Synopsis
Set in 1971, this book picks up where the award winning novel, Pig Behind The Bear, ends. In this stand-alone sequel the reader will be treated to a fast paced drama told with grit and undercoated with humor. The story is centered on the canny, spirited and charming Los Angeles Times reporter, Alejandra Marisol. Alejandra displays relentless tenacity as she delves into the bowels of corrupt city politics, shady real-estate transactions, and an overbearing Archdiocese to fish out the truth surrounding unspeakable crimes using the art of deduction and forensic science. Alejandra’s pursuit of justice forces her to confront the merciless eviction of Angelinos from their homes in Chávez Ravine to make way for Dodger Stadium as told through a cast of rich characters. While the story clearly demonstrates that the present is inextricably tied to the past, it does not let us forget that ordinary people have the ability to override the power of history to shape destiny.
Reviews
CORINA MARTINEZ CHAUDHRY
CEO, The Latino Author
www.thelatinoauthor.com
Alejandra Marisol has it all, or does she? She works as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times and has been assigned to cover the story of five murdered bodies found in a truck. The homicide investigator is sure the responsible person(s) is Detective Ashworth and his Los Angeles Police Department accomplices involved in two previous murders, but Alejandra isn’t so sure. The twists and turns of solving this murder are unrelenting and take Ms. Marisol on a ride of her life. The author, Maria Nieto, has managed to take the reader into an underground movement that is ugly, and at the same time provides remarkable insight into how the forensic experts work at their craft to capture the guilty. Her talent is right up there with some great suspense writers – no doubt about it!
HERBERT SIGUENZA
Playwright, actor and co-founder of Culture Clash,
Maria Nieto has managed to write a charming story that tackles huge cultural issues such as the assassination of Ruben Salazar. Part LA noir mystery, part family drama, part magic realism, Nieto takes us on a ride through Los Angeles touching the cultural milestones and heart of Chicano/LA history past and present.
ARMANDO RENDÓN
Editor/founder of the Latino literary online magazine, Somos en Escrito, and author of Chicano Manifesto and The Adventures of Noldo and His Magical Scooter.
Maria Nieto has created a proto-Chicana crime reporter/solver who just gets more and more appealing. It's fun and clever the way she works barrio denizens into her exploits in the seamy Los Angeles of the 1970s. I hope there are lots more stories to come—I couldn’t put this one down till the awesome finish.
