Harry Morgan

The novel's 43-year-old protagonist, Morgan is a former Miami, FL, policeman. Morgan is tall, wide-shouldered, flat-backed, narrow-hipped, with sun-bleached blond hair, a broad Mongol face, narrow eyes, broken nose, wide grinning mouth, and round jaw. A tourist, Mrs. Laughton, instantly lusts after his Genghis Khan-like face and large physique, and takes offense when Morgan calls her a whore. The face makes his 45-year-old wife, Marie, cry with pleasure. The Morgans have three girls and lament having had no sons. Morgan owns a 38-foot boat powered by a 100-hp. Kermath engine which he originally uses to smuggle liquor -265 cases at a time — into Cuba. Later, he turns fishing boat captain.

When a rich client, Mr. Johnson, cheats him out of a $825 bill, leaving him with 40¢ in his pocket (before lunch), Morgan, who has just refused good money smuggling Cubans into the Florida Keys, agrees to take...