Killers From The Keys

Mike Shayne #39

by Brett Halliday

Mike Shayne takes a dip in the deadly Florida Keys for a dancer named Sloe Burn He smells her perfume before he walks through the door. It’s called Black Sin, and the woman wearing it certainly lives up to the name. Esther Piney, better known as Sloe Burn, is a hard-boiled stripper born and raised in the swamps of the Florida Keys. Where she’s from, murder is currency, and bodies disappear never to be found. Her favorite client has vanished, taking a fat bankroll with him, and she knows the only way she’ll get him back is to beg a favor from the legendary Mike Shayne. Unfortunately for Sloe Burn, Shayne doesn’t make a habit of tracking down missing strip-club regulars. But when a woman comes asking him to find her husband—who just happens to fit the description of Sloe Burn’s sugar daddy—Shayne decides it’s time to go fishing in the darkest corner of the Keys. Killers from the Keys is the 39th book in the Mike Shayne Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

AKA David Dresser
Excerpt from Wikipedia:

Brett Halliday (July 31, 1904 - February 4, 1977), primary pen name of Davis Dresser, was an American mystery writer, best known for the long-lived series of Mike Shayne novels he wrote, and later commissioned others to write. Dresser wrote non-series mysteries, westerns and romances under the names

Asa Baker, Matthew Blood, Kathryn Culver, Don Davis, Hal Debrett, Anthony Scott, Peter Field, and Anderson Wayne.

Reviews

[terry stallings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shayne's Back!

Mike Sjhaume is back in a mystery involving syndicate killers, a man running from something, 250,000 dollars, and a couple of dancers who use conch shells in their act, and as knives
There is also a PI from Chicago looking for the running man. Can Mike Shayne solve the case? Read it, and find out. You'll be glad you did!

[Paul Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the Michael Shayne mysteries I’ve read so far - moved at a good clip, had some fun side characters, and tied up at the end nice & tight.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mike Shane is proof you can solve any problem by just punching it in the mouth, and women get hot for you too!

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killers From a The Keys is one of the shorter and more fast-paced Mike Shayne novels. It's a whirlwind of action and involves a strip club dancer from a swamp town, a man on the run from Chicago, kidnapping, murder, hoods, bookies, and greed. It also begins with an angry hard-charging Shayne who can't stand the Syndicate getting a foothold in town and won't sit still for it. One of the best scenes ever is the opening where Shayne finds his office invaded by a teenage beauty queen who makes herself right at home. Overall, it's a great read.