Contents Under Pressure

September 1, 2014
Pulitzer Prize-winner Buchananâs first book about tough, resourceful, and beautiful crime reporter Britt Montero, published in 1992, has its dated aspectsâthe absence of cellphones, laptops, and other tools of the trade, not to mention the Internetâs influence on journalism. But few recent novels feature as knowledgeable and compelling a portrait of Miami, its environs, and its history. And the bookâs major set piece, a description of a riot prompted by the acquittal of white and Cuban-American cops charged with beating a popular black ballplayer to death, is not only decidedly credible but also unnervingly relevant to todayâs headlines. The novel is narrated by Montero, and it takes a while for reader Bennettâs performance to compensate for the fact that she sounds a bit young and refined for a seasoned 30-something crime reporter. Still, she eventually succeeds in becoming Britt and has no problem giving voice to other key characters, including the reporterâs equally job-obsessed photographer pal Lottie, a tough-talking friendly homicide cop named MacDonald and an even tougher, snarling, and very unfriendly Police Department major named Alvarez. A Hyperion hardcover.

August 31, 1992
The steaming, seething city of Miami is the compelling setting for a Pulitzer Prize-winning police reporter in Buchanan's ( The Corpse Had a Familiar Face ; Nobody Lives Forever ) series launch . Blonde, green-eyed and game, Cuban American Britt Montero is, at 31, a respected crime reporter for a Miami daily. Nevertheless, she is stonewalled in her investigation of the death of former pro football player D. Wayne Hudson, a beloved figure in the city's black community who died in a car crash while being chased by officers on the midnight shift--``a dumping ground for violent, trouble-prone cops.'' Pursuing the truth about Hudson's death, the dedicated Britt must contend with an editor interested only in soft news, with her fashion- and marriage-obsessed mother, and with the conflicts inherent in her romance with a homicide detective. After Britt breaks her story about excessive police violence, the ensuing trial and verdict lead to a breathtaking explosion of arson and sniper fire, from which Britt barely escapes with her life. A few cartoonish cast members don't diminish the impact of Buchanan's closely observed and affectionately portrayed stars, her extremely likable heroine and Miami at night. 75,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo; author tour; Literary Guild main selection.

January 31, 1994
A Miami crime reporter investigates excessive police violence in Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Buchanan's closely observed and compelling series launch.