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The Gay Detective #2
Only In Key West
When vacationing Chicago detectives Nick and Norm witness a tragic accident involving a famous entertainer, the local police chief asks for their help. The duo's investigation uncovers crime and corruption in paradise as they come face-to-face with a ruthless killer...As homegrown eccentrics, drag queens, and dwarves rush to their aid in this heart- pounding thriller!
- GenresM M RomanceAudiobook
244 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 24, 2017
12 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 1, 2019
Thanks to Readers Views for this book.
I really enjoyed this mystery. The characters were well developed (no pun intended since a lot of the scenes were in strip clubs with drag queens).
This is the 2nd of the series and I would have liked to read the 1st one to see how Nick and his partner Norm met but I got an idea of it. Nick and Norm are police detectives in CG and are in Key West for vacation and get involved in a case. Nick also hosts his own show in CG "The Gay Detective," and falls for the Chief of Police.
I really enjoyed this mystery. The characters were well developed (no pun intended since a lot of the scenes were in strip clubs with drag queens).
This is the 2nd of the series and I would have liked to read the 1st one to see how Nick and his partner Norm met but I got an idea of it. Nick and Norm are police detectives in CG and are in Key West for vacation and get involved in a case. Nick also hosts his own show in CG "The Gay Detective," and falls for the Chief of Police.
September 28, 2017
Reviewed by Sheri Hoyte for Reader Views (09/17)
“Only in Key West” by Kenneth D. Michaels is the second book in The Nick & Norm Gay Detective Series. Enchanting and thrilling, this story will delight armchair sleuths on a masterful ride through murder and mayhem in the Florida Keys.
After solving a major case, Chicago detectives Nick Scott and Norm Malone take a well deserved vacation, just in time to bring in the New Year–Key West style. Festivities are interrupted when famous entertainer Sho Yu and her fiancé are injured in a tragic accident. Witnessing the scene firsthand, Nick and Norm are quickly recruited by the local police chief to help with the case. As the investigation unfolds, the detectives uncover a slew of mysterious suicides that just don’t add up, and a trail of crime and corruption that give them a run for their money, effectively ending their so-called vacation. Family, secrets, tangled relationships, drag queens and drama, the colorful world of all that is Key West comes alive in this spectacular action-packed thriller.
I had such a fun experience reading this book. While I was definitely expecting an exciting thriller–what I walked away with was that–and so much more!
First off, it was apparent from the beginning that Michaels really enjoyed writing this book. And, while I’m sure a lot of time and energy went into this project with the research, the various stages of writing, planning and publication, etc., the end result feels like it was an effortless excursion. Smooth, free-flowing entertainment–I was captivated from the start!
Michaels writes with a sharp, clever presence that is high on my list of expectations for an entertaining read. Mental gymnastics–you just can’t force humor and witty conversation between characters. In my opinion that can only come naturally.
As to character development, readers meet a variety of colorful characters with equally vibrant personalities. From impossibly annoying to completely loveable, I felt a great connection with each. I totally loved the ongoing dialogue, especially between Nick and Norm, who could probably complete each other’s sentences.
As appealing as the characters are, the setting takes no back seat. Michaels drops readers directly into the heart of Key West. Descriptive and thorough, by the end of the story, I felt like I knew my surroundings and could make my way all around the island.
Being that “Only in Key West” is the second book in a series, I planned on having to do some research to get up to speed with the story, but that was not the case at all. The author provides background information on the characters and their lives prior to Key West in such a way that I felt like I didn’t miss out on anything. At the same time, I don’t think those that read the first story will feel like they are re-reading book one as it relates to the back story–it holds the perfect balance of information for new or returning fans. I will say that the writing style captivated me enough to want to go back and check out the first book in the series, The Gay Detective.
Fans of mystery/thrillers and LGBTQ fiction will thoroughly enjoy “Only in Key West,” by Kenneth D. Michaels. I highly recommend as a five star read!
“Only in Key West” by Kenneth D. Michaels is the second book in The Nick & Norm Gay Detective Series. Enchanting and thrilling, this story will delight armchair sleuths on a masterful ride through murder and mayhem in the Florida Keys.
After solving a major case, Chicago detectives Nick Scott and Norm Malone take a well deserved vacation, just in time to bring in the New Year–Key West style. Festivities are interrupted when famous entertainer Sho Yu and her fiancé are injured in a tragic accident. Witnessing the scene firsthand, Nick and Norm are quickly recruited by the local police chief to help with the case. As the investigation unfolds, the detectives uncover a slew of mysterious suicides that just don’t add up, and a trail of crime and corruption that give them a run for their money, effectively ending their so-called vacation. Family, secrets, tangled relationships, drag queens and drama, the colorful world of all that is Key West comes alive in this spectacular action-packed thriller.
I had such a fun experience reading this book. While I was definitely expecting an exciting thriller–what I walked away with was that–and so much more!
First off, it was apparent from the beginning that Michaels really enjoyed writing this book. And, while I’m sure a lot of time and energy went into this project with the research, the various stages of writing, planning and publication, etc., the end result feels like it was an effortless excursion. Smooth, free-flowing entertainment–I was captivated from the start!
Michaels writes with a sharp, clever presence that is high on my list of expectations for an entertaining read. Mental gymnastics–you just can’t force humor and witty conversation between characters. In my opinion that can only come naturally.
As to character development, readers meet a variety of colorful characters with equally vibrant personalities. From impossibly annoying to completely loveable, I felt a great connection with each. I totally loved the ongoing dialogue, especially between Nick and Norm, who could probably complete each other’s sentences.
