For every palm waving languidly
beneath the Florida sun,
there lies a darker
underside.
From award-winning writer David Martin Di Maggio, a new thriller that redefines the genre of Florida Noir. An atmospheric, character-driven page turner, drenched in the humid underbelly of the Florida Keys. Modern, wonderfully unpredictable, and at times, darkly funny.
The Florida Keys: A necklace of tropical islands descending gracefully from the U.S. mainland, seeming an idyllic postcard, promising seclusion and escape. Yet its neon turquoise waters encircle in unexpected currents, and at times, undertows that are inescapable.
After his business partnership and marriage both implode, Miami advertising executive, Dan Lomas, runs to the end of the road, seeking solace, retreat, and isolation. His goal: to "Cut the cord. Get away from all the craziness. The chaos. The dirtbags."
Unfortunately, the Keys manufacture it daily.
Soon, he's forced to trade paradise for peril, and is swept into a churning sea of unexpected characters, places and circumstances; interwoven with the complex threads of a dark and shocking crime.
One that he becomes forced to solve.
It's a reminder to all of us that for every palm waving languidly beneath the bright, warm Florida sun, there's always a darker underside.
David Martin Di Maggio, Author
Over decades in some of the nation's most successful advertising agencies, with hundreds of awards attesting to his craft, Florida native Dave Di Maggio built a career writing other people's stories. His campaigns for tourism destinations summoned the traveler in the most seductive of voices, suggesting a life more vivid, and awakening the longing for rapturous escape.
Somewhere along the way, he started noticing the stories lying just beneath the postcard-perfect veneer: The transient community at the marina. The lost souls seeking meaningful connection in the dive bar. The unhinged transplants whose escapades were going viral as internet memes. The life-long resident suffering from hurricane-induced PTSD. The solo traveler who seemed suspiciously normal.
His debut novel is born out of those observations — a paradise noir that trades the polished sophistication of advertising for something more raw and more real.
Dave makes his home on the banks of a quiet, mangrove-rimmed bayou in his home state of Florida, a land continually offering a boundless tapestry of the unexpected, unconventional and the just plain weird that inspired the book.
He's already at work on what comes next.
News + Events
Readings, signings, interviews, and the occasional bit of news worth sharing — this is where it'll all show up. Check back soon.
Publication Day
Details on the official release of Shady in the Sun will be announced here.
Readings & Signings
Bookstore visits and events will be posted as they're scheduled.
Press & Interviews
Reviews, features, and interview appearances will be collected here.
Questions about the book? Invitations to speak? Just want to chat about life? Dave reads every email. Even on days when the sun is bright and the palms are offering exquisite shelter for his next read.
