Love and Theft . . . in Akumal!

Like many of you, I head to the travel section in a book store to find novels related to places I’ve been or places I’m going. There was even a book store in New York City that only sold novels related to travel. Not a guide book in the place.

My friend Gail told me about Love and Theft, a novel written by Stan Parish while he was staying at Playa Blanca — I had to read it and immediately bought it for my Kindle.

Published this past summer, the story begins with a high end jewelry heist in Las Vegas. It is intense and moves quickly. I could just see the jewels sparkling as they were ripped out of the display cases. The escape from the store is amazing. I’m only on chapter three, and I’m not giving away any more. I am loving this book. The author makes you feel like you are right there in the action.

I took a chance and e-mailed Stan Parish. To my delight, he e-mailed me back. He’s a huge fan of Akumal and said some of the book actually takes place in Playa Blanca; other action is set in Tulum. Parish has been to Akumal and the surrounding area many times. He told me he was here a month ago for a quick drink at La Buena Vida. He quietly mentioned his novel has been optioned for a movie, but gave no other details.

Stan Parish is a former editor-in-chief of “The Future of Everything” in the Wall Street Journal. He’s written two books: his first novel, Down the Shore, travels from the Jersey Shore to St. Andrews in Scotland. That’s going to be my next read by Parish because I spent a lot of time at the Jersey Shore during high school. Stan a very good writer and it’s easy to see how his second book, Love and Theft is being optioned for a film. Sounds like there will be more great books in the future.

There are many other books written about Mexico and our immediate area. I’m currently reading a series of books by John Scherber, Murder in Mexico. One of the books takes these amateur detectives to the Yucatán. Good beach reads. And if you’ve ever driven over the Sierra Madre mountains, you will enjoy The Dogs of Mexico by John J. Asher. There’s a car chase that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Then of course, there is Cinnamon Skin, by John D. MacDonald. Part of his Travis McGee series, the novel takes place in Cancún, Playa, Akumal and the jungles of Tulum. I understand that MacDonald wrote it while he was in Akumal. His tales of the Busted Flush are also fun to read.