The Key Lime Crime
Page 24
Wash and dry lettuce; arrange on a pretty platter. Top with sliced tomatoes, mozzarella balls, basil, olives, and avocado. Place steak on top and serve more dressing on the side.
Acknowledgments
I’m very grateful to the talented staff at Crooked Lane Books—Jenny Chen, Ashley Di Dio, Matt Martz, Chelsey Emmelhainz, Rachel Keith, and many others who nurtured this book to life and then launched it into the world. Thank you all! I am crazy about my cover artists, Griesbach and Martucci. And what a joy to work with editor Sandy Harding again—an unexpected pleasure! Thanks always to my persistent and smart agent, Paige Wheeler.
My Facebook friends are so generous when I need help. They are instantly willing to brainstorm what to name a character or a book or a bakery—or even murder motives. This time out, Ann Mason came up with the name Au Citron Vert (French roughly translated as “at the key lime”) for Claudette Parker’s pâtisserie. Perfectly chichi! And Tammy Werking Hiday cleverly described T-Bone the cat as “the living Swiffer.” Thanks to Mike Brady for suggesting the next book should include the Conch Tour Train.
Thanks to the real David Sloan for enthusiastically endorsing the idea of becoming a character in The Key Lime Crime, and for giving me permission to share his decadent recipe for a key lime martini. Thank you to Eric Nichols for including me on his Cooking With Love team, and to all the volunteers who show up at Metropolitan Community Church every Saturday to make sure hungry folks in Key West receive a delicious hot meal. Many thanks also to Amber Debevec, Steve Torrence, Suzanne and Paul Orchard, Michael Nelson, Tony, Lorenzo aka Ron, Eric and Bill, Leigh, and Cheryl, who are real people and not responsible for the actions of their fictional characters. Steve is generous about correcting my police procedure errors and assures me Chief Sean Brandenburg will be watching too. By the way, I did get stopped by a real Key West cop—on a bicycle, not a scooter. I’m grateful they are out there looking for troublemakers. And Michael Nelson, I’m sorry for making such a fictional mess in your library.
My friends and amazing writers at Jungle Red Writers are a source of constant support and encouragement. Thank you, Hallie Ephron, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Deborah Crombie, Rhys Bowen, Julia Spencer-Fleming, and Jenn McKinlay—these gifted women are exactly the kind of posse you want for your team. Thanks especially to Hank this time for her suggestions on the cover copy.
As Hayley, Miss Gloria, and Mrs. Bransford did, I attended a pie-making class at the Key Lime Pie Company. It was made so much more fun by the three women who joined me, Lori Tedesco Singley, Judy Monahan, and Louise Procida, and by Sigrid, who taught the class with humor and enthusiasm.
The character of T-Bone is based on the kitten I adopted while writing this book. I had a lot of help choosing him—with wonderful results! Thank you to my friends Stan Duprey and Bunnie Smith and Cheryl and Renee and my sister Sue for advice and encouragement, and to the Florida Keys SPCA for keeping T-Bone safe until I was ready for him.
I couldn’t possibly sample all the key lime pies in Key West, but I made a good-faith effort. I can sum up my research by saying I never had a bad bite. Thanks to everyone who helped with this job—especially John, who tried every piece I brought home. And reported at the end of the pie-tasting season, “You know, I’m really not that crazy about key lime pie.” He’s my number-one supporter and always game for the next adventure.
Angelo Pompano and Chris Falcone, my longtime writing buddies and good friends—I could not do this job without your thoughtful comments and good humor. Thank you!
Sometimes a little independent bookstore sells the Key West mysteries with incredible enthusiasm and should be mentioned by name. Thank you to Jean Lewis and all the staff at Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Suzanne and Paul Orchard at Key West Island Books, and the staff at both Books and Books in Key West and R.J. Julia in Madison, Connecticut.
And that brings me to my readers. Thanks for following Hayley’s Key West adventures, for writing to let me know your reactions, and for spreading the word about the series. You make all the hard work worth it!
Lucy Burdette
December 27, 2019
Also available by Lucy Burdette
Key West Food Critic Mysteries
A Deadly Feast
Death on the Menu
Killer Takeout
Fatal Reservations
Death with All the Trimmings
Murder with Ganache
Topped Chef
Death in Four Courses
An Appetite for Murder
Author Biography
Clinical psychologist Lucy Burdette has published 15 mysteries, including the latest in the Key West food critic mysteries. Her books and stories have been shortlisted for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and a past president of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Madison, CT and Key West, FL.
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reaction to the recipes contained in this book.
Copyright © 2020 by Roberta Isleib
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-64385-308-6
ISBN (ePub): 978-1-64385-329-1
Cover design by Griesbach/Martucci
Book design by Jennifer Canzone
Printed in the United States.
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Crooked Lane Books
34 West 27th St., 10th Floor
New York, NY 10001
First Edition: July 2020
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