From Publishers Weekly
Introduced in Contents Under Pressure, likable Miami News crime reporter Britt Montero here confronts a mystery that cuts close to the bone: why she's suddenly losing her journalistic edge. Chance puts her on the spot to see a young woman killed and her toddler injured in the most horrible of a recent string of carjackings. Since then, however, the scoops have been gravitating toward young Trish Tierney, Britt's protege and the News's newest reporter. Britt doggedly works her contacts in the Miami Police, especially Det. Bill Rakestraw, who is investigating the juvenile ring apparently responsible for the car thefts. She befriends Howie, a wary theft-ring member who just might turn state's evidence in return for a chance to go straight. Then, after a series of betrayals and more deaths, Britt herself is jailed for murder. Buchanan considers how the journalistic eye affects what it observes in this story that simmers with annoyance?with Britt's as she eats Trish's dust, and Buchanan's as she unveils the price society pays for throwing a protective screen around criminals who are technically juveniles but not children. Though it offers atmosphere and entertainment, this tale has neither the polish nor the punch of the second series entry, Miami, It's Murder. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club featured alternate; simultaneous audio release from Brilliance.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The award-winning Miami crime reporter returns with her third novel featuring fictional Miami crime reporter Britt Montero. Car theft is rampant in Miami, but one gang is especially notable. The leader drags drivers from their cars and shoots them in the leg: no reason, just mean. Assault turns to homicide when the gang, in midescape, kills a young mom. The story is assigned to Britt, of course, and she tracks down a frightened young man who apparently was a passenger in the getaway car but had no role in the killing or the shootings. While trying to help the young man come forward, Britt befriends a eager reporter, Trish Ainsley. The friendship turns to rivalry when Britt learns Trish has been co-opting her sources and lying to her. As Trish gains notoriety, Britt's complaints sound more and more like sour grapes. The situation becomes deadly when Britt and her potential witness in the car-theft killing are caught in a police cross fire that Trish may have arranged. When Trish is found dead, Britt looks good for the killing. It takes all her reportorial skills and the help of some friends to clear her name, nab the car thieves, and discover the truth behind Trish's lies. Busy, busy plot but Buchanan's streamlined prose and genuine affection for Miami's weirdness make it a quick and entertaining read.
Wes Lukowsky
