The Edgar-nominated author acclaimed for his crackling courtroom scenes delivers an adrenaline-laced, no-holds-barred thrillerhis most powerful novel to dateas a disgraced lawyer travels the twisted border between justice and revenge.
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**Haunted by a tragedy in his past and wanted by the cops for his latest malfeasance, trial lawyer Jimmy Royal Payne needs to skip town. Thats when he crosses paths with twelve-year-old Tino Perez, newly arrived from Mexico with no money and no papers. The gutsy kid first robs Payne, then pleads for his help. Marisol, the boys mother, is missing, after crossing the border with a vicious coyote.
Payne doesnt go out of his way for anyone. But ex-wife Sharon, the L.A.P.D. detective he still loves, gives him a choice: help the boy or go to jail.
Following a chain of greed, corruption, and betrayal, Payne traces Marisols steps from Mexicali to Californias Hellhole Canyon, swept into the dark current of illegal immigration, human trafficking, and sexual slavery. Soon the cynical lawyer and the savvy kid are bondingand battling cunning predators on both sides of the border. Its the two of them against an army of cops, coyotes, vigilantes, and sex slavers. Most dangerous of all is Simeon Rutledge, a wealthy grower and the biggest employer of farm workers in California.
Just why is Rutledge willing to bribe Payneor kill himto keep Marisol under wraps? Will Paynes quest redeem his mistakes and resurrect his dead marriageor get him buried in a shallow grave? Either way, hell find out theres no escaping his past.
From the shadows of migrant stash houses to the fertile fields of the San Joaquin Valley*,* **Illegal **delivers a searing mix of live-wire prose, shattering violence, and rich characterization. Set against a backdrop of larger social issues, this is a masterful tale from one of the most skillful practitioners of the contemporary thriller.
From Booklist
L.A. defense attorney Jimmy Payne, overwhelmed by guilt and grief at his sons death, also loses his wife, Sharon, to divorce, and morphs into Royal Payne to both cops and judges. Its just a matter of time before hes in deep trouble with both. Along with the trouble comes 12-year-old Agustino Perez, an illegal alien who is searching for his mother. Initially, Tino robs Payne, but Payne admires the boys toughness and determination and promises to help him find his mother. The trail takes themdodging cops and assorted bad guysfrom L.A. to Mexico and then back into the U.S. to confront a willful agri-tycoon who uses illegal aliens the way most people use Kleenex. Illegal is a riveting read, filled with action, pathos, and even humor. The portrait of the dangers and predations that Latinos face crossing the border is chilling and rings with authenticity. But the books best quality is the way Levine invests his characters with believable humanity. A compulsively readable yet character-driven thriller. --Thomas Gaughan
Review
****Riveting ... filled with action, pathos, and even humor. ... The books best quality is the way Levine invests his characters with believable humanity.*Booklist
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