I really wish I'd never read any book by Laurence Shames because then I would have all of his books and be able to delightfully discover each and every one of them. Two of his characters - Bert the Shirt and Don Giovanni (Bert's chihuahua) are probably my favorite characters in literature. Mangrove Squeeze finds Aaron Katz who's trying to carve out a new life in Key West keeping a bed and breakfast alive. His training on Wall Street isn't serving him too well. Suki Sperakis is selling advertising for a weekly shopper and trying to get her life started. The Russian mafia has made Key West their new home. Everything collides in a wonderful story. Shames tells wonderful stories with wonderful characters and Mangrove Squeeze is one of his best. ( )

I've read several Shames books and all of them have been good and Mangrove Arms is no exception. A good plot with good characters; and even though I like a more terse style of writing, Shames is still able to hold my attention with his more descriptive style of writing. Recommend especially to those who enjoy stories set in Florida/Key West. ( )