BONKERS IN BOCA
by Miriam Auerbach
Boca Raton, Florida, has been hailed as the Beverly Hills of the East Coast. Now, to me, that’s a claim that cries out for corroboration. So let’s see – what are the commonalities between Beverly Hills and Boca? Opulent mansions and beautiful shopping areas? Check. Young blonde women precariously balancing a size sixteen stack atop a size two tuchus? Check. But frankly, I think they’ve got it backwards – it should be Beverly Hills that aspires to be the Boca of the West Coast. After all, we’ve got some home-grown beauts that they can’t shake a stick at. Namely, we’ve got Boca Babes. What is a Boca Babe? Here are some clues:
- If you live in a house the size of a jumbo jet hangar, then you are likely a Boca Babe.
- If Neiman Marcus is #1 on your cell phone speed dial, you might be a Boca Babe.
- If you’ve had diamond studs soldered into your earlobes, you could be a Boca Babe.
- If your dog owns more clothing and toys that some people’s children, you just might be a Boca Babe.
- If the only thing you know how to make for dinner is reservations, you are probably a Boca Babe.
- And if you are all these things but you’ve hit the big 4-0, then you’re no longer a Boca Babe – you’re now a Botox Babe.
My series protagonist, Harriet Horowitz, is an ex-Boca Babe. Why an ex? Here’s the thing: a rich husband, no matter how revolting, is the price of admission to the Boca Babe Club. Harriet’s husband was indeed revolting. He abused her for ten years. Finally she’d had enough. One day when her husband raised his fists at her one last time, she told him, in the words of movie anti-hero Dirty Harry, “Go ahead – make my day.” He obliged, and she shot him through the heart – with his (now hers) .44 Magnum.
Harriet’s act was ruled justifiable homicide, and she embarked on a new identity – Dirty Harriet – and new life. She sold everything, bought a Harley, and moved to a desolate cabin in the Everglades. She swapped swank for swamp, indulgence for independence.
Harriet embarked on a new career as well: she opened up her own private eye agency, ScamBusters. And business is booming. Boca’s got a slew of scams. Investment scams, insurance scams, immigration scams – you name it, we’ve got it.
So Harriet is doing just fine as a ScamBuster. But occasionally, murder intrudes. In my third Dirty Harriet mystery, DEAD IN BOCA, a prominent Boca developer hires Harriet to find the con artist who stole his elderly mother’s heart and identity. It’s just another routine case for ScamBusters – that is, until Harriet’s client is murdered when he’s buried by a bulldozer at one of his construction sites. The dead man’s new bride asks Harriet to continue the search for the con man, who just may – or may not – be the killer.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to my work in progress. But first, I’ve got to head to the salon to get twelve subtle shades of highlights put in my hair. After all, this is Boca – we’ve all got to keep up appearances.
Make sure you grab Miriam’s newest release, DEAD IN BOCA, the third in the Dirty Harriet Mystery Series OUT NOW!!!
And don’t forget to grab the first two in this awesome series!!
