Miami Midnight

June 24, 2019
Segura’s workmanlike fifth Pete Fernandez mystery (after 2018’s Blackout) finds the recovering-alcoholic Miami, Fla., PI running a small bookstore after undergoing months of physical and psychological therapy. Pete feels he ought to be trying to locate the widow of an elderly Cuban gangster’s son, rescuing his friend Dave Mendoza from drug addiction, or resolving his relationship with his former investigative partner, Kathy Bentley; instead he becomes obsessed with a highly personal cold case. Pete persists despite interference from Silent Death, a nattily costumed (but spectacularly inept) contract killer, and the minions of cartel boss La Madrinda. Segura neatly pulls all the plot threads together, including many left over from the four earlier books: one involving an elusive former lover, who’s adept at switching identities; another involving a vicious but not-quite-defeated drug gang. An old-fashioned knight errant, Pete slogs and slugs his way forward until the last bullets have been sprayed. Fans of pulp detective fiction of an earlier era will appreciate this one. Agent: Dara Hyde, Hill Nadel Literary.

July 15, 2019
If anyone has earned a fresh start, it's Pete Fernandez--he's struggled back both from a near-death injury and alcoholism. But his plan to run a little bookstore in Miami is about to go seriously off the track. Pete keeps telling himself everything is fine, that after his previous adventures (Blackout, 2018, etc.) he can even be cool about his partner's engagement. He and Kathy, his best friend and business partner, had shared "a spark." But while Pete hesitated, another man stepped in. However, when a Cuban gangster asks Pete to investigate the murder of his son and find his missing daughter-in-law, Pete realizes he still wants to work--and Kathy will work with him. What they can't imagine is a plot involving lies, secrets, betrayals, and even a character named The Silent Death. As Pete and Kathy trace friends and suspects, they travel through Miami's clubs, businesses, and neighborhoods; the author, a Miami native, is obviously familiar with and fond of the area. He depicts its cultural varieties with color and insight. One wishes the same could be said of Pete. Although we're told many times how he feels, he rarely makes the leap into the kind of character we care enough about to follow. There are several plot twists, but even the surprises don't elevate this outing beyond the pedestrian.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2019

Alcoholic ex-journalist and part-time PI Pete Fernandez suffers through all the familiar devices and conventions of the mystery genre--almost to a breaking point. His friends die and mysteriously come back. Cohorts disappear for long periods and return; others struggle with addictions. Coincidence abounds. When mob boss Alvaro Mujica "hires" a reluctant Miami-based Pete (and his ex-lover, Kathy) to uncover who killed his son, Javier, Pete (and friends) become targets of escalating violence and bloodshed. Javier, a talented jazz musician and heavy drug user, flits in and out of the jazz scene and drug world until his murder. Investigating his death puts Pete, Kathy, and crew squarely in the sights of a slew of mob assassins, bodyguards, tough guys, and henchmen. Even Pete's good friend Dave Mendoza threatens him, as does ex-fiancée, Emily Sprague, not to mention Cuban law enforcement officials. VERDICT While some passages rehash events from previous books, Segura's fifth in his series (Blackout; Dangerous Ends) is a page-turner that delivers. Thrills, spills, and chills ratchet ever-upward to a satisfying finale.--Jeffrey W. Hunter, Royal Oak, MI

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.