Murder au Naturel

Even without clothes on, nudists have secrets. That's what Lee and Barbara Spinacci discover in Xanadunes, an upscale nudist enclave in central Florida. Their naked neighbors blend into a community where, at first glance, it isn't so easy to distinguish who is a secretary, who is a wealthy executive, who is a fireman or a teacher-and who is a murderer. At Xanadunes, Lee and Barbara also discover that some of their neighbors are decidedly kinkier than they had originally seemed. It's hard to tell who is dropping by for a friendly cup of tea and who may be looking for a steamier encounter. To complicate matters, someone is behind a rash of wild parties in the community, where the socializing gets a lot hotter and heavier than just sharing a beer and a dance. When Lee accidentally bumps into a dead body in the hot tub late one Saturday night, all these forces come together, and start him on a quest to find out what's going on around him. Along the way, his libido gets a burst of rejuvenation and tests the strength of his marriage. He develops a newfound interest in sleuthing and encounters a cast of offbeat characters, including a curmudgeonly state police officer and a sexy young female neighbor-who conceal as much as they reveal. Allen Barlowe made his career on Madison Avenue and has pursued a lifelong passion for skinny-dipping. He has enjoyed woodsy swimming holes, free beaches, naturist resorts, nudist camping and urban spa parties, from New England to California, from Florida to Europe and the Caribbean. On summer weekends - when they're lucky - he and his wife frequent the nude beach at the Sandy Hook National Seashore in New Jersey, just a short ferry ride from his native Manhattan.