I was putting the finishing touches on Miami Midnight, my fifth — and, for now, final — Pete Fernandez Mystery novel. I’d put Pete through the ringer more than once, and it was time for things to wind down. I’d accomplished what I set out to do with the series — to write books like the ones that inspired me, stories steeped in setting, with problematic leads, like George Pelecanos’s Nick Stefanos books, Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan series and many more. I’d also revealed my private eye’s origin story — how he came to be — and it was time to close out that first, important arc. But it got me to thinking about those early, formative days — when I was figuring out who Pete was.
