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Kew Gardens Mystery Writer Pens New Novel for April Release

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | February 4, 2016 8:07am
 Alex Segura’s “Down the Darkest Street” will be published in April.
Alex Segura’s “Down the Darkest Street” will be published in April.
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Alex Segura

QUEENS — Fans of Kew Gardens mystery writer Alex Segura will be happy to learn they will soon be able to read about new adventures of Pete Fernandez, a character they already know from Segura's previous book.

“Down the Darkest Street” is the sequel to his “Silent City,” which tells the story of a journalist turned detective who gets dragged into the search for a missing girl as he is “inching closer and closer to a vicious, calculating killer,” according to the synopsis on the publisher's website.

The story is set in Miami, where Segura, 35, is originally from, and shows the dark side of the city. 

The main character, Segura said, is someone he can relate to. 

"Pete is Cuban-American, like me, and also from Miami," he said. "He's a person I could see myself having gone to school with or known growing up."  

The writer said he was inspired by the work of authors such as George Pelecanos, Dennis Lehane and Laura Lippman.

“Each of them wrote series that featured detectives that were learning as they went,” he said. “Their books were also strong in terms of location. Pelecanos wrote about D.C., Lehane about Boston and Lippman about Baltimore.”

Segura, who moved to New York in 2006 and has since organized several mystery book readings in Kew Gardens, said he wanted to show Miami “in a different light that doesn't necessarily sync up with the Miami people see on TV or in movies.”

“It's not all sun and fun,” he said. “Miami is a large, spread-out city with dark corners and different personalities. It's complex and much more than a tropical paradise or vacation spot."

"Down the Darkest Street" is scheduled to be released by Polis Books in April.