Miami Twilight

I respectfully disagree with another's review of Mr. Coffey's Miami Twilight which appears here. If indeed a tree was wasted, it was a well wasted tree. I say this for two reasons. For anyone who has spent some time in and around the Miami area, as I have, Mr. Coffey does an admirable job of conveying the sights, sound and pulse of this truly international, intriguing region. I enjoyed his transporting me back for a visit. More importantly though was the result of seeing Mr. Coffey's tale through the first person point of view of his lead character. I don't believe in writing a review of a book and end up giving away the entire storyline in the process. Suffice it to say that this suspenseful, mysterious thriller does reach a conclusion, BUT it's a conclusion through the eyes, mind and heart of the first person main character with all his emotional biases coming into play. It's days later now since I've finished this book, but I'm still wondering whether the character reached the right conclusion or whether instead it was the only one his mind and heart could accept. When you think about it, that's a marvelous ending for a book. Read it and see what your conclusion is. God knows there are choices.

It's almost a free fall for ad executive Garrett Doherty when he dives headfirst into Miami's sea of drugs and sex. Things were getting a little warm for Doherty in the New York office so he finessed a transfer South. Once there he acquires all the trappings befitting an influential go-getter: a SUV, spacious home, and gorgeous wife. Everything is coming up more than roses when he's chosen by Cuban expatriate and land developer Ernesto Rodriguez to promote Tierra Grande, a proposed gated enclave for the wealthy. Rodriguez, whose cocaine dealings have been ignored by the FBI, is desperate for an on the level image. As if having Rodriguez as a client weren't risky enough, the ever avaricious Doherty begins an affair with a sultry lass, Magdalena. Seducer or seduced? Doherty is soon obsessed with Magdalena, and can think of nothing or no one else. The sudden disappearance of Rodriguez and spurious attacks on himself lead even the lust addled Doherty to realize that he's in deep trouble - trouble so deep that he may not climb out of it alive. "Miami Twilight" is one more noir thriller from the gifted Coffey.

As a mystery writer with my debut novel in its initial release, I was fascinated by MIAMI TWILIGHT. MIAMI TWILIGHT is Tom Coffey's second suspense novel. It tells the tale of Garrett Doherty, a public relations man. Garrett is a good man who tries to be a good man. He is married to a fine woman, and he is dedicated to his work. He is a company man, as some good PR men are, and at a business party, a seemingly casual conversation leads to a series of tragic events in a number of different lives. Coffey populates this work with realistically drawn characters, and his plot is swiftly paced taking several unexpected turns. His writing is flawless. MIAMI TWILIGHT is an excellent book.

Public relations specialist Garrett Doherty is just another transplanted New Yorker working in the Miami office until he attends a company party. At the event, Garrett meets Cuban expatriate Ernesto Rodriguez and the two discuss the Yankees especially El Duque Hernandez. The next morning, Ernesto calls and demands that he be given the "cream of the crop" as he plans to use Garrett as his PR man on his tierra grande project. With his company trying for years to gain Rodriguez's account, Garrett has pitched his way to the top with his unknowingly successful endeavor. Garrett begins working on the Rodriguez land development case immediately and through his client he meets Frank Hedges and his wife, Magdalena. Doherty learns that many people believe that Rodriguez has major drug connections that are funding the project. Ernesto seems to be in hiding as if he is dodging Doherty. In spite of that, the PR guru begins an affair with Magdalena, which leaves his head in the clouds (actually somewhere else further south) while all hell breaks loose around him. MIAMI TWILIGHT is an entertaining South Florida thriller that works because Tom Coffey invests a good portion of his novel in insuring Garrett seems real. If that gamut failed, this book would have tanked. Readers believe in Garrett and his foolish affair that seems to have doomed him so that even El Duque or Mariano will be unable to come in to rescue him. Garrett must save himself or else, making the entire story line plausible and the novel a taut thriller.Harriet Klausner