Review: Good Read, But Long Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 9, 2014
Despite the fact that there are some blaring grammatical errors in this book, it is a fairly well written, exciting read. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, a pilot dropped a nuclear missile by mistake while dropping excess ordinance flying through the Florida Keys.  Rather than report this, the pilot and those who also know, cover up the mistake.  Years later, Mac Travis, a lobsterman, while cleaning his traps, discovers the ordinance. His friend Wood, who is retired, confirms that this is a missing nuclear bomb that was never reported as missing, mostly because he was present, then in the military, was present when the cover-up occurred.  What happens now?  To make matters worse, the then military pilot is now running as the Vice Presidential candidate on a ticket that is about to either win or lose the election.  The pilot who dropped the bomb is now commander of the Key West Naval base. There is one more complication: terrorists eying the discovery and a con man all hoping to profit from the mistake. The plot unfolds quite well, with exciting twist and turns throughout.  I enjoyed reading about sunny, warm Key West during this cold, frigid weather, and, though I am also in Florida, the warm sunny days the story evokes are not here right now and make me dream of what will be here shortly. This story is particularly noteworthy because it is the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, bringing more emphasis to the memory/history. At the same time, the book captures well the real essence of Key West and the Keys and what they are as well as pointing to an often forgotten historical event and some of the tawdry political machinations that occur.  This book, though a bit too lengthy for me (could have been about 100 pages shorter), has great appeal for the reader who enjoys excitement and thrills.  This is an author whose works I will be looking for in the future, as I see great promise of enjoyment in them. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.