Review
“If you are looking for a master’s insight into the humid decadence of South Florida and its polygot tribes, nobody does it better than Mr. Willeford.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Extraordinarily winning. . . . Pure pleasure. . . . Mr. Willeford never puts a foot wrong.” —The New Yorker

“No one write a better crime novel than Charles Willeford.” —Elmore Leonard

“A tempo so relentless, words practically fly off the page.” —The Village Voice

“The prose is clean and tough and flows easily.” --The New York Times Book Review

“A Graham Greene-like entertainment, but tougher and funnier, softened by neither simile nor sentiment. This is probably as close to the real now Miami as any thriller is likely to come.” --Donald Justice

“Terse, scary, and evocative, Miami Blues is a thriller with cold blood. . . . Snap up Miami Blues.” --The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Nobody writes like Charles Willeford . . . he is an original–funny and weird and wonderful.” --James Crumley

“A nasty crime-comedy that’s full of casual violence, outrageous coincidences, and hilariously rude dialogue. . . . Willeford has a marvelously deadpan way with losers on both sides of the law.” --Kirkus Reviews

“Absolutely brilliant in every regard–the definitive Miami novel.” --Stanley Ellin

“Bone-deep satire . . . terrific.” --Publishers Weekly

“A marvelous read. Do yourself a favor and go buy Miami Blues immediately.” --Harry Crews

“A top notch crime novel . . . both tough and funny.” —The Washington Post (refers to New Hope)

“Hoke Moseley is a magnificently battered hero. Willeford brings him to us lean and hard and brand-new.” --Donald E. Westlake

Review
"If you are looking for a master's insight into the humid decandence of South Florida and its polyglot tribes, nobody does that as well as Mr. Willeford."


"Harrowing and surprising."


"The best book on the mystery racks these days [is] Charles Willeford's Miami Blues."



From the Paperback edition.

ANNOTATION

When Miami cop Hoke Moseley becomes the victim of a surprise attack in his squalid hotel room, he's left without his gun, his badge, or his dentures. Scrambling to hunt down his assailant, he reaches the trail of a couple whose romance is fueled by crime and violence. Martin's Press.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

After a brutal day investigating a quadruple homicide, Detective Hoke Moseley settles into his room at the un-illustrious El Dorado Hotel and nurses a glass of brandy. With his guard down, he doesn't think twice when he hears a knock on the door. The next day, he finds himself in the hospital, badly bruised and with his jaw wired shut. He thinks back over ten years of cases, wondering who would want to beat him into unconsciousness, steal his gun and badge, and most important, make off with his prized dentures. But the pieces never quite add up to revenge, and the few clues he has keep connecting to a dim-witted hooker, her ex-con boyfriend, and the bizarre murder of a Hare Krishna pimp.

SYNOPSIS

After a brutal day investigating a quadruple homicide, Detective Hoke Moseley settles into his room at the un-illustrious El Dorado Hotel and nurses a glass of brandy. With his guard down, he doesn’t think twice when he hears a knock on the door. The next day, he finds himself in the hospital, badly bruised and with his jaw wired shut. He thinks back over ten years of cases wondering who would want to beat him into unconsciousness, steal his gun and badge, and most importantly, make off with his prized dentures. But the pieces never quite add up to revenge, and the few clues he has keep connecting to a dimwitted hooker, and her ex-con boyfriend and the bizarre murder of a Hare Krishna pimp.

Chronically depressed, constantly strapped for money, always willing to bend the rules a bit, Hoke Moseley is hardly what you think of as the perfect cop, but he is one of the the greatest detective creations of all time.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal