48 SCENE | APRIL 2017 NAKED ALLIANCES by S.K. Nicholls Long-time Florida resident S.K. Nicholls used to be known for having a family that owns and operates one of the oldest and largest nudist resorts in the US, located in Central Florida’s Cypress Cove. After the publication of Naked Alliances? Nicholls might well be best known as an up-and-coming Florida writer whose career is trending up. I’m a fan of how Naked Alliances is set in a world Nicholls knows well — a nudist resort called Leisure Lagoon. The backdrop is the diverse cityscene of Orlando. Add in some alternative sexual lifestyles (including Brandi, a transgender showgirl with a military background), and you’ve got an interesting mix of characters to play off private investigator Richard Noggin. The main plot centers around a cold murder case and a human trafficking ring, so things move around in a snappy, high-paced fashion. Plus there’s much-needed humor woven throughout the story. It’s not Carl Hiaasen, Randy Wayne White, nor Tim Dorsey, but it’s surely an interesting new take on Florida crime fiction. If you’re not squeamish about sex or the seedy side of the Sunshine State, Nicholl’s new book might be just what you’re looking for. Rating: sknicholls.com WITH BALLET IN MY SOUL: A MEMOIR by Eva Maze Eva Maze’s life story is set against an impressive historical backdrop, including the building of the Berlin Wall, the 1972 Munich Olympic Games massacre, and the rise and fall of Pan American Airlines. When she left Romania in 1939 as a teen with the simple dream of being a ballet dancer, she never expected that she’d become one of the first and most successful female theatrical impresarios in all of Europe. During that 40+ year career, she worked with and promoted some of the most successful performing artists and groups, including The Alvin Ailey Dance company, The Living Theatre, The Single Singers, and the First Chamber Dance Quartet. In this 200-page book, Maze’s story comes alive thanks to 250 historical and modern images as well as the many anecdotes about her travels on the business aspect of theater and dance plus her views on the personalities of the stars and current world events. Along the way, she offers detailed moments from her personal life that help readers get to know her beyond what could otherwise be a career-focused autobiography. One example? Oscar’s proposal to her, where he said, “May I have the permanent priority of your affections and seal it with our engagement?” Since 2007, Maze has been living in Sarasota, “reading, watching old Turner classic movies on TV, and reminiscing about my life, loves, and world travels.” Reading this book will make you feel like you’re curled up next to her on the couch, sipping some fine Parisian coffee, and listening to tales about a life well lived. Rating: MoonstonePress.net ECHOES OF TERROR by Maris Soule While many of Maris Soule’s books fall under the category of romance, her 30th book, Echoes of Terror, is a straight-up thriller from start to finish. When Officer Katherine Ward is put on the case of an MIA teen named Misty Morgan, she’s troubled to find out how much the circumstances mirror those of her own kidnapping experience almost two decades prior by The Beekeeper, a sociopath who murdered Ward’s family. Things like this aren’t supposed to happen in Skagway, Alaska! Worse, Morgan is the daughter of a billionaire and the police chief is in the hospital, unable to help. It’s all on Officer Ward to solve this case. Is the kidnapper the same one who took Ward so many years ago? The Beekeeper has recently been released from a Michigan mental institution, LITERARYScene By Ryan G. Van Cleave A WORLD TRAVELER, A CENTRAL FLORIDA MYSTERY, AND AN ALASKA KIDNAPPING arts&culture after all. And will Vince — a Vin Diesel-type of tough guy with military experience and serious computer chops who happens to be a friend of Morgan’s father — arrive in time to help locate the missing girl? Will the kidnapper continue to snatch teens? While there’s much to admire in this new book, Vince’s role isn’t as believable as it should be, and the romance between him and the extremely suspicious Officer Ward feels obligatory versus natural. Yet Florida snowbird author Soule’s line-by-line writing is solid across the board. The fast pace alone might make this worth the read for you. Rating: MarisSoule.com
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