Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I found Flamingo Lane a bit confusing at first but the plot was intriguing and engaging. I realised (too late!) that this is the second book of a series. I still enjoyed the book but I think I would've gotten through it quicker had I read the first book.

hmmmmm ok.
not a quick read at all - very difficult to slug through. great suspense but i didnt realise it was 2nd in a series. would've been a much easier read if i had known this previously. the first book is difficult to get a hold of.

At times I found the book a bit confusing, wether we were in Deiter's story, a dream or real life, but overall I enjoyed the characters and plot,

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this title in exchange for a review!

It took me some time to get into this book. First there is a book before this one that for me might have been helpful if I read that one. I always felt a little behind in the story even up to the ending. I had gotten that Faye Lindstrom escape from Mexico and now her captor has sent a hit-man after her. The hit-man follows her and you realize that when they were much younger, they knew each other and he, the hit-man had a crush on her. Now in between there a sheriff realizes what is happening and follows where she is going to save her hopefully. The different things that happen to the hit-man on his way following did add to this story and keep it moving along or it really would have been slow for me. Never read this author but was expecting more from this kind of story.

The texture of a book is interspersing it with both a sense of the real but also a heightened sense of awareness. In “Flamingo Lane” [Tim Applegate/Amberjack Publishing/224pgs], which seems to be a sequel of sorts to the author’s earlier “Fever Tree” (which this writer hasn’t read yet)’ the texture of reflective narrative structure where the novelist and certain aspects of his characters are reflected in the page while still moving the story forward is viable but, at times, too coincidental. The story involves Faye, who apparently in the previous book has undergone a survival horror in her life at the hands of some fairly evil guys south of the border. This book is her recovery or, at least, her step back towards the light. The locations are well drawn and keys into two great locations of Quintana Roo and what would be considered the northwest area of Florida. Crooked River sounds similar to Crystal River so that angle might be correct. The noir aspect of the pursuit with a man both in love with his target and a victim of his own greed plays well as does the aspect of a cop with a a heart of gold. The texture works effectively even though the edges of it border on caricature. The author however is quite adept at pace using an almost cinematic structure of cross cutting scenes to build to a crescendo which is done for both flashbacks but also in focus within the final scene. Faye is an effective protagonist showing both pain and suffering but also wit and humor within the face of a dark past and an uncertain future. “Flamingo Lane”, despite its simplicity at times, is an enjoyable read that propels the characters with gusto.

B-

By Tim Wassberg

A former sex slave, a drug lord and a hit man walk into a bar.....Just joking. Flamingo Lane does have all 3 of those characters in the story. I didn't realize that this book was second in a series. I recommend reading the first book because I felt like a piece was missing. It's still a good read overall. The characters are complex and engaging and fun to read. The story line is tense and dramatic. I enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am a sucker for anything labeled Southern Noir. However I don’t feel I can fairly review this since I didn’t know it was second in a series. There is a lot going on here and I feel I’d benefit from reading the first book before this. Unfortunately it will be awhile before I can do that for the reasons stated below.

There are a few things that pique my curiosity. This book is due to be published 2/1/19 yet the book jacket photo is still missing on Goodreads - one of the largest platforms that avid readers use daily. Without promotion this book, no matter how good, will be always under the radar. The author hasn’t appeared to post anything on Instagram since 11/24/18 to try to promote the work. I guess my point is, if the publisher and author aren’t doing anything to promote the book, why would readers be in a hurry to buy it?

Not long after I started reading, I realized this book was the second in a series. There was enough background for me to continue reading. Sharing the plot of a hit man chasing Faye to fulfill a contract doesn’t do the story justice. The characters carry this story, and these characters are characters, and some even have character.

Faye Lindstorm was kept as a sex slave by a man she fell in love with in Mexico. Turns out he was a dangerous kingpin. She somehow managed to escape that dark life but can't escape her changed self. She decides to move to Florida to house-sit for a friend Dieter who is also an author in midst of writing a book of his own - Flamingo Lane - after his previous successful Fever Tree. 

Unknown to Faye, an old acquaintance from Mexico - Chance has been assigned to kill her by none other than the Mexican overlord. Chance also happens to be someone who had an unrequited love for Faye back in their hippie days. But she had rejected him as she only ever saw him as a friend.

Then there's Dave, the detective friend of Dieter who Faye meets and befriends in Florida. He is investigating an old case connected to Chance too. So, we have Faye trying to recover from her trauma with the help of Dave. They're in an equally adorable and awkward initial stage of dating. But Chance has followed Faye here too. What follows is a wonderful study of characters and a cat-mouse chase.

The characterization was spot-on. Chance, although a killer, had his own vulnerabilities and emotional hurt that appealed to me. I found myself feeling sorry for him. I rooted for Faye. She's a mixture of vulnerable and strong that I always find welcoming in female characters. Dave, Dieter, Maggie and all the characters had interesting shades and made the read even more engaging.

