Miami! Just saying the name brings up images of sunshine, beaches, neon lights, and maybe a little bit of danger. It’s a city with so many faces, which makes it a fantastic place for authors to set their stories.
I’ve read quite a few books that really capture different sides of Miami, from its glossy surfaces to its darker corners. Reading them felt like exploring the city through different sets of eyes. Here are some novels set in Miami that stuck with me:
Jeff Lindsay’s “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” pulls you into the world of Dexter Morgan. By day, he works for the Miami police as a blood-spatter analyst. By night, he’s a serial killer, but he follows a strict code: he only kills bad people.
You follow Dexter as he tries to keep his two lives separate. Then, a new killer appears in Miami whose methods seem strangely familiar to Dexter, almost personal.
Tom Wolfe’s “Back to Blood” drops you right into Miami’s chaotic mix of cultures and high tensions. It focuses on Nestor Camacho, a young Cuban-American cop.
After a public incident where he saves a Cuban refugee from a ship’s mast, Nestor finds himself caught between different communities and power players.
The story jumps between characters like status-obsessed socialites, doctors who treat porn addicts, and journalists who chase scoops. It shows a raw look at the city’s conflicts over race, money, and belonging.
Dave Barry’s “Big Trouble” is pure Miami mayhem, and it’s hilarious. It starts simply enough with a high school kid’s squirt gun prank.
This somehow leads to a mysterious suitcase, professional hitmen, clueless teenagers, smugglers, and even a couple of FPL employees getting mixed up together. The whole situation escalates wildly across the city with mistaken identities and pure absurdity.
Tim Dorsey’s “Florida Roadkill” introduces Serge Storms, a man obsessed with Florida history and prone to creative, often violent, solutions. He and his perpetually stoned friend Coleman stumble onto a plot involving five million dollars hidden in a car trunk.
A whole cast of oddball characters wants that money too. Their journey through South Florida is a sequence of bizarre encounters and black comedy.
In Leslie Charteris’s “The Saint in Miami,” the charming adventurer Simon Templar arrives in sunny Miami. He quickly finds himself tangled in a serious situation. It involves Nazi spies operating in Florida during World War II.
Simon uses his wits and daring attitude to uncover their plans and confront the enemies, all against the backdrop of a wartime Miami.
Thomas Harris sets “Cari Mora” in a waterfront mansion in Miami Beach. Cari Mora, a young woman scarred by war in her homeland, works as the caretaker. Below the house lies a fortune in cartel gold.
Ruthless people, led by the monstrous Hans-Peter Schneider, are coming to get it. Cari finds herself trapped between these predators and must use her survival instincts.
Elmore Leonard’s “Rum Punch” introduces Jackie Burke, a flight attendant who gets busted smuggling cash for gunrunner Ordell Robbie. Facing prison time, Jackie has to play a dangerous game.
She navigates between Ordell, his unpredictable associate Louis Gara, and the federal agents who want her help. The story unfolds across South Florida locations with sharp dialogue and unexpected turns.
Dave Barry’s “Tricky Business” takes place mostly on a run-down casino boat anchored off Miami. A storm is brewing offshore, and onboard, things are just as chaotic.
You meet characters like a house band musician, a tough cocktail waitress, some inept mobsters trying to launder money, and elderly tourists caught in the middle. Their lives collide during one wild night filled with bad decisions and dark humor.
Jilliane Hoffman’s “Retribution” shows a darker side of Miami’s legal system. C.J. Townsend is a prosecutor in Miami handling a high-profile case against a terrifying serial killer known as Cupid.
As the trial proceeds, the case forces C.J. to confront a traumatic event from her own past. The story explores the psychological toll on those who deal with extreme violence.
Alex Flinn’s “Breaking Point” is set in a wealthy private school in Miami. Paul is the new kid, feeling isolated until he’s invited into the inner circle of the school’s elite. But acceptance comes at a price.
His new friends push him into increasingly dangerous activities and acts of sabotage. Paul has to decide how far he’ll go to belong.
Alisa Valdes wrote “Make Him Look Good,” a fun look at the Miami celebrity scene. The story centers around Ricky Biscayne, a hugely popular, self-centered Latin pop star.
We see his world through the eyes of several women: his practical wife, his driven personal assistant, a gossip columnist, and an innocent young fan. Their interconnected stories reveal the drama behind the music and glamour.