Hotel Scarface

Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami

By: Roben Farzad

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

The wild, true story of the Mutiny, the hotel and club that embodied the decadence of Miami's cocaine cowboys heyday - and an inspiration for the blockbuster film Scarface....

In the '70s, coke hit Miami with the full force of a hurricane, and no place attracted dealers and dopers like Coconut Grove's Mutiny at Sailboat Bay. Hollywood royalty, rock stars, and models flocked to the hotel's club to order bottle after bottle of Dom and to snort lines alongside narcos, hit men, and gunrunners, all while marathon orgies burned upstairs in elaborate fantasy suites.

Amid the boatloads of powder and cash reigned the new kings of Miami: three waves of Cuban immigrants vying to dominate the trafficking of one of the most lucrative commodities ever known to man. But as the kilos - and bodies - began to pile up, the Mutiny became target number one for law enforcement.

Based on exclusive interviews and never-before-seen documents, Hotel Scarface is a portrait of a city high on excess and greed, an extraordinary work of investigative journalism offering an unprecedented view of the rise and fall of cocaine - and the Mutiny - in Miami.

©2017 Roben Farzad (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Great read/listen

Read this back in October, now just finished the audiobook version. It transports you back in time to say the least, and will have you googling left and right if you're somewhat of a history buff. Of course it doesn't hurt to already be somewhat familiar with the cast of characters. Highly recommended

A must for any South Floridian

Great listen/read!

This book does an incredible job of highlighting the absolute madness going on in South Florida during the 70's-90's. It also (finally) tells the story going on at the local level that is overlooked by the endless number of Pablo Escobar documentaries.

80s miami club is cocaine central

lavish club real cuban drug lords and historical. entertaining and good read would recommend it.

Like having your own Mutiny member card!

Fun and entertaining read. The research, stories, and details gathered is Amazing. Great narration. He at times will use different voices to help the listeners visualize characters when quoting them. The amount of detail really puts the reader in the heart of the 70's and 80's Miami cocaine craze. You almost feel taken back in time, like your sitting in the Mutiny yourself watching it all transpire right in front of you!

Forest Gump Saga of the Drug World

Really enjoyable walk down memory lane of the early days and beginnings of the Miami cocaine dynasty to its inglorious end. From Pablo Escobar, to Manuel Noriega to the Nicaraguan Contras and the Cocaine Cowboys, an enjoyable, entertaining and educational read/listen. Would make a great movie.

You gotta love Miami

This was a well written and told story of the crazy cocaine days in Miami. It’s so much more than the drugs, though that is the focus due to its setting, but there is so much more to learn. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The full Monty

This book captures the zeitgeist that inhabited that hotel, the city and the possibilities of everyone caught up in the drama. Having been born and raised in MIA this book makes a credible snap shot of a time that glittered in the outside but inside was another story. And there are still other stories to tell.

Vivid descriptions of 80s Miami

Great story especially if you love Miami, leaves out Griselda Blanco but still a great listen. Recommended!

Miami history

This is good!
Simply an amazingly well put together story of how Miami used to be or how it came to be what it is today...it leaves me wondering if they would have really been able to flip everyone... how many people in high positions today would have been affected. Collateral damage!
Great job!

What a read!

This book far exceeded my expectations .it fills in a lot of gaps like Iran Contra, Mena, Ollie North, etc. I’ve read many books on narco terrorism and this one was really informative. It’s very compelling & you don’t need to be a scholar to read it. It keeps you hooked. The narration is spot on. I lived in Miami
from 1969-1982 so it made it that much more exciting. If I didn’t know it really happened it would sound like a really wild movie. It reads like a great novel.