TEQUILA SUNSET

A great, fast paced literary thriller with a setting that is almost a fourth character

El Paso and Ciudad Juárez sit across the Texas/Mexico border from each other. They share streets, share industry, share crime. One gang claims territory in both: Barrio Azteca, or as the Mexicans call them, Los Aztecas. This single criminal organization is responsible for 80% of the homicides committed in Juárez. Felipe Morales is one of them. Recruited in prison, and now on the streets of El Paso, “Flip” has no choice but to step further into that world, but he has a secret that could mean his life. Witness to murder and intimidation, he tries one desperate gamble to get out. On the American side, El Paso detective Cristina Salas struggles to balance the needs of single motherhood, and the parenting of a disabled child, with those of life in the city's gang unit. When her path crosses with Flip, their relationship will spell the difference between a life behind bars for the young gang member, a grisly death or freedom. Meanwhile, Mexican federal agent Matías Segura must contend with the scourge of Los Aztecas while coordinating a long-term operation with the American authorities. Like any other Mexican cop, he's a target, all the more so because of his position. As the operation against Los Aztecas gains traction, Matías relies on Flip and Cristina to do their parts even as his marriage falls apart and his life becomes forfeit. It all comes together in a final confrontation where the stakes are as high as they can be.