From the Edgar-nominated, bestselling series that gets better with each book, and an author who constantly surprises, comes Bermuda Schwartz--a tale of hidden treasure, murder, romance, and rum.A young scuba guide, scouting new dive sites in the shipwreck-laden reefs that rim Bermuda, makes a fatal discovery--a treasure more valuable than gold or jewels. And some people are willing to kill for it. Enter Zack Chasteen, knockabout palm-tree farmer, and his inscrutable Taino associate, Boggy, who have been dragged to Bermuda by Zack's ladylove, Barbara Pickering. She needs their help throwing a gala 75th birthday party for her wealthy and eccentric Aunt Trula. While there, Zack drops by the bank to visit his money, a couple of million dollars earned in recent exploits that he has stashed away in one of the country's notorious tax-free offshore accounts. Big problem: Zack's money is gone and his bankers can't seem to explain where it is or who might have it. Zack is grappling with another issue as well: Where is this whole thing going with him and Barbara Pickering? She's not pressing, but it's clear she'd like to tie the knot, maybe start a family. Is Zack really ready to say, "I do?" As he wrestles with the dilemmas of love and money, both of which may wind up lost, Zack falls in with wise and wily Teddy Schwartz, a legendary Bermudan treasure salvager and one of Aunt Trula's longtime paramours. Schwartz is harboring a few secrets of his own, and Zack is soon crossing paths with a secret sect of religious zealots who are hoping to complete a bloody and tumultuous two-thousand-year-old quest. Suspenseful, laugh-out-loud hilarious, and startlingly original, Bermuda Schwartz is Bob Morris's best book yet, a rollicking island yarn that turns the historical puzzle thriller on its head! Former Miami Dolphins linebacker Zack Chasteen absorbed the wisdom of his coaches. One such pearl was "Don't tap dance at the line of scrimmage." So, when a benign trip to Bermuda with his significant other is upset by a brutal murder, and some financial jiggery-pokery robs him of $2 million from a Bermuda bank account, Zack blitzes. He's quickly up to his keister in violent local thugs, the search for sunken treasure, Bermudan police, and his own machinations to recover his two mil. Morris' third Zack novel is amiable, engaging, and brisk, and Zack's direct approach to problem solving is a pleasant change of pace from so many of today's conflicted and complex fictional knights errant. But some readers may feel they've been shorted on character development, and others will miss a strong sense of place. Still, there's a ripping good yarn here, and that will be plenty for those who liked Zack's earlier adventures, Bahamarama (2004) and Jamaica Me Dead (2005). Thomas Gaughan Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Praise for BAHAMARAMA :"The splace that Morris made with last year's Edgar-nominated BAHAMARAMA becomes a tidal surge with his highly entertaining second novel. Briskly paced...Morris joins the ranks of Florida authors such as James O. Born and Claire Matturro whose second novel is even stronger than the first."--Florida Sun-Sentinel "'BAHAMARAMA is no fluke. While Morris can't be called the Carl Hiaasen of South Florida--there already is one-- he comes closest to what fans of comedic mysteries are looking for when they hear that comparison."--The Flint Journal Bob Morris' books are: "Entertaining"-- Orlando Sentinel "Stylish"--Rany Wayne White "Suspenseful"-- The Flint Jounal "Zany"-- Publishers Weekly "Smart"--Carl Hiaasen "Engrossing"--Michael Connelly "Amazing"-- Library Journal "Cinematic"-- Miami Herald "Marvelous"--Dave Barry BOB MORRIS, a former columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, Fort Myers News Press and The New York Times regional newspapers, served as editor of Caribbean Travel & Life and Gulfshore Life magazines. His work regularly appears in National Geographic Traveler, Islands , Bon Appetit and other publications. Morris, the author of the 2005 Edgar Award finalist Bahamarama , as well as Jamica Me Dead , lives in Winter Park, Florida. Chapter One Lunchtime at Ocean's Seafood--I'm eating a fried grouper sandwich and grappling with a major philosophical dilemma. Barbara Pickering sits across the table from me. As usual, she is in tune with my innermost thoughts and desires. "You are already contemplating a piece of the key lime pie, aren't you?" she says. "Depends on what you mean by already." "I mean, you are one bite into your rather large sandwich, there remains a rather small mountain of French fries to be consumed, plus that cupful of coleslaw, and yet there you are thinking about ordering the pie . . . already." "It's good pie," I say. "They mix crushed peanuts with graham crackers for the crust. They use real lime juice in the filling, not the bottled stuff. Pie like that, there's a lot to contemplate." Barbara smiles. "I can read you like a book, Ch