First published 2003
Thomas Skelton escapes a life among drug addicts and drifters by returning to Key West. The tropical paradise he remembers has transformed into something alien and menacing. He sets up home in the shell of an abandoned aircraft and decides to work as a fishing guide in the crystal waters around the Keys. His plans put him on a collision course with Nichol Dance, the area's top guide who rules these waters. Dance carries blood on his hands from his bartending days in Kentucky and shows no reluctance to spill more. Skelton refuses to retreat from the confrontation. The two men circle each other in an escalating conflict, surrounded by Key West's collection of oddball residents. Their rivalry builds toward a violent conclusion that neither man can avoid.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Key West, Kentucky
Period: 20th-century
208 pages · Paperback · Vintage Books
Content warnings: violence