As appealing as the characters are, the setting takes no back seat. Michaels drops readers directly into the heart of Key West. Descriptive and thorough, by the end of the story, I felt like I knew my surroundings and could make my way all around the island.
Being that “Only in Key West” is the second book in a series, I planned on having to do some research to get up to speed with the story, but that was not the case at all. The author provides background information on the characters and their lives prior to Key West in such a way that I felt like I didn’t miss out on anything. At the same time, I don’t think those that read the first story will feel like they are re-reading book one as it relates to the back story–it holds the perfect balance of information for new or returning fans. I will say that the writing style captivated me enough to want to go back and check out the first book in the series, The Gay Detective.
Fans of mystery/thrillers and LGBTQ fiction will thoroughly enjoy “Only in Key West,” by Kenneth D. Michaels. I highly recommend as a five star read!
March 7, 2020
Only in Key West (Nick and Norm Gay Detective Series 2)
BY Kenneth D. Michaels
La Mancha Press, 2017
Fours stars
As I re-read my review of Kenneth Michaels’s first novel, “The Gay Detective,” I finally found the word that best describes the author’s overall tone in both of these books: antic.
It’s a good thing that the antic quality of the action and the narrative tone in “Only in Key West” suits the book much better. Sure, there is murder and mayhem, but there is a certain distance from both Nick and Norm’s lives that keep the lightness from jarring with the dark bits. That’s why this book got a full-on four stars from me, rather than an encouraging three-point-five rounded up.
Michaels is a clever writer, and with the chronological and emotional remove from Chicago and its sadness, Nick and Norm finally begin to feel like they really make sense. I especially appreciate that Nick is struggling to come to grips with the loss of his longtime partner, Darren, and feeling all sorts of guilt at his attraction to Key West’s hot Cuban police chief, Rafael Perez.
I also much appreciate Nick’s evolving partnership/friendship with Norm, an older widowed policeman whose family embraced Nick in his grief in the first book. There is all sorts of new awkwardness unleashed in this book, but once more, in the context of a Key West vacation, during which murder is kept at a good arm’s length from the two cops, the sitcom silliness of the awkwardness doesn’t conflict with the genuine pain that both Nick and Norm are feeling over their personal tragedies.
The flip side to an unexpected involvement in a local mystery, is the comic journey of straight old Norman through the back streets of very very gay Key West. As Nick tries to shed his sorrow and guilt, Norm has to try to let go of his hetero expectations and prejudices. The author is surprisingly gentle with this, mostly seen through Nick’s eyes, and that makes it work nicely. The moral of the tale is simply: once you see people for who they really are, then acceptance isn’t much of a leap.
Given that Michaels wrote this book in 2017, I’m wondering if there will be more in the series. I hope so.
BY Kenneth D. Michaels
La Mancha Press, 2017
Fours stars
As I re-read my review of Kenneth Michaels’s first novel, “The Gay Detective,” I finally found the word that best describes the author’s overall tone in both of these books: antic.
It’s a good thing that the antic quality of the action and the narrative tone in “Only in Key West” suits the book much better. Sure, there is murder and mayhem, but there is a certain distance from both Nick and Norm’s lives that keep the lightness from jarring with the dark bits. That’s why this book got a full-on four stars from me, rather than an encouraging three-point-five rounded up.
Michaels is a clever writer, and with the chronological and emotional remove from Chicago and its sadness, Nick and Norm finally begin to feel like they really make sense. I especially appreciate that Nick is struggling to come to grips with the loss of his longtime partner, Darren, and feeling all sorts of guilt at his attraction to Key West’s hot Cuban police chief, Rafael Perez.
I also much appreciate Nick’s evolving partnership/friendship with Norm, an older widowed policeman whose family embraced Nick in his grief in the first book. There is all sorts of new awkwardness unleashed in this book, but once more, in the context of a Key West vacation, during which murder is kept at a good arm’s length from the two cops, the sitcom silliness of the awkwardness doesn’t conflict with the genuine pain that both Nick and Norm are feeling over their personal tragedies.
The flip side to an unexpected involvement in a local mystery, is the comic journey of straight old Norman through the back streets of very very gay Key West. As Nick tries to shed his sorrow and guilt, Norm has to try to let go of his hetero expectations and prejudices. The author is surprisingly gentle with this, mostly seen through Nick’s eyes, and that makes it work nicely. The moral of the tale is simply: once you see people for who they really are, then acceptance isn’t much of a leap.
Given that Michaels wrote this book in 2017, I’m wondering if there will be more in the series. I hope so.
June 8, 2017
Michaels has a keen perceptive eye for describing characters and place - and Key West comes alive when you read Nick and Norm's latest case. When the chief of police asks them to help solve the cases of the disappearance of a star of the 801 club and a suspicious suicide, they can't wait to get started. Many things are suspicious - why haven't the police investigated three other similar suicides?; why haven't they searched the back roads for Sho, the missing star? A side plot has Nick getting romantically involved with Chief Perez and Norm discovers his feelings for someone completely unexpected, Nick's mother... With the help of a psychologist's profiling and their friend the medical examiner, they come close to solving the mystery and nearly lose their lives. You really end up caring for both Nick and Norm and hope there's another book in the works about these two. Couldn't put it down.
December 3, 2019
Certainly recommend reading this in Key West, which is where I picked it up thanks to a “staff pick” recommendation at Judy Blume’s bookstore! Some good local references, fun dialogue and fast paced.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews