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American Tropic: A Thriller
From the author of Mile Zero come a heart-racing, “power-packed thriller" ( San Francisco Chronicle) set in Key West that illuminates a world of dark desires, hidden truths, and colliding destinies at America’s famous southernmost continental point.
Key West is being terrorized by a series of bizarre murders committed by a mysterious voodoo assassin. With each new kill, it becomes clearer that the skeleton-clad executioner has an ecological agenda. Everyone dreads becoming the killer’s next the rapacious developers, the ruthless scammers, and the common folk undertaking heroic acts to save their community. As the clock counts down to the end of hurricane season, the town will come together in a final dramatic explosion of fear, rage, and striking revelations.
Key West is being terrorized by a series of bizarre murders committed by a mysterious voodoo assassin. With each new kill, it becomes clearer that the skeleton-clad executioner has an ecological agenda. Everyone dreads becoming the killer’s next the rapacious developers, the ruthless scammers, and the common folk undertaking heroic acts to save their community. As the clock counts down to the end of hurricane season, the town will come together in a final dramatic explosion of fear, rage, and striking revelations.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
193 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 6, 2013
Eco-terrorist on the loose in Key West with lots of gruesome murders amidst the heat, humidity, and alcohol. We have a disbarred drunken lawyer running a pirate radio station who is in the midst of a divorce as well as a lesbian Cuban detective whose daughter is ill with leukemia and who herself has had cancer. These two team up indirectly to find the eco-terrorist and the ending was quite a surprise. Should have seen it coming. Not the page turning suspense here but very heavy literary feel to this book. Definitely going to have read more by Sanchez. If you love Key West you will love this book.
October 20, 2019
I'm usually a sucker for anything set in Key West, but only made it a third of the way through this one. The plot was going in promising (though predictable) directions, but there was too much dialog. "Dialog" in this case means characters woodenly spouting exposition or reciting their mutual histories to each other, using language that people don't actually say out loud. Also, plenty of the narrative equivalent of the male gaze--lots of descriptions of women's bodies and what they do (or don't) wear.
January 17, 2013
AMERICAN TROPIC blazed across my psyche like an octopus on meth, and I still haven't recovered. Sancherz breathes the divine fire, and - despite the wild, horrific plot with the O. Henry ending - the book has a Beaudelaire lyricism that made me think of "Les Fleurs du Mal." He lulled me by describing an arrival at an exotic location and then lured me into following the gaze of the narrator to an indescribably ghastly sight, written with stunning effect.
Sanchez keeps the disclosure of "Who done it" in agonizing suspense to the last page. While we all must occasionally put a book down and do our chores, this book pulls us away from our necessary routines as we eagerly renter the pages that shock us over and over by the escalating imagination and viciousness of the ghostly perpetrator. The people we meet, though a bit unusual, are believable, even the serial killer, once the reader thinks it through. Characters aside, the author infuses humanity into every little crustation that skitters across a scene. Through his genius words, Key West becomes a luscious, multifaceted land and sea character with the mystery of Shangri-La and the sexiness of Hedy Lamar.
I loaned the book to a friend who immediately said he wanted to visit Key West and literally started Googling travel arrangements. Think I'll tag along.
Sanchez keeps the disclosure of "Who done it" in agonizing suspense to the last page. While we all must occasionally put a book down and do our chores, this book pulls us away from our necessary routines as we eagerly renter the pages that shock us over and over by the escalating imagination and viciousness of the ghostly perpetrator. The people we meet, though a bit unusual, are believable, even the serial killer, once the reader thinks it through. Characters aside, the author infuses humanity into every little crustation that skitters across a scene. Through his genius words, Key West becomes a luscious, multifaceted land and sea character with the mystery of Shangri-La and the sexiness of Hedy Lamar.
I loaned the book to a friend who immediately said he wanted to visit Key West and literally started Googling travel arrangements. Think I'll tag along.
January 29, 2018
With a pervading ecological theme, gratuitous violence, racial stereotyping, south Florida/Key West craziness that make one think what Dave Barry or Carl Hiaasen might have tried to write when they were in junior high school or impossibly stoned. A total disappointment.
July 27, 2018
The only reason this earned a star was because it took place in Key West, my happy place. Way too many descriptions of animals being tortured and killed and just generally not a story I enjoyed. I will admit though that the ending surprised me.