The setting of the book made for a perfect Southern noir. I absolutely love the environment that the author created. Flamingo Lane was a pleasant surprise!

Flamingo Lane is a well-written and interesting story about a woman trying to get her life back after dating a high ranking drug lord and the hit man assigned to kill her.
Since this is the second novel in a quartet, I do think readers will benefit by having read Fever Tree first. At times I felt that additional background on the characters would have been helpful in feeling more of a connection to them. However, it's certainly not necessary. Applegate's writing is so strong that this book stands on its own. I particularly enjoy his careful and at times poetic use of language in conjunction with a nicely paced plot.

I didn’t realize this was an installment in a series when I requested it. I’ll have to wait to read. E first book before giving this one a go.

“Flamingo Lane” is super suspenseful well written thriller. Don’t let this one pass you by. It’s an awesome cat and mouse tale with an amazing story line and very believable characters. Chance is a hitman who is very emotionally unstable, stung by love and disenchanted with life. His next target is the woman who has rejected him. The author has a wonderful talent for establishing and nurturing the relationships of all the characters. I look forward to reading more books from this author. I highly recommend this book. Advance reader copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

WWOOOWWWW! What a story... at first I did not think I would really be able to dive deep into this novel but I am sure glad I did! Amazing story line and the main character was truly a character that you have to really listen to! All of the emotional aspects were present in this book. Must read!

Mexico was once a haven for Faye Lindstrom but turned into a nightmare when her lover, a high ranking drug lord, decided she was of more use in front of a camera.
Recently reunited with her family in Indiana after several years, Faye is trying to get her life back together. She accepts an offer to house sit for her friend, popular author William Dieter, who is attempting to repair his marriage and finish a new novel titled Flamingo Lane.

Faye travels to Florida and settles in to a comfortable routine under the protective eye of local police officer Dave Kershaw. Leaving her past behind can’t be so simple, not when her ex wants revenge and his reach extends far beyond Mexico.

Chance is a hit man hired to kill Faye, but this isn’t another job for him — there is a personal score to settle.

I realized when I started reading Flamingo Lane that it felt like a continuation of a story and learned that it’s actually the second novel in a quartet. The first novel, Fever Tree (which is mentioned in this book), covered Dieter’s story from Mexico to his arrival in Florida.

While Applegate does offer enough back story that readers will not feel completely lost reading Flamingo Lane as a stand alone, I think I would’ve enjoyed this more had I read Fever Tree first. The plot held my attention but I never felt invested in the characters, possibly because of the introduction I missed. Overall, this is a decent southern noir novel with a predictable plot.

This is a complex read that moves from different characters at such pace I struggled to keep track.

In the mix there’s a hitman, a young woman who has been a sex slave, but, who is now holed up and trying to heal. I just couldn’t get into it and found my mind wandering as I read.
Apologies, it just didn’t suit me at all.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

2*

Okay. So I love hitmen/assassin books. I was excited for this one. I also love when female characters are the "bad guys"/targets. I'm just not a fan of female characters in books in general and tend to stay away from any book that has a female lead character in it. So, I thought for sure this was my holy grail. And...it was. I loved this book! I loved everything about it.
I can't wait to read more from this author in the future and I am confidently recommending this one to everyone!

Yesterday, I finished Tim Applegate’s “Flamingo Lane,” a novel in which writer William Dieter reconnects with an old friend while working on his new novel, “Flamingo Lane.” Dieter’s previous book, “Fever Tree,” was a huge success. I can’t say whether this is also true for Mr Applegate’s prior novel of the same title. If any of his other characters are so obviously inspired by actual persons is hard to tell, and not just because of the usual disclaimer that they’re not.

So, Dieter is in Crooked River, Florida, working on his book. He has gotten back into contact with an old friend he met in Mexico years earlier, Faye Lindstrom. Back when Faye was still young and idealistic, looking to devote her life to the hippie notions of love and peace, she fell in love with a Mexican gangster. As the book starts out, she is just trying to get her life back together, having managed to escape her ex-boyfriend. Alas, unbeknownst to her, there is a paid assassin close on her heels, and he’s got a personal score to settle, as well.

“Flamingo Lane” was a super fast read for me, not because it’s super short, but because it is suspenseful and captivating. If you’re a fan of well written thrillers, don’t let this one pass you by! Having done a little research, I find that “Fever Tree,” the earlier novel, tells Dieter’s own story, from his days in Quintana Roo to his arrival in Crooked River. If ever I have time again, I may have to get my hands on that one, as well.

“Flamingo Lane” is published by Amberjack Publishing. I received a free copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own, unless otherwise stated.

A great cat and mouse story chase for me from vacation land Yucatan, to corn in Indianan (which was a good curve) to finally down in Florida where almost all, like the drain pipe (not in a bad way) all types end up there. I think the writer's style made this come alive for me.

I read this was a sequel kind of, no drag on this story, enjoy!