Miami Purity

"Vicki Hendricks is the high-priestess of neo-noir. A fierce and fearless talent."

— Dennis Lehane, New York Times best-selling author of *Mystic River*

"Shocking and supercharged, both reverent and original, this is the novel that amped up a new generation of noir writers."

— George Pelecanos, New York Times best-selling author of *The Night Gardener*

"Sex and murder, sunny places and shady people... Miami Purity is a modern noir masterpiece."

— Michael Connelly, New York Times best-selling author of *The Overlook*

"Miami Purity is as slick as a well-oiled weasel and tight as a Gordian knot. One of the best of its kind from a very fine writer."

— Joe R. Lansdale, Edgar Award-winning author of *The Bottoms*

Hot and scrappy Sherri Parlay gives up her life of depravity, and with best intentions, finds a respectable job as a dry cleaner in hopes for a decent future. But nature and nurture plot against her when she meets the beautiful, tortured, and rich young Payne, who tempts her with the love and life she never thought possible. Even Brenda, Payne’s domineering mother, can’t keep the lovers apart when Sherri’s animal passions take control. Unfortunately, Payne is not only a different kind of man from those in Sherri’s past, he’s worse than any on her list of sordid affairs. Twisted psychology and a pure heart lead her into the dark realm of disillusionment and crime, where she reaches into her deepest reserves for the strength to survive.

This contemporary noir novel is reminiscent of James M. Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice with a heavy dose of sexual realism that Cain might have enjoyed if his times would have allowed.

*Foreword by Ken Bruen

* Afterword by Megan Abbott