[Poll Book Tally] Florida Straits by Laurence Shames rounded up to 2 stars

[Karin]

If this was the first book I read in this series, it would also be the last, but I liked one that I read that's later in the series. YES, you can read this out of order. I saw ONE character that was also in the other book I read and he is not the POV, and while important, not someone you have to have followed from book to book. That character is Bert the Shirt and his tiny dog, Don Giovanni (named by his late wife), and I quite enjoy this character.

As the description says, Joey is "the illegitimate son of a major NY mafioso." He leaves Florida with his girlfriend because he thinks he can just move to the Keys and start his own operation, easy-peasy. Shockingly (well, to Joey, but no one else), it doesn't turn out that way and he ends up working at a legitimate job where he can still doesn't have to be totally honest, because he gets paid $40 every time he gets someone to take a tour of some time shares. Not that he has to outright lie, of course, just be a salesman for the tour.

It doesn't take long before his brother shows up (his dad's legitimate son and also his favourite) because of some missing emeralds, and soon trouble is all that Joey has.

I didn't like this, didn't care much for Joey, but this was Shames' debut book in the series, and he got better later.