First published 2023
Luke Blackburn discovers Cuban refugees during a fishing trip with Key West's mayor. The incident makes news, and Corinne, his lover from decades past, reads the story and contacts him. She brings news that threatens to destroy his marriage to Maureen, a brilliant but bipolar scholar. Luke never told his wife about Corinne or the baby she gave up for adoption when they separated and he left for war. Maureen's mental illness prevented them from having children together. Luke believes she cannot learn the truth about his past. At his Miami newspaper, his investigative reporter uncovers cartel money corrupting south Florida politics. The evidence connects a real estate developer, suspicious land deals, and political corruption reaching into Key West itself. Luke must navigate his resurfaced past while his professional world collides with personal secrets in the place he considers his sanctuary.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Cuba, Key West, Miami
Period: Decades Past, Present Day
395 pages · Kindle Edition · Arcade
Content warnings: mental-illness