Soft Money

Officer Filomena Buscarela has traded in her uniform for the many joys and trials of being a single parent, but her passion for justice burns as hot as ever in this second installment of the critically acclaimed mystery series set in 1980s New York City. When the owner of Filomena’s neighborhood bodega is murdered and falls into the overcrowded category of just another “ethnic” crime that will probably go unsolved and unavenged, she doesn’t need much prodding from the dead man’s grieving sister to step in. Secretly partnered with a rookie cop, she hits the Washington Heights streets to smoke out the trigger-happy punks who callously ended an innocent life. In a town big enough to hold every kind of criminal, crackpot, liar, and thief, from ruthless gangsters to corporate executives drunk on greed and power, Filomena tracks a killer through the city’s danger zones. This is dark, humorous storytelling that also offers a recap of the social and economic horrors wrought by the Reagan era.

Even the best cops burn out. 23 Shades of Black's Filomena Buscarsela returns, having traded in her uniform for the trials of single motherhood. Once a cop, always a cop. She may have left the department, but Filomena's passion for justice burns as hot as ever. And when the owner of her neighborhood bodega is murdered--just another "ethnic" crime that will probably go unsolved and unavenged--Filomena doesn't need much prodding from the dead man's grieving sister to step in. Secretly partnered with a rookie cop, she hits the Washington Heights streets to smoke out the trigger-happy punks who ended an innocent life as callously as if they were blowing out a match.

From the labyrinthine subway tunnels of upper Broadway to the upscale enclaves that house the rich and beautiful, from local barrio hangouts to high-priced seats of power, Filomena follows a trail of dirty secrets and dirtier politics, with some unexpected stops in between. In a town big enough to hold every kind of criminal, crackpot, liar, and thief, from ruthless gangsters to corporate executives drunk on greed and power, she tracks a killer through the city's danger zones.

Kenneth Wishnia is an associate professor of English at Suffolk Community College with a PhD in comparative literature from SUNY Stony Brook. He is the author of the Filomena Buscarsela Mystery series, the first of which was nominated for both the Edgar and the Anthony Awards, and made the Booklist “Best First Mystery” list. He is also the author of The Fifth Servant, which was a finalist for the Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery Award. He lives in Long Island. Gary Phillips is the author of Cowboys, Send My Love and a Molotov Cocktail, The Jook, and The Underbelly. He lives in Los Angeles.