Customer Reviews

Miami Blues

5 star:		(5)
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Charles Willeford wrote wonderful true to life's absurdities crime fiction, among his many other accomplishments. This novel (which was made in a movie starring Alec Baldwin) is the first in his only series, starring a much put upon Miami detective named Hoke Moseley. In this initial adventure Hoke runs afoul of an intelligent pyschopath named Freddy Frenger and his ditzy hooker girlfriend while investigating the murder of a Hare Krishna. Along the way Hoke loses his teeth, badge, gun and some of his pride, but never his determination. A mere description of the plot wouldn't begin to do justice to this ironic superb book, full as it is of madcap characters coupled with doses of deadly realism. Very few writers can pull off a mix of the comic and hard boiled, but Willeford was one of those few. Indeed, he was one of the best at it. Read the rest of the books in this series if you can find them, then move on to Willeford's other works and his biography penned by Don Herron.
A 5 stars for sure on this tale of Miami mayhem, murder and mischief.

Willeford's Hoke Mosely novels (of which there are four) are essential reading for any fans of this genre.

This is the beginning of one of the best series in crime fiction history. It's also, as far as this South Florida native is concerned, the only series of Florida crime books to describe that specific world accurately -- for most people living in Miami it's not an especially glamorous place, but most Florida crime writers misrepresent that to give the public the glitz they are assumed to desire: don't fall for it! Willeford's Miami is the real place where I grew up, down to the most exact and telling details. You've got to read these novels in sequence -- their accumulated power results in a final line that, the first time I read it, had me reeling for days: but don't skip ahead! It works because 4 great books have led you to it.

Hoke Moseley has lost his gun, his badge, his teeth, his hair, and his wife, but he hasn't lost his bloodhound instincts. A knockout crime novel that has it all--a very bad bad guy, off-beat humor, police procedures, Miami mythos, and a beater Pontiac. If you like crime novels, this ranks among the best. Willeford sleeps with Chandler as a King of the Beat. Don't pass this up. Read all four of the Hoke novels in sequence for your crime fix. Not for kids.

Charles Willeford has written great works of genre specific literature since the 1950's where he was spawned among the greats - Hammett, Chandler, Thompson, Woolrich, etc. Finally, Willeford got the recognition he deserved with the Hoke Moseley novels and in the process created what is now the popular Miami crime novel genre. This first in the series is a masterpiece and each novel in the series gets successfully better. Willeford's knack for creating immensely interesting characters with an edge and his rare yet insightful perspective on life should not be missed.