April 7, 2019
The book revolves around a pretty good, accessible plot. There is a serial killer in the Key West area, who, over the course of the novel, kills people who are involved in damaging The Fragile ecosystem of the Florida Keys. The book has a number of characters, most of whom are suspects, all of whom have adequate reason to kill at least one of the victims. Kind of a tropical Murder on the Orient Express. Not a bad plot at all.
So why did I give the book only two stars? The dialogue. Sweet Jesus, the dialogue. No people were ever born who spoke this way. It says if the author needed the characters to say certain things, so he made them say those things, rather than letting them say those things in their own way. I know that sounds kind of weird, pretending that characters in the novel have their own autonomy, but nearly every novelist will tell you that is how it works - - if your writing is going well, the characters will take over from the author.
In this case, let's just say that the author was firmly in control.
So why did I give the book only two stars? The dialogue. Sweet Jesus, the dialogue. No people were ever born who spoke this way. It says if the author needed the characters to say certain things, so he made them say those things, rather than letting them say those things in their own way. I know that sounds kind of weird, pretending that characters in the novel have their own autonomy, but nearly every novelist will tell you that is how it works - - if your writing is going well, the characters will take over from the author.
In this case, let's just say that the author was firmly in control.
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February 8, 2013Zombie environmentalist killer on the loose in Key West trailed by lesbian detective.
December 30, 2025
I first encountered Thomas Sanchez through his wonderful Rabbit Boss, and also enjoyed Mile Zero which came out shortly afterward. Since then, though, I've been gradually more disappointed with his efforts. American Tropic is one I can't recommend even to lovers of the author, or of Key West, or of mystery fiction.
A quick summary: In the Key West area, someone has started killing people who stand out as egregious ravagers of the environment. The killer dresses as Bizango, supposedly a Haitian voodoo avenger. The victims are brutalized and left with a recorded manifesto. The protagonist, Noah, runs a pirate radio station which Bizango sometimes calls. Police detective Luz is tasked with catching him (Bizango, not Noah). With a small cast of characters, Sanchez still manages to twist the ending.
The sense of outrage that made Rabbit Boss so stunning is almost taken for granted here. The characters have no depth except for Noah, and he doesn't have much. The dialogue is really terrible - as another reviewer said, no one talks that way. The plot itself is fine but would have benefitted from more nuance. The entire police department except for Luz seem borderline incompetent (the police chief is a character I especially would have liked to see better development for).
At less than 200 pages, this is a quick read, but it's still what I call overwritten, burdened with too many adjectives and phrases that just aren't needed. "Sound speakers" for "speakers" (what else do speakers produce but sound)? "Fluid acrobatic muscular motions" (throw out "muscular" and pick one of the other two). And my favorite: "wheeled through the merriment in her chair." This one is not only unnecessary but confusing. There's merriment in her wheelchair?
A better question might be, did Sanchez only write this for the money? Because he didn't seem to try very hard here. I'm giving it two stars only because of his past work.
A quick summary: In the Key West area, someone has started killing people who stand out as egregious ravagers of the environment. The killer dresses as Bizango, supposedly a Haitian voodoo avenger. The victims are brutalized and left with a recorded manifesto. The protagonist, Noah, runs a pirate radio station which Bizango sometimes calls. Police detective Luz is tasked with catching him (Bizango, not Noah). With a small cast of characters, Sanchez still manages to twist the ending.
The sense of outrage that made Rabbit Boss so stunning is almost taken for granted here. The characters have no depth except for Noah, and he doesn't have much. The dialogue is really terrible - as another reviewer said, no one talks that way. The plot itself is fine but would have benefitted from more nuance. The entire police department except for Luz seem borderline incompetent (the police chief is a character I especially would have liked to see better development for).
At less than 200 pages, this is a quick read, but it's still what I call overwritten, burdened with too many adjectives and phrases that just aren't needed. "Sound speakers" for "speakers" (what else do speakers produce but sound)? "Fluid acrobatic muscular motions" (throw out "muscular" and pick one of the other two). And my favorite: "wheeled through the merriment in her chair." This one is not only unnecessary but confusing. There's merriment in her wheelchair?
A better question might be, did Sanchez only write this for the money? Because he didn't seem to try very hard here. I'm giving it two stars only because of his past work.
February 3, 2019
Good story, a bit hamfisted
Pros
Great setting
Decent plot
Some good characters
On the whole very entertaining
Cons
Some characters were so absurdly stereotypical as to be distracting (moxel)
The rivalry between Liz and moxel fell flat.
