Mick Murphy Key West Short Stories

Mick Murphy Key West Short Stories includes... Finding Picasso, Murder in Key West, The Floater, Drumstick Murder and Shamus Award Nominee ... Vampire Slayer Murdered in Key West

Finding Picasso:
I first wrote "Finding Picasso" in Sept. 2004, but it never went anywhere. The story shows a darker side of protagonist Mick Murphy and that's maybe why I like it and some don't. I've only done some minor editing, so it's pretty much the way I wrote it in '04.

I had the idea for the story years ago as I walked through the Museum of Fine Art in Los Angeles and saw some Picasso painting that I liked. How would I steal them, I wondered and found the hallway that appears in the story. Of course, I didn't steal them, but the seed was planted, and I had fun harvesting it when it had ripened.

Murder in Key West:
The March/April 2007 double issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine is off The March/April 2007 double issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine the racks, so I thought I would put my story from that issue, Murder in Key West, in my collection of short stories. I think of it as an introduction to my novel "Chasin' the Wind," since Liam 'Mad Mick' Murphy, Key West Police Chief Richard Dowley, Key West Police Det. Luis Morales, KWPD CSI officer 'Sherlock,' and Jesuit Padre Thomas are all characters in my Mad Mick Murphy Mystery series. The short story is a preamble to the series and brings a little background of the characters to the reader. I hope you like it.

Drumstick Murder:
"Kris Kristofferson's gruff voice thundered like hurricane winds from the multiple speakers in the Key West Saloon's showroom, his recorded words vibrating off the walls as he sang about love and loss, whiskey, pilgrims, Sunday mornings, and traveling with Bobby McGee.

Window light dimly illuminated the room, the A/C was on high, and it was chilly. I saw Dallas Lucas sitting by the drum set on the shadowy stage about the same time I noticed the CD unit's remote control on the bar. I put my camera bag down and lowered the volume."

The Floater:
"Some days just seem to begin right, to hold promise. The day began that way. I stood barefoot, shirtless, wearing cutoff shorts on the deck of my 40-foot sloop, the Fenian Bastard, and I had a cup of freshly brewed coffee and the daily paper. The morning sun had begun to inch its way over Key West, and the summer breeze carried scents of tropical flora and almost tasted salty. Cotton-ball-like clouds moved across the dark blue sky. The temperature was in the low-80s and by noon, it would be closer to 90. I loved it. It looked like another perfect hurricane-free day in Paradise."

Now Available on Amazon

img
Michael Haskins

Books