Continuing the thoughtful drama of homecoming, preservation, and rapacious real-estate development that began in A Span of Moments, Beech sets this sequel in early 1997 as Jake Crawford, the scientist-turned-mayor of Marcosta Island along Florida’s Gulf Coast, fights to protect his home, its environment, and its old Florida culture. Readers are advised to start with the first entry, as A Spiral of Moments hits the ground running, with billionaire resort developer Derek Nielson buying up property on the island while Jake seeks out surprising allies to help thwart him. The situation takes a turn when a famous Hollywood director, inspired by the story of a heroic World War II pilot who once lived on the island, comes to isolated Marcosta to shoot. Jake knows that “economic progress is the sole arbiter of the state’s future, the environment be damned.” Can he seize an opportunity to preserve the island?

Beech plunges readers into a complex ecosystem full of characters with their own motivations, capturing the tensions of a world on the verge of change—Marcosta Island can do little to stop the onslaught of developers, with even the town’s referendum banning the state from building a bridge to the mainland being challenged, thanks to Nielson’s connections in the legislature. But Jake and a slew of individuals around him are hell-bent on trying to stop what might seem inevitable. Beyond that urgent throughline, Beech relishes local color—shrimpers; pelicans; a bicycle cop noshing donuts at the Spud Hut—and smartly explores themes of filmmaking, love, sickness, care, and piracy on the lawless sea.

That expansive vision, along with some mystery and suspense elements, at times diminishes narrative momentum, but Beech ultimately reels in all the loose ends. And his central point—how to adapt to development without selling your soul—comes across admirably. Lovers of stories about islands, Florida, and development will enjoy this entertaining novel.

Takeaway: Compelling novel of a mayor fighting to preserve a Florida barrier island from developers.

Comparable Titles: Patrick D. Smith’s A Land Remembered, Peter Mathiessen’s Killing Mister Watson.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+