New Hope for the Dead - (Hoke Moseley Detective) by Charles Willeford (Paperback)

About the Book

Bucking for a promotion, Major Brownley has assigned Hoke Moseley and his pregnant partner a stack of old, unsolved murder cases. In the meantime, Hoke is trying to find a home for himself and his two daughters who have just shown up. Dead broke, he finds a glimmer of hope in a hot case regarding a dead junkie and a beautiful stepmother.

Book Synopsis

Miami homicide detective Hoke Moseley is called to a posh Miami neighborhood to investigate a lethal overdose. There he meets the alluring stepmother of the decedant, and begins to wonder about dating a witness. Meanwile, he has been threatened with suspension by his ambitious new chief unless he leaves his beloved, if squalid, suite at the El Dorado Hotel, and moves downtown. With free housing hard to come by, Hoke is desperate to find a new place to live. His difficulties are only amplified by an assignment to re-investigate fifty unsolved murders, the unexpected arrival of his two teenage daughters, and a partner struggling with an unwanted pregnancy. With few options and even fewer dollars, he decides that the suspicious and beautiful stepmother of the dead junkie might be a compromised solution to all of his problems.

Packed with atmosphere and humor, New Hope for the Dead is a classic murder mystery by one of the true masters of the genre. Now back in print, Charles Willeford's tour de force is an irresistible invitation to become acquainted with one of the greatest detective characters of all time.

Review Quotes

"A top-notch crime novel... both tough and funny."- The Washington Post

"No one writes a better crime novel than Charles Willeford."- Elmore Leonard

"Pure pleasure... Mr. Willeford never puts a foot wrong."- The New Yorker

"Nobody writes like Charles Willeford... He is an original--funny, weird, and wonderful."- James Crumley

About the Author

Charles Willeford was a highly decorated (Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Luxembourg Croix de Guerre) tank commander with the Third Army in World War II. He was also a professional horse trainer, boxer, radio announcer, and painter. Willeford, the author of twenty novels, created the Miami detective series featuring Hoke Moseley, which includes Miami Blues, Sideswipe, The Way We Die Now, and New Hope for the Dead. He died in 1988.