Cari Mora

I had higher hopes for this. I've only been waiting half a lifetime to read something new by Thomas Harris. His Hannibal Lector trilogy is on of my all time favorite book series and as a kid I read it REPEATEDLY. His beautiful prose, fiendish villains, and strong female protagonists are still present, but the story-line and plot left a little to be desired. Cari Mora is about a young woman who fled violence in her own country only to fall back into it in the US. Cari is the caretaker for the infamous Escobar house in Miami; she's used to working with film crews and others who want to rent the space, but when a group of seedy looking men rent the house out, she quickly ascertains that they have something sinister in mind. They are looking for hidden gold, rumored to be hidden somewhere beneath the house, and they will stop at nothing to obtain it. Cari must resort to the cunning, shrewdness and survival instincts she thought she had left behind to keep from falling prey to these evil men.

Hotel Scarface

Holy hell was this an exciting and interesting book. True Crime doesn't get more "fun" than this. Hotel Scarface traces the origins of the Cocaine Cowboys in South Florida, their quick rise, the blizzard of cocaine users in Miami, and the amazingness of The Mutiny at Sailboat Bay (a hotel, club, and restaurant). The Mutiny was where all the drug lords, smugglers, vixens, celebrities, and dirty cops hung out and my lord, to have been a fly on the wall. The Mutiny was the hub in the early days of cocaine and even the movie, Scarface, models itself off The Mutiny and the eccentric characters that would gather there. The cast of characters in this nonfiction true crime book is extensive and can get a little overwhelming at times, but it is definitely worth getting through because this book is full of bizarre little tid bits and over the top lifestyles that could of course not be kept up forever. Extensively researched, wonderfully written, and compelling as hell, this is a must read!