Kirkus Reviews
The World's Toughest Book Critics
A young mayor is pivotal in the revival of boomtown Miami Beach in the 1980s, all the while indulging his large appetites for money, power and sex.
In this compelling, well-written tell-all novel detailing his own political rise and fall, three-time Mayor of Miami Beach Daoud delivers a steamy story that reads like a cross between Hollywood Babylon and All the King’s Men. While overseeing the revitalization of South Beach, lawyer Daoud realized that he possessed a couple valuable commodities: his vote and his influence.
He began to sell these assets to local bankers, developers and union bosses. As his first marriage began to dissolve when his wife moved to North Carolina to attend dental school, Daoud discovered that money and power could attract women. As federal agents closed in on him, he learned that most of his “friends” were only using him, and he eventually faced a 41-count indictment by himself, not wanting to snitch on his co-conspirators.
Daoud fought the government in court, where he was ably defended by his attorney, Roy Black. When Daoud could no longer afford the best attorney available, his case began to crumble. Eventually he was found guilty on a handful of counts and sentenced to 63 months in a federal prison, of which he served 18 in various locations due to death threats against him.
This compelling story may remind the reader of a Greek tragedy, as the protagonist’s own vices lead to his demise.
Daniel Allen Butler
NY Times Best-Selling Author of "Unsinkable" and "The First Jihad"
"Alex Daoud may have thought he was just writing a first-hand account of his experiences as a South Beach city commissioner. What he has really done is show in microcosm how municipal governments in the United States have lost control of America's cities through a mixture of apathy, ambition, and a preoccupation with petty politicking.
Daoud's actions and opinions may be controversial, but no one can accuse him of not caring about the people he was elected to represent–and no one can deny that ultimately he was denied the opportunity to do so by men and women more concerned with their own self-interests than in fulfilling the duties of public service.
This is a must read for anyone who believes that a little altruism can make a difference at any level of government–and a cautionary tale of how a person's best work can be undone by little men and women who strive only for their own agendas"
Gary J. Lehman
Police officer for the city of Miami Beach in the early 80s
Being a police officer for the city of Miami Beach in the early 80s Alex Daoud tells it like it was the good with the bad. He describes things that happened with an uncanny ability to make the reader think he is there as if it was happening as you read it.The book is hard hitting and all true.I would recommend the book to anyone who wants to see how city politics really works.
John Ritter
Former City Attorney of Miami Beach
Alex has more than sins to tell about, though they alone are scintillating enough to make the book a great read. It is also a history book and a law book. Daoud presided over and tells of the redevelopment of South Beach from an old folks colony to one of the most vibrant hotel and night club areas in America. He tells how Miami Beach suffered through the Mariel Boat Lift. He gives valuable legal advice like 1 of the things they don't tell you in law school is how expensive it is to defend a case against the federal government, I lived through all this and know it is true.
Steven Gaines
NY Times Best-Selling Author of "Philistines at the Hedgerow"
"An astonishing expose on Miami Beach by one of the city's most beloved mayors."
"Compulsively readable, there's shock after shock on almost every page. A naked mea culpa of graft and corruption in America's most popular winter resort."
"The revelations are stunning. Sex, corruption, police misconduct, villains and heroes. It's going to shock people to the core."
Tom Garrett
Assistant Professor - Film Media Arts, University of Tampa
"SINS of SOUTH BEACH is an extraordinary suspenseful page turner by an author who possesses an extraordinary insightful first hand understanding of the politics and the human condition. The challenge for readers will be to keep from putting it down. A really fantastic journey into a slice of legend behind an Americana jewel of a city. This is a non fiction narrative that reads like a thriller, a crime story and should be a major motion picture."
