MIAMI MIDNIGHT - the final Pete Fernandez Mystery - is on sale TODAY!

Today's the day!

Miami Midnight, my fifth - and final - Pete Fernandez Mystery is out in the world. If you haven't preordered it yet, you can grab a copy here.

Miami Midnight finds Pete retired and trying to live a quiet, sensible life - shaken from the events at the end of the previous novel, Blackout. But he and his erstwhile partner, Kathy Bentley, get pulled back into the investigative game when aging Cuban gangster Alvaro Mujica enlists them to find out the truth about the death of his son, Javi - a troubled, tragic jazz pianist. The mystery grows more tangled when Pete is approached by one of his father's old police colleagues, who claims to know the truth about a mystery Pete never considered: the death of his mother. But instead of questioning the retired cop, Pete instead finds a dead body. Who wanted to keep the truth about Graciela Fernandez under wraps? And what does it have to do with the mysterious death of Javier Mujica?

Well, now you can find out!

Miami Midnight is the culmination of over five years of storytelling, weaving elements from all four previous Pete novels with a new, haunting mystery to create a finale I'm quite proud of. But don't take my word for it.

• Miami Midnight's been generating a ton of buzz, including glowing reviews in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, Criminal Element, and BOLO Books. It's also been included in "most anticipated" August lists over at Entertainment Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, Crime Reads, Book Riot, The Real Book Spy, and SPINED Magazine (along with Liz Phair!).

• Barnes & Noble also listed Miami Midnight as one of the best examples of a series ending on the author's own terms.

• Superstar author Alafair Burke included the book in her 2019 top beach reads list, via her newsletter - which you should all sign up for.

• I did interviews with Erica Wright at LitReactor, Ed Aymar at The Washington Independent Review of Books, Nancie Claire at her Speaking of Mysteries podcast, April Snellings at ITW's The Big Thrill (on the cover, no less!), Scoop, Dave Richards at Criminal Element, and The New Tropic.

• I got to interview legendary Cuban crime writer, Leonardo Padura, at Crime Reads. True crime writer Carolyn Murnick took a minute to join me for a conversation on how to best subvert/overcome the troublesome "dead girl" trope and tell more feminist crime stories.

In terms of events, I'll be keeping pretty busy for the next month or so.

• Tonight, I'll be reading from Miami Midnight as part of the New York chapter of Mystery Writers of America's bimonthly crime fiction reading series, at KGB Bar.

• On Friday, I'll be officially launching the book at Kew & Willow Books in Kew Gardens, Queens. I'll be doing a Q&A with friend and fellow crime writer Kellye Garrett, so don't miss it.

• The following week, on 8/20, I'll be at The Mysterious Bookshop with good pal Rob Hart as we co-launch Miami Midnight and Rob's latest, the much-buzzed about The Warehouse. It'll be fun.

Here's a rundown of what else I have in store, events-wise:

So...that's it? I hope you enjoy the book. Here, again, is where you can pick it up.

With that, I have to admit I'd feel dirty just plugging myself - even on release day. So please allow me to suggest some great crime reads to pick up alongside Miami Midnight, based on my recent reading:

• The Warehouse by Rob Hart - This book gave me chills. Haunting, relevant, and sharply written, this is the book that will elevate Rob from rising star to supernova.

• Famous in Cedarville by Erica Wright - Erica's written a great PI series in her Kat Stone books, but like The Warehouse, she shines in the standalone setting. A dark, menacing mystery with Hollywood trappings, I found this one very tough to put down.

• Hollywood Ending by Kellye Garrett - Funny, charming, smartly written and featuring crackling characters and sharp plotting, I love Kellye's Detective by Day series.

• The Better Sister by Alafair Burke - This book is a master class in crafting a summer blockbuster. Propulsive prose, complex situations, and timely, all-too-realistic situations. I was hooked from the first page.

• Jack Waters by Scott Adlerberg - This lush, historical crime novel has a vibe that's otherwordly but also grounded in the long history of international crime fiction. Adlerberg knows how to manage the slow boil, and this book is the kind you take on a trip with you only to forget what your plans were.

• The Unrepentant by EA Aymar - I blurbed this book, so why think of something new to say? “The Unrepentant is a powerful, darkly evocative story that features an unforgettable protagonist in the wily Charlotte Reyes. These elements combine to make for a thrilling revenge tale peppered with sharp humor and feeling both timely and timeless. E.A. Aymar has arrived.”

Not enough? Okay, here are a few more that you need to add to your TBR!

• Walk in the Fire by Steph Post - Read this and the first Cannon book, Lightwood, ASAP - the third part of the trilogy hits in January.

• Wonder Valley by Ivy Pochoda - I will never stop talking about this book.

• Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha - One of my favorite books of the year!

• Never Look Back by Alison Gaylin - Can someone please write a story about Alison's magnificent string of recent novels? So good.

• Lady in the Lake by Laura LIppman - I talked to Laura here. Also one of my favorite books of the year.

• Her Daughter's Mother by Daniela Petrova - Allow me to add my voice to the chorus of people singing the praises of this book.

• Three-Fifths by John Vercher - A stunning debut.

• #FashionVictim by Amina Akhtar - What if The Devil Wears Prada was a crime novel? You're welcome.

• One Small Sacrifice by Hilary Davidson - A powerful crime novel from one of the genre's clearest voices. So great to have a new HD novel out in the world!

And, with that, it's time to sign of! I hope you enjoy Miami Midnight!

Wait - what, you want to know how you can help spread the word? Well...okay! It'd be great if you took a minute to share the below image along with this link:

http://www.alexsegura.com/books/miami-midnight/

Thank you, again, for your support! I hope to see you soon.