“City of Sin” is a deep dive into the American heart of darkness, a much-needed outing of a society that allows its most vulnerable to be trampled by unchecked desire and greed. Brian Joseph has done a remarkable and undaunted job of investigative journalism. Michael Connelly, best-selling author and executive producer of “Bosch”, “City of Sin” tells the inside story of how the biggest sex trafficking investigation in Las Vegas history careened off the rails, ending law enforcement careers and harming hundreds of vulnerable women, but resulted in its target, Mally Mall, a Hip Hop music producer who has worked with stars ranging from Drake to Justin Bieber, receiving only 33 months in prison. This layered saga spans more than a decade, and incorporates an array of captivating characters, including world-famous musicians, violent pimps, unscrupulous journalists, and crooked cops. It takes readers from the streets of Las Vegas to its most exclusive hotel suites, from police raids to newsrooms, and from recording studios to one of the biggest party pads in all of Sin City, complete with a veritable zoo of exotic animals. Drawing on confidential records and exclusive interviews, “City of Sin” opens with Angela Delgado, a Houston woman who gets sucked into Mally's sprawling empire and becomes one of his elite "priority girls." The focus then shifts to law enforcement's investigation of Mally, which is hopelessly mismanaged. While Vice Sgt. Don Hoier watches in horror as police officers and then later FBI agents trip all over themselves, Mally's star steadily rises as he produces bigger and bigger records and lands a role on a weekly VH1 reality show.
“City of Sin” sheds light on domestic sex trafficking and American society's disregard for its victims, and the price of fame and celebrity and the intersection of Hip Hop and pimping. It will appeal to readers of true crime, current events, pop culture, even politics. Long-time investigative reporter Brian Joseph is uniquely positioned to tackle this ambitious story as he investigated sex trafficking in Las Vegas for more than two years for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and has developed countless sources in this hard-to-penetrate subculture.
