Homicide detective Hoke Moseley is called to a posh Miami 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 Eldorado 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 two teenage daughters, and a partner struggling with an unwanted pregnancy. With few options, and even fewer dollars, he decides that the suspicious and beautiful stepmother of the dead junkie might be a compromised solution to all of his problems.
Packed with atmosphere and humor, New Hope for the Dead is a classic murder mystery by one of the true masters of the genre. Charles Willeford's tour de force is an irresistible invitation to become acquainted with one of the greatest detective characters of all time.
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“Sergeant Hoke Moseley, last seen in Miami Blues, is back, still saddled with alimony payments and bad dental
work. Now Moseley has new troubles. His superior, Major Willie Brownley,
is bucking for a promotion and wants Moseley to help him look good by
tackling fifty unsolved homicides. Moseley has to shoulder these cold cases
while investigating a current murder with drug-scene connections.
Moseley is one of the most credibly human cops in crime fiction, and
Willeford’s depictions of white-flight, crime-ridden Miami are
powerfully drawn. Another fine police procedural in a superior series.”
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Booklist (starred review)