First published 2023
Buddy Steel has just earned his promotion to LAPD homicide detective when he gets pulled into a high-stakes drug operation. A task force is tracking a massive meth shipment from Mexico to Los Angeles, but their mission goes sideways when one undercover agent turns up dead and another goes missing. The surviving agent is Kara Machado, who has infiltrated deep into a Mexican cartel. When the cartel discovers her true identity might be compromised, they drag her to their fortified compound across the border and cut off all contact with the outside world. Buddy has history with Kara, and he refuses to abandon her to the cartel's mercy. He recruits three old military buddies and decides to go rogue. Their mission is twofold: extract Kara alive and locate the drug storage facility before the shipment reaches LA. Working without official backup or authorization, Buddy's team crosses into Mexico knowing the cartel will kill them all if caught. Time runs short as they navigate hostile territory, hunt for both Kara and the drugs, and plan their escape route home.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, rescue-mission
Setting: Los Angeles, Mexico
Period: 21st-century
256 pages · Paperback · Poisoned Pen Press
Content warnings: violence