Way too much imagery. This book could lose about half the adjectives. It gets better as the book goes on but the beginning was hard to wade through.
Some side plots were intriguing and should have been explored much more like luzs daughter illness and her own sickness.
The biggest problem with this book is it was written in present tense omniscient. This book should have been written through the lens of the two main characters in third person limited. That would have helped us connect with them much deeper. But still a good read.
Pros
Great setting
Decent plot
Some good characters
On the whole very entertaining
Cons
Some characters were so absurdly stereotypical as to be distracting (moxel)
The rivalry between Liz and moxel fell flat.
Way too much imagery. This book could lose about half the adjectives. It gets better as the book goes on but the beginning was hard to wade through.
Some side plots were intriguing and should have been explored much more like luzs daughter illness and her own sickness.
The biggest problem with this book is it was written in present tense omniscient. This book should have been written through the lens of the two main characters in third person limited. That would have helped us connect with them much deeper. But still a good read.
August 2, 2020
I'm not sure if there are trigger warnings for themes about irreversible ecological destruction, reckless disregard for plant and animal life and exploitative and callous treatment of the planet, but if so, I'm ringing the bell here. I skimmed a good chunk of this book because it was just hard to read about all that. I was on Team Bizango. When it comes to the themes above, vigilante is the type of justice I prefer.
Side note: I'd seen the cover for this book around. Then I read something about the concreted buoy that marks the southernmost point in the continental US which is located in Key West, FL which included photos of this tourist attraction. Then I understood the cover and got the book. Weird how that works.
Side note: I'd seen the cover for this book around. Then I read something about the concreted buoy that marks the southernmost point in the continental US which is located in Key West, FL which included photos of this tourist attraction. Then I understood the cover and got the book. Weird how that works.
November 9, 2024
I would put this book in a category of “Key West Noir” Not as humorous as a Laurence Shames book, it was a quick read that had some qualities that kept me hooked until the end. The author has an In depth knowledge of the Keys and the struggles that the Conchs and Transplants deal with on a daily basis. A bit slow in the beginning, it really took off in the second half and I was happy to have read it. Some of the characters bordered on stereotypes and some of the others seemed to have a struggle highlighted when there wasn’t the need for one to advance the story.
November 12, 2025
This book was interesting, unique, and a little odd. First half of the book was slow but i got more intrigued towards the end. I will say, I didn’t see the ending coming at all!! Characters were very colorful and some of them were compelling. And of course, the setting was wonderful and carried a lot of the story.
April 20, 2020
I'm ok with at little off color language to make a point in a story, but the constant vile insults characters spit at each other in this book, totally interferes with the story. There is no reason for the level of nastiness of the characters and it certainly does not contribute to the story.
July 17, 2020
I tried, but I just couldn't. Felt like it was crass just for the sake of it. Maybe people somewhere really talk to each other like that, but not in my experience. The murder mystery wasn't enough to get past all the rest of it. I don't really care who did it.
May 28, 2025
TBH, I couldn't finish this book. I suppose part of the point of it is to raise awareness of all of the attrocities going on in our oceans, but I couldn't stomach hearing all about it in such detail.
January 26, 2018
This is an interesting ecological thriller with hot button issues.
February 21, 2018
There was way too much killing of animals for me to like this book.
July 11, 2019
This book is not even worth writing a review.
July 8, 2021
Well written but too far-fetched for me.
September 11, 2023
I am just as unimpressed with this novel as I was when I went to the Key West on a grey, rainy, windy, cold day.
October 14, 2025
The blurb was so promising! See Scott's review, my feelings exactly.
September 1, 2012
For some reason when I started this book I had it in my head that this book was about bio-terrorism, but it wasn't about that. No clue where that came from, but what American Tropic really is about is rage fueled murder on the little island of Key West.
The novel centers a group of characters that are all interrelated. Noah Sax runs a pirate radio show out of his boat while he drifts off the coast. He rails against the greed and selfishness of corporations and the damage they're doing to our planet. His Key West callers talk of impending doom and potential damage that new high rise condominiums will do to their island. Luz Zamora is a detective that has lived on Key West all her life and when bodies start turning up, killed and mutilated in horrific ways she gets the case.
The murders are blamed on Bizango a mythical voodoo avenger because the killer wears an elaborate disguise. However, when 2 of the 3 investors of the condominiums are among the murder victims, a common thread starts to develop. It seems that Bizango doesn't want the high rises to be built.
