Nina Kostroff-Noble

"With the fall of the Barksdale empire, and the ascent of a new young drug king in Baltimore, McNulty, Bunk and the rest of the detail continue to "follow the money" up the political ladder amidst a hotly contested mayoral campaign. Prez witnesses first-hand the role of inner-city education in the formation of youth as four students, Michael, Namond, Randy and Dukie, face dangerous decisions and adolescent angst in a city rife with the temptations...

Follows a single sprawling drug investigation in Baltimore, against the backdrop of the mayor's reelection campaign. Told from the point of view of both the police and their targets, where easy distinctions between good and evil are challenged at every turn.

Amid the ruins of New Orleans, ordinary people--musicians, chefs, residents--find themselves clinging to a unique culture and wondering if the city that gave birth to that culture still has a future.