Florida sounds awful.

The crime in this crime story takes a back seat and instead the focus is shifted to homicide detective Hoke Moseley, whom we were introduced to in Miami Blues, and his maneuverings. There’s no real antagonist here, so consequently this book lacks any of the danger or tension of the the first, but it makes up for it with more weirdness and dark humor.

Hoke Moseley works to solve 50 cold cases and one apparent OD while desperately searching for a Miami based apartment. His teenage daughters arrive to live with Hoke while he tries to make sense of his current situation. Things were a little different in 1978 but Hoke manages to bridge the gap with today's world of crime fiction.

Has Hoke changed? It's been many months since I finished reading the first novel but he seems to be quite different. I remember him as a little bit awkward, neurotic and insecure. Obviously he was not full on Aspergers but I remember him as a little bit of a weird guy. In this book he is confident, ruthless and even bossy. He threatens his superiors, seduces a woman and bends the rules. That was all new.

Despite these changes the book was still a good read. The characters are super clear and the humour remains too!

PS: I have to mention that there was a really embarrassing paragraph or two about how cops can get laid because supposedly women are into guns, authority figures and want to "fuck their fathers"... that was so cringe-worthy.

"Hoke didn't like himself very much. He never had, now that he thought about it. Still, a man had to take care of his family."
- Charles Willeford, New Hope for the Dead



Hoke Mosely is rational self-interest with a bit of morality thrown in. Hoke is not a perfect hero, and certainly not an anti-hero, but he does seem to exist on a plane we all can relate to a bit. He cuts corners, lies to his boss, has a poor relationship with his ex-wife and not a much better relationship with his daughters (one of the great parts of this novel is his sex talk with his daughters). He's got a pregnant Cuban partner and is sleeping with a murder witness. Sometimes, you have to make the best of a poor hand. I've seen other reviewers downplay this novel because of Hoke's imperfections, but I'd rather have an uncomfortable/imperfect hero than one that is auto-tuned to a narrow bandwidth of morality.

So Charles Willeford (rightfully) has a huge success with MIAMI BLUES. What does he do next with the Hoke Mosley character? Obviously, GRIMHAVEN is a no go. Well, it takes a while for Willeford to find his footing here. For one thing, he doesn't have a character like Frederick J. Frenger, Jr. to counterbalance Hoke. He also (big surprise) doesn't have much of a mystery. And because Willeford's natural writing voice is that of an outlaw, it takes about 100 pages for NEW HOPE to find its groove with Elita, Hoke's pregnant partner, and his two daughters, who unexpectedly arrive after Hoke's ex runs off with a baseball player. And it is HERE that this becomes a funny and astutely observed Willeford novel.

Definitely not as good as the first book in the series (MIAMI BLUES); I've heard Willeford mostly fought against a sequel -- his initial draft of this book had the main character kill his kids because they were getting in the way / annoying. Would have loved to see his editor's face reading that draft. MIAMI BLUES spends most of its time following the central criminal, and his POV is so strange and funny that it's immediately compelling. NEW HOPE FOR THE DEAD stays with Hoke the entire time, and the crime he's investigating just isn't that interesting. The book is at its best when Hoke is juggling family life, explaining the Birds & the Bees to his kids, trying to navigate family issues with his partner, etc. Even if it's a step down from the first, Willeford's prose is still a cut-above the crowd.

Almost nothing happens in this book but I'd rather hang out with Hoke Mosley than almost anyone on Earth

lacks the "what'll happen next?" quality of the previous installment, perhaps inevitably, since here the focus is cold cases rather than a sociopath on the loose doin' sociopath things. i will say that the way hoke resolves his daughter aileen's orthodontic issues (and the way in which everybody treats it as extremely normal) is one of the most bizarre reading experiences i've ever had, if you're into that kind of thing

Un giallo/noir il cui protagonista è un personaggio molto molto particolare, Hoke Moseley, simpatico anche se burbero, una persona molto “normale” nonostante il lavoro che fa. Si preoccupa (a sorpresa) e mostra molta sensibilità verso alcune persone così come è molto freddo e opportunista con altre.... nel complesso la trama non è un gran che ma il contorno vale la lettura.

I'd never heard of this guy, although I'd seen the movie "Miami Blues," which is the first title of the Hoke Mosely series. I'm going to backtrack, and get to it next.

Hoke is a piece of work. Middle aged, toothless but with full bridge work, broke due to a bad divorce settlement, a sartorial mess pretty much switching between two leisure suits, and balding. He carries a few prejudices around with him, but overall he navigates the vicissitudes with humor, kindness, dedication to his job, and loyalty to his peers.

He's a homicide detective in the Miami PD, and from all indications really good at his job. In fact, he loves his job.

If this book were about nothing but Hoke, it would be a good read, but Hoke has two daughters, an ex-wife, a pregnant partner, and a three person special operation he's in charge of with 50 cold cases to be solved. A full plate.

Charles Williford is a wonderful writer, and the book is Hoke's mind laid out on the page.

Good characters, great ambiance, interesting crimes. Why wouldn't you read this book?

compelling, likeable characters, I enjoyed the portrait of Miami in 1985. The murder mystery plot was weak, whereas the life struggles of the main characters were amusing. I will seek out more Hoke Moseley books when I want a light enjoyable read.

Oh yeah! Charles Willeford has actually been in Miami. He's eaten the food, lived the life, and describes exactly what the life of a cop like Hoke Mosely is all about. This is crime fiction at its finest with no holds bared. Willeford doesn't try to make the story pleasant or happy, or contrive some ending, instead he writes like he was following his characters around simply telling you what they are feeling and doing. I would recommend anything written by Willeford because I know that it was true to life.