Maybe because of Key West’s quirky, renegade nature, it seems particularly suited to be the setting for contemporary mystery books. Today, there’s an entertaining crop of them, written by people who know the island well enough to portray it ruefully, humorously, lovingly and so accurately that readers can almost feel the humidity and smell the salt air.

John Leslie's Key West mystery series stars the enigmatic Gideon Lowry.

For example, check out the books of longtime Keys resident John Leslie, featuring Key West private investigator and piano player Gideon Lowry.

Shipwreck salvagers, Hemingway aficionados, greedy developers and celebrity tourists are just a few of the characters that enliven Gideon’s days. Melancholy rhythms and romantic misfortunes permeate his life — as does too much violence. His exploits are chronicled in books including “Night and Day” and “Killing Me Softly.”

Sadly, Gideon’s adventures are no longer widely available in major bookstores … but they can be found easily at www.amazon.com.

Tom Corcoran’s Key West mystery series debuted in 1998 with “The Mango Opera.” It continues in several other volumes, including the recent “Hawk Channel Chase,” detailing the adventures of freelance photographer Alex Rutledge.

Authors Michael Haskins (left) and Tom Corcoran are captured on camera at Key West Island Books, a popular literary hotspot on the island.

A Key West resident in the late 1970s, Corcoran was a photographer, disc jockey and close friend of the island’s renowned “pirate laureate,” singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett — and his books draw on his memories of that era as well as the southernmost city’s contemporary feel.

Read excerpts from Corcoran’s tales, and purchase his books, at www.tomcorcoran.net.

The latest talented entrant into the Key West mystery realm is Michael Haskins, whose background includes television work in Los Angeles and stints as a freelance press photographer and journalist.

Haskins’ first crime thriller “Chasin’ the Wind,” starring journalist Liam Michael “Mad Mick” Murphy, was published in March 2008. It’s a spicy conch chowder flavored with dashes of small-town politics, Cuban intrigue, neurotic federales and island attitude.

An avid reader as well as an author, Michael Haskins writes in a home study surrounded by good books and family photographs. (Photo by Paul Clarin)

Haskins, who settled in Key West in the early 1990s, had his first island-city crime story published in the prestigious “Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.” When he conceived Mick Murphy, he made Key West a vital character in Mick’s story — using authentic street names, pub names and local reference points.

When he crafted the book, Haskins made Mick a likeable and reality-based character that readers might enjoy meeting for a casual drink or two.

In a nod to friend and mentor Tom Corcoran, Haskins even depicted Murphy reading one of Corcoran’s Alex Rutledge books, creating a situation that could only happen in a novel — the protagonist of a mystery based in Key West reading a mystery based in Key West.

Shown here at a book signing, Michael Haskins drew on his years in Key West to flavor the crime thriller "Chasin' the Wind," set in the quirky and charismatic island city. (Photo by Paul Clarin)

Clearly, the island has earned an enduring place in the world of mystery writers (and readers!). Its accepting lifestyle and undemanding pace seemingly leave plenty of room for the creative consciousness to roam.

“If you come here to write or paint or be a photographer and you let yourself do what you want, then you’re going to do well down here,” said Haskins. “Key West — the island, the city, the atmosphere — is a muse.”

Haskins has completed a second Mick Murphy novel and is at work on his third. To read their initial chapters, and get purchase info for “Chasin’ the Wind,” visit www.michaelhaskins.net.