The Tampa to Key West Murder Express

The Tampa to Key West Murder Express is an exciting mystery. In this tale, a series of murders in Tampa and Key West have mystified law enforcement officers and private investigators for months. The crimes at first seemed unrelated until some blatant similarities became obvious. In the end, one obvious connection was that both the victims and the murderers regularly travelled between Tampa and Key West. They made their trips in a number of ways. A Tampa to Key West shuttle service made travel between the two cities convenient. It was a simple and easy boat ride. The little shuttle boats had slot machines and full bars along with a small deli operation. There was even a sun deck atop the boats for sunbathers to enjoy the breeze. Of course there was always the travel by Interstate Highway option. People with time on their hands could make a longer and less convenient road trip across a boring stretch of the Everglades called "Alligator Alley" to reach the East Coast and Route 95. That trek was followed by a seemingly endless nine hour journey from the Fort Lauderdale area through all the Keys to Key West, the island paradise. Either method of travel worked and the heroes and killers in this tale used both. Of course with the advent of discount flights, they could have traveled by air, but that was somehow not in the spirit of things, although the new airline offering discounted fairs called itself "Spirit Air." Besides, airline tickets left an inconvenient paper trail. Although they travelled by car, they were traveling at high speeds. Their activities were somewhat urgent. Given the need for fast travel by air or by car, each method of connecting the two cities could be called a "Murder Express."

Carl ＂C.G.＂ Schott is a published historian, novelist, poet, lecturer and mystery writer. His prior books include the ＂Le Flo Trilogy＂--A MURDER IN MORLAIX, THE GHOSTS OF LABADEE and NAKED AS THE TRUTH. Carl has also published MISSION TO SAINT PETERSBURG, a work of historical research based upon published and unpublished sources. Carl holds a Ph.D. in European History from the University of Notre Dame.