by Kem Nunn
First published 2011
Sam Fahey lives alone near the Tijuana Straits, a former convict and ex-surfer who suffers panic attacks and wants nothing to do with human affairs. His isolated existence shatters when he finds Magdalena, a young Mexican woman left for dead near his home after an assassination attempt. Magdalena fights against economic injustices in the border region, where foreign corporations exploit Mexican workers and pollute the air and rivers without consequence. She pulls Sam into her dangerous world as they search for those who want her dead. The border proves a desolate no man's land of corruption, illegal immigration, and drug trafficking, where nothing appears as it seems. Sam must push himself to his limits in this lawless territory, seeking perhaps his own redemption while navigating the blood-soaked relationships between industrialized nations and the developing South.
Genres: fiction, adventure, crime, contemporary, thriller, action
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Tijuana Straits
Period: Contemporary
360 pages · Paperback · Sonatine
Content warnings: violence