This was one of those books that is a little bit hard for me. It was good. I liked the story. However, at times I felt the writing was a little too sparse maybe is the word? Ordinarily that wouldn't bother me because usually I get annoyed with overly wordy writers. I just felt like there were some details missing here and there.
American Tropic did do something that not too many books have. The ending was such a shock and I was so thrown by it that it put me in funk for a few days. I couldn't start any other books because I was in such a hangover from this book. I even hashed out the ending with my husband, which is something I never do because he is such a non-reader, wondering why this character would do such a thing. By that standard, American Tropic was awesome!
The novel centers a group of characters that are all interrelated. Noah Sax runs a pirate radio show out of his boat while he drifts off the coast. He rails against the greed and selfishness of corporations and the damage they're doing to our planet. His Key West callers talk of impending doom and potential damage that new high rise condominiums will do to their island. Luz Zamora is a detective that has lived on Key West all her life and when bodies start turning up, killed and mutilated in horrific ways she gets the case.
The murders are blamed on Bizango a mythical voodoo avenger because the killer wears an elaborate disguise. However, when 2 of the 3 investors of the condominiums are among the murder victims, a common thread starts to develop. It seems that Bizango doesn't want the high rises to be built.
This was one of those books that is a little bit hard for me. It was good. I liked the story. However, at times I felt the writing was a little too sparse maybe is the word? Ordinarily that wouldn't bother me because usually I get annoyed with overly wordy writers. I just felt like there were some details missing here and there.
American Tropic did do something that not too many books have. The ending was such a shock and I was so thrown by it that it put me in funk for a few days. I couldn't start any other books because I was in such a hangover from this book. I even hashed out the ending with my husband, which is something I never do because he is such a non-reader, wondering why this character would do such a thing. By that standard, American Tropic was awesome!
November 20, 2014
'MILE ZERO' REIMAGINED?
.
I enjoyed this book, as I usually do whenever it's a decent story involving Key West - however, it seemed like largely a rehash of his earlier novel 'Mile Zero'. The plot was similar overall; there was yet another bizarre serial killer with a correspondingly bizarre name, and again disguised as a skeleton; and most of the other characters were eerily reminiscent of 'Mile Zero' as well (the Cuban cop who doesn't eat right, the alcoholic guy seeking redemption, the foxy lady bartender, the space cadet war vet, the gay characters, the dying old artist, the unjustly accused Haitian refugee, the rescued dog, the guy giving away his belongings because the big hurricane is coming, etc.). I also found the conclusion unsatisfying and unrealistic. If you haven't read 'Mile Zero', you should - it's excellent, and better (and longer) than this book. Also, if you're looking for quirky Florida eco-novels, check out Carl Hiassen if you haven't yet.
.
I enjoyed this book, as I usually do whenever it's a decent story involving Key West - however, it seemed like largely a rehash of his earlier novel 'Mile Zero'. The plot was similar overall; there was yet another bizarre serial killer with a correspondingly bizarre name, and again disguised as a skeleton; and most of the other characters were eerily reminiscent of 'Mile Zero' as well (the Cuban cop who doesn't eat right, the alcoholic guy seeking redemption, the foxy lady bartender, the space cadet war vet, the gay characters, the dying old artist, the unjustly accused Haitian refugee, the rescued dog, the guy giving away his belongings because the big hurricane is coming, etc.). I also found the conclusion unsatisfying and unrealistic. If you haven't read 'Mile Zero', you should - it's excellent, and better (and longer) than this book. Also, if you're looking for quirky Florida eco-novels, check out Carl Hiassen if you haven't yet.
August 16, 2013
If you're a fan of the South Florida Wacko Genre, this books for you. It's not quite up to the Dorsey/Hiaasen/Barry standards but it's got a nice spin on the style. The ending seemed a little forced, but for that it would have gotten four stars.
February 8, 2013
I'm not usually much of a mystery reader, but I enjoyed this quick read. The Key West setting made the story more interesting to me, as it is one of my favorite places to visit.
February 15, 2013
Too much maiming and killing of animals for me. Heck I walked out of War Horse. Sure , the bad guys got their due, but not before some pretty gruesome acts. Not my favorite read!
March 14, 2013
First time with Sanchez will definetly read more.
April 2, 2013
Really liked Sanchez's previous "mile zero" so was hoping this was as good. Started that way... and then went horribly wrong.
June 14, 2013
Carl Hiaasen without the humor.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews