Key West at the Water's Edge: a misadventure in the 70's

"The Water's Edge" is a book in three parts. The characters and the mood change drastically from Part One to Part Three, and Part Two bridges these changes in a gradual increase in intensity. At the start of the book and throughout Part One the keys actors are introduced, and relationships develop. Their lifestyle is free and easy, and they make their way in their world by the best means possible at any given point of time. Part Two brings evil omens and wraiths from the past personified in the nemesis of one of the main characters. These interlopers infiltrate the peaceful lives of our heroes, and an atmosphere of foreboding and suspicion pervades. The dire state of affairs spirals toward doom and culminates in a ghastly event. Part Three attempts to settle the score.