Contents Under Pressure

This is the second Britt Montero novel that I read from the series and find them enjoyable. The characters are well portrayed and I find Britt and her photographer Lottie to be likable. The action is non stop and the plot is far from predictable.

Britt Montero, a seasoned 30-something crime reporter, works the seamy side of Miami for a major daily. If only half her tales are true of criminals and street people targeting tourists, I wouldn't want to go there, even for a day on the beach. According to Britt and her friends, the producers of the TV series Miami Vice (not actually named) spent millions upgrading dilapidated neighborhoods to make their level of degradation believable for TV audiences. In this stew of crime, heat, poverty, and traffic congestion, Britt uncovers evidence of racially-based police brutality. Pursuing such a story not only would sour her crucial relationship with the police, it potentially could divide the city. It's a trendy story, briskly written to pull the reader along. I couldn't say, however, that it stands out from the crowd of books featuring feisty single women, whose lives are full of people under 40. I listened to the recorded book, ably read by Donada Peters.

Edna does a fantastic job with the details and actions in this book. The main character is portrayed as a strong individual. This is refreshing because too often female characters always need a man to make them, or they are airheads, etc. Edna created a great storyline which will have you sitting on the edge of your seat until the end.

I am an avid reader of Edna Buchanan's books. Edna really tells it like is about life and crime in Miami. "Contents Under Pressure" is by far, my favorite Buchanan novel. As her first novel in the Britt Montero series, I think that it's her best. What a page turner it was! I had to ration the book so that I could make it last. "Contents Under Pressure" is also my favorite because as a native Miamian, I know the all about the Arthur MacDuffie case, the real story that the fictional D. Wayne Hudsen tale was based upon. This book brought back some unsettling memories about what Miami was like during that time. I love Britt Montero and the stories she gets herself involved in. Keep the great books coming, Edna!