Rodney Riesel is in no danger of soon winning any major prizes for his prose. But so far I’m enjoying his somewhat uneven Dan Coast mysteries, set in Key West. Ocean Floors is the second.
Dan Coast is an unusual hero in that he’s a lottery winner, but his greatest distinction would seem to be that he’s a degenerating alcoholic. Many chapters begin with him waking in a chair – or even on the ground – after a night-long bender. He has reasons for drinking. This might well alienate readers, though Dan can be admirable when he’s on his game.
Ocean Floors begins with Dan driving north to Miami. He stops for lunch at a roadside bar and grill, where he observes the thuggish bartender bullying a waitress. It’s none of his business, but when he gets back to his decrepit Porsche he finds the waitress huddled in it, pleading with him to take her away. His chivalry kicks in, so they zoom off together.
He soon discovers that this is no mousy little waitress. Also, the bartender was no bartender, but somebody Dan has heard of, somebody very dangerous to cross. As the seductive girl worms her way into his affections, a series of crimes begin, including murder and kidnapping. Dan and his big buddy Red will get in very nearly over their heads.
Author Riesel would profit from a good copy editor, or at least a subscription to Grammarly. He is prone to homophone confusions. I thought he handled the humorous banter slightly better this time out than in the last book, but he’s still learning on the job.
One very intriguing addition here is his neighbor across the street, an old lady named Edna McGee. We are told that Edna is the widow of a “marine salvage expert” in Fort Lauderdale who died in the 1980s. Obviously, we are intended to believe this is the wife of the late Travis McGee. I never knew Travis ever got married, but I kind of like having Edna in the stories, though she’s only a tertiary character so far.
Not great literature, the Dan Coast books are fun to read, so far. I think I’ll keep on with them until I get my mind changed. Cautions for language and mature themes.