Miami Purity — Vicki Hendricks

The "modern noir masterpiece" is now back in print

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.