Tim Dorsey, native Floridian and current Tampa resident, spent years covering crime and politics for esteemed newspapers and publications. Since 1999, he has drawn upon his killer reporting background to write 19 suspenseful novels, most of which prominently feature his homeland. He recently released Coconut Cowboy—another great reason to find some shade under a Sabal palm. Below, his annotated best-of list of Florida-centric lit

1. The Deep Blue Good-By
   by John D. MacDonald
   “The godfather of Florida crime fiction introduces the world to the iconic Travis McGee.”
   (Random House, 2013)
2.  Ninety-two in the Shade
   by Thomas McGuane
   “Perfectly captures Key West in the 1970s.
   (Vintage, 1995)
3. Miami Blues
   by Charles Willeford
   “Some of the best hard-boiled Florida noir out there.”
   (Vintage, 2004)
4. Last Train to Paradise
   by Les Standiford
   “Chronicles Henry Flagler’s drive to open up the peninsula.”
   (Broadway Books, 2003)
5. The WPA Guide to Florida
   by the Federal Writers’ Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of Florida
   “Originally written in the 1930s, it’s the best Florida travel guide ever, complete with suggested road trips.”
   (Pantheon, 1984)
6. Sanibel Flats
   by Randy Wayne White
   “Doc Ford begins his run in
   southwest Florida.”
   (St. Martin’s, 1991)
7. Rum Punch
   by Elmore Leonard
   “You’ll never look at Palm Beach
   County the same again.”
   (Harper, 2011)
8. Under Cover of Daylight
   by James W. Hall
   “Mystery, literature and the Keys
   all in one stop.”
   (W. W. Norton & Company, 1987)

Where does Dorsey chill out with a hot summer read?

He says, “I like to read when I’m on the road in cheap motel rooms. It’s all about the atmosphere.”