- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 28 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312186282
- ISBN-13: 978-0312186289
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 431 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,396,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Key West has been a geographical muse for a gamut of writers from Wallace Stevens to Jimmy Buffett. Cast almost adrift, the last pearl on the string of islands that make up the end of America's East Coast, Key West endures in our imaginations as an expatriate paradise, a pirate hideaway, and a perpetual party. In his debut novel, The Mango Opera, Tom Corcoran does little to shatter these illusions. Indeed, he does quite a bit to fill out the uninitiated reader's understanding of the secretive and steamy history of Cayo Hueso.
Corcoran's hero, Alex Rutledge is a freelance photographer whose island life has taken a turn for the worse with the recent departure of his girlfriend, Annie Minnette. When he isn't shooting magazine glossies and menu food, Rutledge does a bit of forensic work for local law enforcement agencies. It's easy money until the morning he finds Annie's look-alike roommate posed for some gruesome portraits on the other side of his lens. Police begin to suspect a serial killer as the list of victims grows, and Rutledge suspects something more sinister when he realizes the list of victims reads like a page or two from his own little black book.
Like a tropical chef, Corcoran flavors The Mango Opera with colorful characters, crisp dialogue, island history, and quite a bit of dark but highly appropriate humor. He serves it all up in tasty bites that promise to satisfy almost any mystery lover.
From Publishers Weekly
Southern Florida keeps turning out mystery writers. Corcoran's colorful Key West debut shows that there's room for at least one more. Alex Rutledge, longtime Key West resident, earns a precarious living as a photographer whose work includes some crime-site picture taking for the police. Rutledge's laid-back routine is disrupted when estranged girlfriend Annie Minnette shows up with some hastily gathered belongings after her roommate has been found murdered. Rutledge's involvement becomes more direct when additional murders and attempted murders occurAall aimed at women who are part of his somewhat promiscuous past. Rutledge's familiarity with the victims seems to be at the center of a mystery as snarled as a mangrove clump. Untangling the twists proves dangerous and exacting as a parade of memorable characters send Rutledge on a trip down memory lane that includes flashbacks to the Cuban boatlift and dubious characters on both sides of the law. With its sure feel for the Key West that resides beneath the tourist facade and a quirky, hard-edged rhythm pulsing beneath the surface calm, this debut deserves a wide and welcoming audience.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
This opera didn't sing to me,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Mango Opera (Mass Market Paperback)
This first novel is a strained, clumsily-plotted attempt at an entry in the Florida crime novel genre. The main character is a cipher, even though he narrates the book; the mystery is awkwardly described and resolved (several key climaxes take place off stage). The map-like descriptions of the geography of Key West are boring and intrusive. Reading the book was like trying to run through a lake of molasses.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dizzying ride through the Keys,
By Chadd Wheat (Lebanon, IN United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mango Opera (Mass Market Paperback)
As Corcoran's first Alex Rutledge novel, the author introduces a dizzying array of characters and relationships. Almost too many. Rutledge himself is well fleshed out, but the other characters seemed a little weak -- we weren't allowed a true insight into their personalities besides the occasional quirkiness. I read "Gumbo Limbo" first (a later Rutledge mystery) and found "Mango Opera" to be better. Yes, Corcoran is still obsessed with food, drink and giving specific directions on Key West ("I turned right at St. Licky's Church and caught Spinnaker Blvd") as if to prove he's a true "bubba". Or perhaps it's Rutledge who's obsessed with food & drink, but to the reader it becomes tedious. The plot, although a crazed grab bag of a true Soap Opera (hence the title) was enjoyable enough. But it does have a tendency to become confused with so many characters and unsupported plot twists. Bottom line? I will continue to read Corcoran's other offerings. It's a great setting, and the characters and storyline have a real potential. We can only hope that Corcoran continues to develop as an author and give meaty, satisfying substance to a recipe that sounds good and looks good, yet leaves the customer mostly unfulfilled.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Living the Life,
By
This review is from: The Mango Opera (Mass Market Paperback)
This book was tough to put down. I read it in two days! I liked the character development and the mental pictures Corcoran's words evoked. As we are near the same age, most of his examples resonated with me. I have been to Key West several times and he makes me want to get there again soon. He shares with me the point of view of the resident and I liked that. I found it hard to believe this was his first book. Very nice job and I look forward to reading more of him.
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