First published 2009
Detective Sergeant Matthew Payne has seen plenty of murder in Philadelphia, but the recent violence exceeds anything in his experience. Six people die in a gangland shooting at a tourist spot, most of them bystanders caught in crossfire. Days later, someone pulls a headless Latina woman from the Schuylkill River. The cases appear unconnected, but Payne suspects otherwise. His instincts drive him south to the Texas border with Mexico, where he discovers a world that operates by different rules. Law and order blur in ways he never imagined. Here, people live by a simple choice: "O Plato o Plomo?" Silver or lead. Money or death. Payne must decide which path he will take, or whether he should simply return home while he still can. The investigation tests everyone from beat cops to the police commissioner, revealing the fears and dangers that define their work, along with the courage and loyalty that sustain them.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller, detective, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, moral-dilemma, reluctant-hero
Setting: Mexico, Philadelphia, Schuylkill River, Texas
Period: Contemporary
352 pages · Hardcover · Putnam Adult
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder, violence