Key West lies at the southernmost point of the continental United States, ninety miles from Cuba, at Mile Marker 0 on famed U.S. Highway 1. Famous for six-toed cats in the Hemingway House, Sloppy Joe’s and Captain Tony's, Jimmy Buffett songs, body paint parade "costumes," and a brief secession from the Union after which the Conch Republic asked for $1 billion in foreign aid, Key West also lies at the metaphorical edge of our sensibilities. How this unlikely city came to be a tourist mecca is the subject of Robert Kerstein's intrepid new history. Sited on an island only four miles long and two miles wide, Key West has been fishing village, salvage yard, U.S. Navy base, cigar factory, hippie haven, gay enclave, cruise ship port-of-call, and more. Duval Street, which stretches the length of one of the most unusual cities in America, is today lined with brand-name shops that can be found in any major shopping mall in America. Leaving no stone unturned, Kerstein reveals how Key West has changed dramatically over the years while holding on to the uniqueness that continues to attract tourists and new residents to the island.

Instant New York Times bestseller One of Bustle’s Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2020 “The perfect riveting summer read!”—BookBub In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys. For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape. After the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position, she agrees to an arranged marriage with a notorious American. Following her wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to her new husband, his illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life. Elizabeth Preston's trip to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles after the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own. Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women’s paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys.

How the unique island city came to be a major tourist destination Key West lies at the southernmost point of the continental United States,ninety miles from Cuba, at Mile Marker 0 on famed U.S. Highway 1. Famous forsix-toed cats in the Hemingway House, Sloppy Joe's and Captain Tony's, JimmyBuffett songs, body paint parade "costumes," and a brief secessionfrom the Union after which the Conch Republic asked for $1 billion in foreignaid, Key West also lies at the metaphorical edge of our sensibilities.  Howthis unlikely city came to be a tourist mecca is the subject of RobertKerstein's intrepid new history. Sited on an island only four miles long andtwo miles wide, Key West has been fishing village, salvage yard, U.S. Navybase, cigar factory, hippie haven, gay enclave, cruise ship port-of-call, andmore. Duval Street, which stretches the length of one of the most unusualcities in America, is today lined with brand-name shops that can be found inany major shopping mall in America.  Leavingno stone unturned, Kerstein reveals how Key West has changed dramatically overthe years while holding on to the uniqueness that continues to attract touristsand new residents to the island.

The sights and sounds of Key West, America's southernmost city, are captured in this collection of award-winning photographs. From solitary fly fishermen on the crystal-clear waters of the flats to the annual Fantasy Fest Parade, this experience of Key West is, first and foremost, a visually sensual one.

One night, eight months ago, Sonnie Giacano lost everything-her husband, her unborn child, and a significant portion of her memory. She knows what happened to her was no accident, but rather something so sinister she's blocked it from her mind.

The fast-paced and gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West Railroad—one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken, destroyed in one fell swoop by the strongest storm ever to hit U.S. shores. In 1904, the brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler, partner to John D. Rockefeller, dreamed of a railway connecting the island of Key West to the Florida mainland, crossing a staggering 153 miles of open ocean—an engineering challenge beyond even that of the Panama Canal. Many considered the project impossible, but build it they did. The railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for more than twenty-two years, heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World,” until its total destruction in 1935's deadly storm of the century. In Last Train to Paradise, Standiford celebrates this crowning achievement of Gilded Age ambition, bringing to life a sweeping tale of the powerful forces of human ingenuity colliding with the even greater forces of nature’s wrath.

"Here's a mystery that pushes all the right buttons -- dead bodies, drug deals, dames in distress, a take-no-guff police lieutenant out to save the day -- all taking place on that nowhere-left-to-go destination, Key West..." —Byron Rupert McCafferty, Online Critics Corner Key West, April 1966. What does missing mob money from the fall of Havana have to do with the death of old family friend and fishing guide, Sam Torres? Is restaurateur and reputed mobster, Sal Donatello, really the friend he claims to be or is he chasing his own agenda? And what has driven local newspaper editor, Andy Hardy, over the edge to threaten reporter Amy Petersen? Can Key West Police Lieutenant Tom Jackson keep her safe without jeopardizing their budding romance? Before the drug filled craziness of the 70's and 80's things were already getting warm at the end of the road, and it wasn't just the temperature.