Bone Island Mambo

For this amateur sleuth, a pleasant Florida Sunday in January turns into a tropical nightmare: "You won't think of Key West as quite so laid-back again." -Miami Herald

It's early. The tourists are still asleep. Freelance and part-time crime photographer Alex Rutledge bicycles near-vacant streets, taking pictures for his own enjoyment. But he's challenged at a restoration district construction site, accused by a developer of snapping photos for an expose.

An hour later, the city police request...