Great to hear from you again!  The weather here has been lousy - we've had 
the wettest summer I can remember.  And hot - whew.  August is typically 
90-100 with humidity just about the same.  By August I tend to have finally 
gotten into the summer groove.  Everything slows waaay down.  The water in 
the swimming pool is about the same temperature as a bath, and it's the only 
month of the year when nothing that I'm allergic to is growing.
I haven't read Straley - haven't even heard of him, but will check him out.
I've read some terrific books this summer - the new Robert Crais (can't 
remember the name and I've loaned it to my daughter), two Edna Buchanans, 
Carolyn Wheat, the new Steve Martini (The Judge) and two terrific books by 
Thomas Perry, Vanishing Act and Dance for the Dead.
Since you like those south Florida books, you should enjoy Buchanan if you 
haven't read her before.  The two I just read are, Suitable for Framing and 
Miami, it's Murder.
Have you read Steve Martini?  He has a really irritating (at first) writing 
style - first person, PRESENT TENSE.  Drove me nuts, but he really good and I 
soon forgot the weird style - which I'm (grudgingly forced to admit) adds a 
certain urgency to the book.  If you haven't read him at all - they are legal 
thrillers - it's best (but not necessary) to read them in order.
I also read a very old Edith Wharton (well, I guess they're ALL old) called, 
The House of Mirth, that my sister-in-law left here and just loved it.  And 
I've been reading books about France because we are planning a trip there in 
October. Not the best time of year, but my sister will have a place in the 
south of France for a week and it's hard to turn down a free week ;)  
Naturally we are taking an additional week and going to Provence, then Paris 
for a couple of days.
Hope you are still enjoying that good weather.
Belle
 
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