by Robert Baer
First published 2010
Captain Eduardo Gonzalez stares at another crime scene in late 1960s South Florida. Armed invaders have struck again, leaving bodies and few clues behind. The Dade County detective faces mounting political pressure as the murders continue across a region transformed by the Cuban Revolution and waves of immigration. Fifty miles north in Palm Beach, art dealer Peter Cooper prepares to present a Georgia O'Keefe painting at Bruce and Rebecca Hirsch's birthday celebration. The nouveau riche couple has no idea they've become targets. Contract killer Monkeyto and his crew Paco and Chee Chee select their victims by scanning society pages and glitter magazines. They've chosen the Hirsches next. As Gonzalez races to connect the dots between the brutal home invasions, the killers close in on their latest prey. The collision course between law enforcement and criminal enterprise plays out against a backdrop of cultural upheaval, where South Beach remains a collection of retirement hotels rather than the playground it will become.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, action
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, high-stakes
Setting: South Florida, Dade County, Palm Beach
Period: 1960s
690 pages · Kindle Edition · Signum Ops
Content warnings: violence