Acts of Nature

Florida, hurricanes and crime make a potent mix, as shown in Edgar-winner King’s fifth entry in his Max Freeman PI series (The Blue Edge of Midnight , etc.). The vacation trip that Max and his cop girlfriend, Sherry Richards, take to his Everglades cabin and then to a friend’s even more remote fishing camp turns into a struggle for survival when hurricane Simone shifts course unpredictably. A trio of unscrupulous thieves scavenging in the hurricane’s wake and a pair of deadly security guards out to protect an illegal asset compound the danger. King vividly describes the hurricane’s force and the different ways people respond to it. Sherry displays her grit and Max his ingenuity in a series of desperate gambles as the story builds to an explosive climax. This is a worthy addition to a Florida subgenre that includes Carl Hiaasen’s Stormy Weather and Tim Dorsey’s Hurricane Punch . (Aug.)