Location, location, location.

Gideon Lowry, private detective with little to do, and part time bar pianist playing mostly Gershwin and Cole Porter, has lived his whole life in Key West. He used to know pretty well everyone there. But over the years it has been changing, becoming more of a tourist destination and the developers are intent on transforming it even more. His home and office just happen to be right in the middle of the proposed rebuilding to a fancy mall and he, together with his neighbouring run down grocery store are among the last to hold out against purchase. The changes have brought prosperity to some: his long time friend Gabby has transformed her little cafe into a trendy, expensive restaurant, too pricey now for him to eat at.
Then his neighbour's shop is burned down. And Gabby is about to get married...

This is the fourth in the wonderful Gideon Lowry series, each one a complete stand alone book. The pace, like that of old Key West itself, might be gentle but the story itself is packed full - of character, atmosphere and underlying tensions. Superbly written, each book is a timeless gem, a peek through the eyes of a long time inhabitant at the unwelcome changes destroying the life he has known. And then there is the mystery, too. Excellence personified.

As with the previous three stories, Blue Moon is narrated by David Wood, a perfect pairing with the text. He becomes Gideon, the reading executed at just the right pace, intonation and expression following each nuance - and the other characters are also voiced individually. Book and narrator in harmony.
Listening to these stories, and Blue Moon in particular, is sheer pleasure. I requested, and was given with no strings attached, a complimentary copy by the rights holder, via Audiobook Boom. Thank you so much. I have loved each book in this series and cannot recommend them highly enough to anyone enjoying good writing, real person characterisation, a sense of time and place and a good detective story without reliance on too much physical violence or confrontation - all read by a fine narrator.

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