Friday, January 06, 2012

New Hope for the Dead by Charles Willeford

(pb; 1985: second book in the Hoke Moseley series)

From the inside flap:

"Miami homicide Hoke Moseley is called to a posh neighborhood to investigate a lethal overdose. There he meets the alluring stepmother of the decedent, and begins to wonder about dating a witness. Meanwhile, he has been threatened with suspension by his ambitious new chief unless he leaves his beloved, if squalid, suite at the El Dorado Hotel and moves downtown. With free housing hard to come by, Hoke is desperate to find a new place to live. His difficulties are only amplified by an assignment to reinvestigate fifty unsolved murders, the unexpected arrival of his teenaged daughters, and a partner struggling with an unwanted pregnancy. With few options and even fewer dollars, he decides that the stepmother of the dead junkie might be the solution to all his problems."


Review:

This follow-up to Miami Blues is gentler in tone than Miami.

Like Miami, though, New Hope is a masterful blend of neo-noir, relatable (and series-progressive) characters, and dark absurdist humor - near-impossible-to-set-down, classic read, this: own it, already!

Followed by Sideswipe.

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