Pier Pressure (A Keely Moreno Mystery)

Keely Moreno, now free from an abusive ex-husband, is living in Key West and building up her foot reflexology business. Things seem to be going fairly well until she arrives for an appointment at her wealthy patient Margaux Ashford's house to find her dead of a gunshot. The police are very interested in Keely because she found the victim. They question her quite often, but there are plenty of suspects to go around. She and her friends decide to try to solve the murder, because they aren't convinced the police will look at all the possible suspects. Other things begin to happen, including a fire and another death. Each of these events is in some way related to Keely. This doesn't help direct the police to other suspects. Keely finds herself in some sticky situations. Can she and her friends find the murderer without her becoming the next victim? This is the first book by this author that I have read. It definitely won't be the last. I really enjoyed Keely, and the Key West location was very refreshing. I felt like I was on vacation while reading this book. Keely and her friends and family are such fun characters. You never know what might happen next. I can't wait to read another book in this series. I highly recommend this book.

This book was good on so many different levels. First of all, I loved the flavor of Key West that runs all through it. Many times I felt as though I were there--even though I have never seen the Keys for myself. Knowing that the author spends several months a year there, tells me that most of these places actually exist. Secondly, the characters were so vivid. I loved Keely, Punt, Jass, Gram, and Beau, and I'd love to read a sequel to find out more about them. I found myself deeply involved in their adventures, and I was often rooting and frightened for them. Last, a great deal of suspense ran throughout the novel. It might have been the pervasive, malevolent presence of Jude; the fire; the body; or perhaps the suspicions of the police. All of these things kept me reading frantically. I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys a well-written, compelling novel.

In this latest novel from author Dorothy Francis, readers are returned to Key West to consider a different heroine and supporting cast than in "Conch Shell Murder." This time it is Keely Moreno, foot reflexologist, who faces death, romance, and the daily stress of living in paradise. Despite the fact that her abusive ex husband lives on Kew West as well these days and could be ignoring the restraining order against him, Kelly has made a new life for herself and is doing rather well. That is until on a visit to a patient's home for a scheduled appointment, she finds Margaux Ashford dead from a gunshot wound. While the list of suspects for killing the wealthy woman is long, no one else's gun was used to fire the fatal shot. That fact, as well as the fact that she found the body make Keely the number one suspect in the eyes of the police. Knowing how the local police operate and being not at all impressed, Keely, with a little pushing from her friends, decides to investigate the case herself by asking the suspects, many of whom are her patients, where they were at the estimated time of death. As everyone knows, asking questions can get one into trouble fast, which is exactly what happens for Kelly. Written in the same style as her cozy, "Conch Shell Murder," Dorothy Francis shows her love of Key West. Lush descriptions of the area abound, as do the characters that populate her novel. Many of them are amusingly eccentric and one gets the feeling they are based on real people the author has known. The list of suspects is long and often entertaining as their various eccentricities are covered. At the same time, underneath it all is a tight mystery that provides a rich and enjoyable read for adults of any age. Book Facts: Pier Pressure By Dorothy Francis Five Star Publishing http://www.galegroup.com/fivestar/ 2005 ISBN # 1-59414-271-8 Hardback $24.95 US ARC-Scheduled Release Date 01/21/05 This entire review previously appeared online at the Blue Iris Journal Blog. Kevin R. Tipple © 2004

In Key West, Keely Moreno is the only foot reflexologist on the island; she takes patients in her office but for special clients she makes house calls. When Keely arrives at Margaux Ashford's house, she finds her client dead from a bullet, a gun in her hand. The police question Keely extensively but won't say if the rich civic minded woman was murdered or committed suicide. Keely is friendly with the children of Margaux's husband, Jess and Punt; the trio agrees to look for suspects. The matter becomes urgent for the reflexologist because ballistics show Margaux was shot with Keely's gun and the alibi of Margaux's husband fails to check out. Keely believes her abusive ex-husband is the guilty party because she and her grandmother saw him following her despite a restraining order. When a fire burns down the house she is living in Keely thinks her former spouse has something to do with it because she spotted him in the crowd and he left evidence behind. Punt isn't at all certain he's the perpetrator and insists they keep investigating, a move that almost costs Keely her life. PIER PRESSURE is a fantastic amateur sleuth tale with equal attention given to characterizations and the investigation. Keely is a vulnerable yet courageous woman trying to start life over after being beaten continuously by her ex-husband. Although he is stalking her, there is no direct evidence linking him to the murder so readers will wonder who the perpetrator really is and keep reading to find out. Dorothy Francis is a talented writer and this reviewer will be on the lookout for her next mystery. Harriet Klausner