is a typical Key West series caper featuring do good old Mafioso Bert the Shirt with a cast of positive character misfits. Shames provides a feel good ending in a series I view as a guilty reading pleasure.
February 19, 2021
The best so far
These stories have gotten better and better. The writing is becoming more nuanced, the themes more contemporary, the relationships more poignant and the stakes have never been higher.
These stories have gotten better and better. The writing is becoming more nuanced, the themes more contemporary, the relationships more poignant and the stakes have never been higher.
September 30, 2022
Good storyline if not a bit too "cozy" within the characters. Nice easy, relaxing read.
Liked the flow of the book and the entertainment of it. Nice to read a good story that you can relax with.
Liked the flow of the book and the entertainment of it. Nice to read a good story that you can relax with.
November 9, 2016
I always like Laurence Shames' books. They great beach reads. Fast paced, comical and the characters are just like characters in Key West.
March 6, 2017
Come on summer
Another funny Shames book with all the wacky Key West characters solving problems that usually has the mob involved somehow.
Another funny Shames book with all the wacky Key West characters solving problems that usually has the mob involved somehow.
August 30, 2018
One of his best, and the ending well unexpected. Its always good to see some for the characters from other books, it give continuity and a familiarity to the story. Loved this one
February 10, 2019
Bert, the Shirt.
One-of-a-kind, all-time great character. My thanks to the writer for creating him and setting him in the wacky world of Key West, where dreams can come true.
One-of-a-kind, all-time great character. My thanks to the writer for creating him and setting him in the wacky world of Key West, where dreams can come true.
March 31, 2021
Real people
Shames creates characters to fit his plot usually anchored biy Bert the Shirt.
Try to read all the "Capers" books, beginning with the first and get to know Bert.
Shames creates characters to fit his plot usually anchored biy Bert the Shirt.
Try to read all the "Capers" books, beginning with the first and get to know Bert.
June 16, 2021
Good book. Seemed less of a book and more of a long short story. Lots of spaces and pages half used. Happy I checked it out of the library and didn't purchase it.
June 23, 2021
So much about this was so great the narration was atrocious.
May 17, 2022
always a fun read.
Interesting characters and a sunny locale. These books are great beach reads or any other time of year. Ready for the next one.
Interesting characters and a sunny locale. These books are great beach reads or any other time of year. Ready for the next one.
June 5, 2024
Shames is a great break from the real world, and while he's at it he creates a relatively true picture of Key West :-)
August 30, 2023
Workaday south Florida wacko genre caper. Perfect for a read on a floating house.
May 28, 2016
Always entertaining!!
March 29, 2016
Good
This is a preety good book !!!! They always say dont Jude a book by its cover I did cause I thought it looked good, now I love it
This is a preety good book !!!! They always say dont Jude a book by its cover I did cause I thought it looked good, now I love it
May 19, 2016
Just another fun entertaining book in this series, and Bert makes a significant appearance this time as well. A wonderfully fun series to read.
June 1, 2016
Shames still entertains me.
June 16, 2016
I have read all of this series. The joy of it continues.
Enough said. If you find any charm in Key West these pages will put in the mood to drive on down.
Enough said. If you find any charm in Key West these pages will put in the mood to drive on down.
August 17, 2016
Good book.light funreadi g
I liked this one have read all 11. Love Bert .didn't like it in last third of book Bert called Ponte Charlie instead of Chilly.took away from character.
I liked this one have read all 11. Love Bert .didn't like it in last third of book Bert called Ponte Charlie instead of Chilly.took away from character.
Read
January 15, 2017Still great fun
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews