First published 1988
Sidney Holden works as a bumper for Aladdin Furs, a well-dressed enforcer who handles debts that can't be paid through normal channels. He knows nothing about mink or sable, but his employers depend on him completely. During a routine collection job that turns into a double homicide, Holden discovers a young Cuban refugee girl hiding beneath a kitchen table. She has witnessed everything. The child belongs to a Santería sect that worships her as the living embodiment of Changó, their violent thunder god. Cuban immigrants are reshaping New York's criminal landscape, and this religious group commands serious respect and fear. Holden cannot bring himself to eliminate the witness, so he takes her with him instead. His decision ignites a brutal territorial conflict that threatens to destroy everyone involved. Now Holden must navigate between competing criminal factions while protecting a girl who may actually possess divine power.
Genres: fiction, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Cuba, New York
Period: 20th-century
240 pages · Hardcover · Michael Joseph
Content warnings: violence