Rambling About.. Phillip DePoy's Cold Florida

Title: Cold Florida

Author: Phillip DePoy

Publication: 1 April 2016 - Severn House

First Line: It was two in the morning, the middle of February. I was signing my time card, but I could barely read the handwriting I was so tired.

Favorite Line: I liked to move forward. I had always found that, when you moved back, you were liable to bump into something you'd rather forget. (22%)

Ramble:

When I saw that Phillip DePoy had a new series starting and that I could request the first title in said series from NetGalley I jumped at the chance. Years ago I devoured his Flap Tucker books and have read most of the Fever Devilin series (that will be remedied soon, I hope, and turn from "most" to "all"). Receiving my advanced copy for free did not, of course, influence my opinion of the story.  In case you aren't familiar with his work, DePoy writes "flawed" very well. His "protagonists" don't always have many "pros" going for them and I'm thrilled that the star of this newest series is no different.  It's 1974 and Foggy Moskowitz has been living in Fry's Bay, Florida for the past three years working for Child Protective Service. His previous job? A car thief in Brooklyn. He cares about making amends with the universe like a never-ending Yom Kippur and sees his job helping children as a good way to do that (and, of course, earn a living). When we first meet Foggy he's off to see about finding a baby born to a junkie who has disappeared from the hospital (along with the junkie mother). The ends that Foggy is willing to go to in order to secure the baby and make sure the needed medical attention is given is pretty touching and almost filled with heartfelt "awwwww"s ... but the "awwwww"s diminish ever-so-slightly when you see that he's not above shooting knees and stabbing forks in throats to get the good deeds done. Yeah. He's one of those characters you would probably not really want to know in real life but can't help but cheer on (at least a little bit) between the covers of a book.  Junkies, babies, mystical Seminoles, hit men, business moguls, and a town full of people who all seem to be harboring secrets of various shapes and sizes. It's kept me guessing, laughing and even "awwwww"ing from the beginning and I can't wait to see what DePoy puts Foggy through next.