Prepare for a gritty crime thriller in the vein of the mid-20th century pulp; the first novel in the Pete Fernandez mystery series.
Pete Fernandez is a struggling newspaper drone whose life has fallen apart. His fiancĂ©e has bolted, his career is heading south fast, and the recent death of his father has pushed him deep into the bottle of the demon drink. For some reason, a coworker thinks Pete is the perfect person to find his missing daughter. A simple missing person case leads Pete into murder, drugs, a mysterious hitman, and secrets connected to his father’s past.
Pete is no conventional confident detective. He is troubled, usually reckless, and quite unsure of himself. On some levels, his flaws make him believable and adds emotional depth to his investigation. The case becomes an unexpected opportunity for Pete to regain a sense of purpose in his personal and journalistic life.
This Miami is quite different from what greets visiting tourists. Its neighborhoods, bars, crime, drugs, and the darker parts of the city are on full display making the city a critical hot, tense, and unpredictable character. This Miami feels authentic and lived-in. Kind of how George Pelacanos makes Washington, DC central to his street stories.
Segura does manage to keep things a little light with frequent references to songs and musical references that colors Pete’s mood and personality in various shades of noir. Yeah, the various subplots may be a bit derivative, but I didn’t care.
Looking for something noir-ish, colorful, and entertaining? Give Silent City a go. Pete’s a fun and sympathetic protagonist running around amongst the less than touristy depths of Miami. A good read for lovers of detective stories, journalist/ bumbling investigator turning over an urban underbelly to find that missing young femme fatale.
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