LUCY BURDETTE: When my hubby and I visited Key West in 2006, we did not expect to fall in love with the island. But like so many others, we did exactly that, and now we live there half the year. Even more importantly, the characters of the Key West food critic mystery series live and work there too. It’s a quirky and delightful setting and very much real. When I’m trying to figure out the plot for a new book, these are the places I visit for inspiration. The snippets below are from these books, from food critic Hayley Snow's point of view.
Mallory Square as told in THE MANGO MURDERS
Key West’s Sunset Celebration on Mallory Square has been a magnet for visitors to our island since the 1960s. An hour or two before sunset, the square on the waterfront begins to bustle with food and drink carts, performers and buskers of many kinds, a sprinkling of homeless folks, and purveyors of Key West-themed trinkets and tchotchkes. Everyone loves it—except the police tasked with keeping people safe, including my hubby, Nathan Bransford. I tease that for him, from his police officer’s perspective, that deliciously fun event is all about what could go wrong.
The Key West Cemetery as told in THE MANGO MURDERS
The cemetery was a big space right in the middle of Old Town. It was laid out in a giant grid, identified with street names, and contained the resting places of many Key West residents, along with elaborate family crypts and various celebrity graves with oddball inscriptions. “I told you I was sick,” was a very popular destination, along with “I’m just resting my eyes” and “I always dreamed of owning a small place in Key West.” There were more serious gravesites too, of course, including the section devoted to the victims of the U.S.S. Maine, and a trove of local eccentrics and heroes. A tall, black metal fence surrounded the cemetery so it could be locked up at night, leaving only iguanas and chickens as company for the dead.
The Key West Woman’s Club as told in THE MANGO MURDERS
Wide white porches and tall columns against the red brick set the Woman’s Club building apart from other structures on this same Duval Street block. Unless there was a party in the front yard, most passers-by didn’t realize this home represented more than a century of Key West history, philanthropy, and community service. By the time I arrived, party guests were already gathering on the front porch’s white wicker benches.
The inside of the home was equally beautiful, with wooden floors, old-fashioned wallpaper, more wicker seating, and balloon window treatments. Chandeliers, large mirrors, stained-glass windows, and displays of old-fashioned China and glassware reminded visitors of more elegant, formal days. (You might also recognize this club as the setting for A DISH TO DIE FOR, where clues are buried deep in a cupboard.)
The Hemingway House as told in A POISONOUS PALATE
I had visited the Hemingway Home on Whitehead Street many times since moving to Key West. It was one of my favorite places to unwind. The home itself was a beautiful two-story, cream-colored French colonial structure, with lemon lime shutters and a wide front porch. The grounds, expansive and luxurious for tightly packed Key West, were surrounded by a tall vintage brick wall and populated by fifty or so polydactyl cats.
The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory as told in A DELICIOUS DECEPTION
Further back in time, she had posted about some of her favorite places to take her daughter. They both loved the Sheriff’s Office animal farm of course, plus the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. They had even attended a flamingle, a special private after-hours session visiting the two resident flamingos, Rhett and Scarlet. My heart ached as I studied the photo of one of the pink birds nibbling on Tam’s ball cap. She had an expression of sheer delight and amazement on her face.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm as told in A DELICIOUS DECEPTION
I suddenly remembered that the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm was open to the public two Sunday afternoons per month, which would explain the crowd. Abandoned, abused, or special needs animals were taken in by the farm’s employees, cared for underneath the jail, and generally treated like royalty.
I could go on and on but you’d get tired of reading! Have you ever visited Key West yourself? Or wished you could visit after reading one of these mysteries? Leave a comment about what you’d love to see to be entered in a giveaway for A DELICIOUS DECEPTION.
A DELICIOUS DECEPTION can be found at a bookstore near you!
A Delicious Deception has a slightly different tone than some of the earlier books, with more emphasis on family, but I loved it just as much as the rest of the series. Ms. Burdette has created characters who have grown in such natural, believable ways. She delivers an excellent mystery while also weaving in a major, emotional turning point in their lives. There is drama, murder, secrets, late-pregnancy feelings and hormones, a sick father-in-law, home renovations, a fun baby shower, and friends and family ready to tackle whatever comes their way. And in the end, a beautiful baby! Escape with Dollycas
This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer
USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.
