Joe LaBrava, in his late thirties, went from guarding Bess Truman to being a freelance photographer prowling the streets of South Miami Beach; the main character, he not only has a feel for a good picture, but also a keen understanding of people, for his eye, like the lens of his camera, penetrates to the essence of those he meets. In addition, he inspires confidence and trust in people, such as canny Maurice Zola, who confides, "I'm going to tell you a secret I never told anybody around here," and worldly-wise women such as Franny Kaufman and Jean Shaw. Although a resident of the Delia Robbia Hotel and despite his deep involvements (sexual and otherwise) with the people and all that happens to them, LaBrava remains an outsider, the detached observer and moral center of the novel.

Retired bookmaker Maurice Zola, twenty years older than LaBrava, has been...