First published 1993
Edna Buchanan takes readers into Miami's criminal underworld, where violence erupts daily on streets made famous by television. The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter investigates brutal murders that shock even seasoned detectives. A mother frames her toddler son for murder. A ninety-year-old groom kills his elderly bride with a claw hammer on their wedding night. Missing persons cases pile up on police desks across the city. Buchanan follows the cops, firefighters, and judges who confront this chaos every day. She documents how drug-related crimes tear through neighborhoods while families battle their own tragedies, including one household devastated by cancer. In a place where reality matches the darkest fiction, ordinary citizens work to protect their community and create hope for the next generation.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, non-fiction
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-reporter, police-procedural
Setting: Miami
Period: 20th-century
352 pages · Paperback · Arrow
Content warnings: murder, violence