Two Faces, Two Faced - Coming Soon

As alluded to in an earlier post, my next novel soon to be published is a mystery/thriller set in and around Miami, Florida. Here is a blurb I wrote for it:

            Tracy Wiley lives by two simple rules: take things as they come and levity lightens the load. She’s content in her job as concierge in a Miami convention center solving other people’s problems. She keeps her relationships minimal, including only her beloved father and steady guy Alex Laughlin. All is well until Alex tries to talk about their future and becomes angry when she responds with sarcastic quips. Both petrified by the idea of commitment and devastated by the split, she takes off on a cruise and runs straight into trouble when enigmatic Robert befriends her.

            Their brief friendship draws the attention of a government taskforce that recruits Tracy to help catch Robert’s boss, Elena Griegos, head of a smuggling empire and a near perfect twin for Tracy. Masquerading as Elena to help trap her cohorts, Tracy plunges into a dangerous world where everyone has two faces, including the sexy C.I.A. agent assigned to protect her, a duplicitous Interpol agent, and a legendary assassin. Even Elena is not what she seems. To regain control of her life, Tracy must swallow her pride and ask Alex for help, only to discover that he too has a few surprises in store.

I've been to Miami a number of times and have also been on a cruise and visited Jamaica, although many years ago. Coupled with some research (gotta love map software and satellite images!), some of the places are real but many of the businesses exist only in my imagination.

One big inspiration for this novel was John D. MacDonald's "The Girl, The Gold Watch, and Everything." It's a favorite of mine for incorporating a puzzle to solve along with some humor. While I don't purport to match Mr. MacDonald's sharp wit, hopefully people will find Tracy's wry sarcasms humorous.

Time will tell.