It Takes Two: A Novel
The scene is post-World War II Fort Myers, Florida, where local statutes prohibit gambling and "mixed-race" serving staff in hotels, and same-sex love is a felony. So what is former navy lieutenant Dan Ewing, manager of the Caloosa Hotel, doing in bed with former marine sergeant and present Fort Myers P.D. detective Spencer "Bud" Wright? Well, uh, trying to solve the mystery of bullets that have killed two men--one black, one white--and a cross burnt by bedsheet-wearing locals on the Caloosa's grounds. What might the connection between the murders and the cross burning be? Trying to whitewash them seems to muddy waters already thick with blood, so Dan and Bud undertake their own exploration. Meanwhile, Dan, though plagued by nightmares of floating bodies and lost loves, has come to terms with his homosexuality, unlike Bud, still struggling with denial. Mackle focuses thiswhydunnit on the men's relationship, using the details of the mystery and the cover-up to illuminate their deepening attachment as Bud's disenchantment with the town's power structure grows.Whitney ScottCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved