Tropical Depression

Key West may very well get its first legal gambling parlor if Murray Zemelman, a.k.a. The Bra King, and his new partner Tommy Tarpon, a local Native American, can pull off their kooky, Prozac-induced plan. When a local mafioso and Key West's most crooked politician decide to get a piece of their action, Murray and Tommy fight for their money and their lives in a battle of wits, writs and anti-depressants. From Publishers Weekly The portrayal of the Florida Keys as a hotspot of criminal ribaldry continues apace in Shames's latest thriller, a nifty follow-up to last year's Sunburn. Sufficiently depressed to have tried suicide, and now on Prozac, wealthy, middle-aged bra magnate Murray Zemelman abandons his ornamental second wife and showy Short Hills, N.J., home, setting out for the never-never land of the Keys to find meaning in his life. There, he befriends his fishing guide, an embittered Native American, Tommy Tarpon, the last surviving member of his tribe. Wishing to bestow a mitzvah on his new pal, Murray persuades Tommy to look into opening a legal gambling casino on the last, stinking bit of tribal land. Trouble comes in the form of greedy state senator Barney LaRue and Miami mafia kingpin Charlie Ponte, who scheme to take over the proposed operation. Fighting back, the Bra King and the Indian enlist a crew of crusaders including Murray's first wife, his business manager, his psychiatrist and Bert the Shirt, a former mob capo. Shames doesn't quite match the inspired whackiness of Carl Hiaasen or the artful characterizations and plotting of Elmore Leonard, but he knows how to put his tongue in his cheek?and he keeps it firmly, entertainingly, in place throughout. Author tour. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Even juiced to the gills on Prozac, lingerie tycoon Murray ''the Bra King'' Zemelman is confused and depressed. He can't decide whether to go to the office or commit suicide by asphyxiation in his garage, so he drives nonstop to Key West to begin a new life. There he meets Tommy Tarpon, an embittered, down-and-out Native American, and hatches a scheme to make Tommy the sole owner of Key West's first casino. That brings a greedy, crooked state senator and Miami Mafia boss Charlie Ponte into Murray's new life and generates the plot for Shames' delightful follow-up to Sunburn (1995), Scavenger Reef (1994), and Florida Straits (1992). In those books, Shames demonstrated a masterful talent for creating winsome characters struggling to find love and meaning in their lives; he scores again with angst-ridden Murray, his resilient ex-wife, Franny, and taciturn Tommy, all of whom are as appealing as any of the author's earlier creations. Another winner for Shames. Thomas Gaughan