Death Rattle
Alex Gilly's "Death Rattle" is a riveting thriller for fans of Don Winslow's"The Border"
Every life has its price...
A death in a migrant detention center leads officer Nick Finn and his wife, human-rights lawyer Mona Jimenez, to investigate the prison's account of what happened.
When Carmen Vega's boyfriend tries to kill her, she hands over all her savings to a smuggler and sets out from Tijuana in a small, leaky boat. Within sight of the California coast, the boat starts to sink, and its passengers have to be rescued by border patrol.
Soon, Carmen turns up dead in a privately-operated Migrant Detention Center. Nick Finn, the officer who saved Carmen from drowning, is not satisfied with the prison's account of what happened to Carmen.
Trouble is, the company that runs the prison is on the verge of signing a billion-dollar procurement contract with Homeland Security. And there are people in this world for whom a billion dollars is worth a whole lot more than one human life. Or even three.
MY REVIEW: Author Alex Gilly's first novel, "Devil's Harbor", introduced a character whom I found immensely appealing, Marine Interdiction Agent for Customs and Border Protection, Nick Finn. This time in Book Two, "Death Rattle", both Nick and his wife, human-rights lawyer, Mona Jimenez, are deep in deadly waters as the illegal immigrant, Carmen, whom Nick rescued from a sinking boat becomes Mona's client. When Carmen is murdered while in detention, neither Mona nor Nick believe the official statement regarding her death, and they set out to find the truth. Nick also has his suspicions as to why his border protection team is seeing fewer drug-smuggling runs and more illegal immigrant entry attempts. Something in the troubled sea off the California coast is definitely fishy--and it's not just what lives under the water. "Death Rattle" is a fast-paced, complex thriller with a suspenseful story line--you will become so involved, you'll want to read it all in one setting. The author's characterizations are quite compelling--Nick is a border patrol agent, and Mona defends those who illegally cross that border. They would seem to be an impossible match, yet they love each other and are still together despite all that they have been through. "Death Rattle" takes on some tough subjects and moves the rocks from which snakes, human and reptilian, slither out from under--both are equally venomous.
Book Copy Gratis Forge Books
Praise for Death Rattle:
“What’s a border noir mystery without vicious drug cartels and desperate illegal migrants? Alex Gilly obligingly provides those joys in Death Rattle which is set in a town on the California-Mexico border laughably named Paradise.”―New York Times Book Review
“Impressive....will keep readers turning the pages. Thriller fans will want to see more of Nick.”―Publishers Weekly
ALSO BY ALEX GILLY
With heart-stopping thrills, a Walter White-esque villain, and a fascinating
hero, Alex Gilly's Devil's Harbor is a thriller unlike any you have read
before...
Nick Finn and his partner and brother-in-law, Diego Jimenez, are used to rough water. As Marine Interdiction Agents for Customs and Border Protection, the two hunt drug smugglers, human traffickers, and other criminals who hide in the vastness of the waters surrounding southern California.
One night, Finn and Diego track a phantom boat off the Los Angeles coast, but it disappears before they can intercept it. They find a dead body in its wake, ravaged by sharks. Their investigation into the floater stalls when Finn is accused of using excessive force following the death of a suspected drug smuggler.
Then Diego is murdered--and Finn is the number-one suspect. As he races to find the real killer and save his marriage, Finn is forced to partner with Linda Blake, the desperate captain of the Pacific Belle and mother of Lucy, a very sick little girl, to attempt the one thing he has devoted his life to stopping.
In order to clear his name and save a child's life, Finn must smuggle narcotics by sea into the United States…and avoid the net that his CBP colleagues have cast for him.
Nick Finn and his partner and brother-in-law, Diego Jimenez, are used to rough water. As Marine Interdiction Agents for Customs and Border Protection, the two hunt drug smugglers, human traffickers, and other criminals who hide in the vastness of the waters surrounding southern California.
One night, Finn and Diego track a phantom boat off the Los Angeles coast, but it disappears before they can intercept it. They find a dead body in its wake, ravaged by sharks. Their investigation into the floater stalls when Finn is accused of using excessive force following the death of a suspected drug smuggler.
Then Diego is murdered--and Finn is the number-one suspect. As he races to find the real killer and save his marriage, Finn is forced to partner with Linda Blake, the desperate captain of the Pacific Belle and mother of Lucy, a very sick little girl, to attempt the one thing he has devoted his life to stopping.
In order to clear his name and save a child's life, Finn must smuggle narcotics by sea into the United States…and avoid the net that his CBP colleagues have cast for him.
MY REVIEW: Author Alex Gilly's debut fiction work, "Devil's Harbor", is a suspenseful thriller that will keep you turning the pages until you read it all the way through. Once you start reading, you'll be hooked by the perfectly imperfect protagonist and the compelling storyline. As a Marine Interdiction Agent for Customs and Border Protection, Nick Finn patrols the ocean waters off Southern California, hunting the human predators who prey upon the weaknesses and addictions of their fellow man. His partner is Diego Jimenez, the younger brother of Finn's wife, Mona. A violent encounter with a phantom boat, skulking through the night waters with its lights out, will forever change the lives of Finn and those around him. When Finn is investigated for using excessive force, Mona, a lawyer, acts for his defense. Then the unthinkable happens--Diego is murdered, and Finn becomes the prime suspect. As his troubles intensify, his recurring struggle with alcohol resurfaces--a lingering inheritance from an alcoholic father. Desperate to clear his name, save his marriage, and hold onto his life and sanity, Finn becomes involved with dangerously warped schemers who have a twisted, evil agenda all their own. Finn has served his country both in wartime and stateside. He is a good man who has made some bad choices. Is it too late to save himself, or can he pull off one more mission--the mission of a lifetime? Author Alex Gilly is also a translator, and I will say this as a reader and a film fan: "Devil's Harbor" will translate into a terrific action-adventure film with a lead character whose flaws are outshone by his inherent heroism.
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Reviews
“Gilly's debut is a real page-turner filled with thrills, chills, and unexpected surprises.” ―Kirkus Reviews
“Buy it! Recommend it! Push it on anyone who loves suspense and action served with hard-boiled style! The writing is exuberant yet controlled, the plot is twisty and devious yet easily tracked, the characters are freshly imagined...The boat chases are the best since the early Bond novels, the revelations are startling, and the bourbon scenes make you thirsty.” ―Booklist (starred review)
“Devil's Harbor is a fast-paced, sophisticated thriller, filled with twists, turns and compelling characters that will stay with the reader long after they've read the exciting final pages. Alex Gilly is a writer to be reckoned with - one that knows his territory, whether it is a speedboat trapped in an offshore gale or how to aim a rifle from a pitching deck. This is a book that operates deliciously in the shadows beneath the dark Pacific waters surface and in the darker places in men's hearts. A fine debut that will keep readers up late at night.” ―John Katzenbach, internationally bestselling author
“[A] thrill-a-moment first novel...The ending is an unexpected nail-bitter that crackles with tension.” ―Publishers Weekly
ALEX GILLY
ALEX GILLY is a writer and translator who was born in New York City and has lived in Australia, Canada, France, California, and the UK. One of his translations, Thierry Cruvellier's THE MASTER OF CONFESSIONS, was longlisted for the 2015 PEN Translation Prize. Alex holds an MA in Translation and Interpreting Studies and a BA in Linguistics and Spanish and Latin American Studies, both from the University of New South Wales. In addition to his work as a translator, Alex has worked as a boating-magazine writer, editor, and copy editor. He currently lives in Sydney with his wife and son. DEVIL'S HARBOR is his first novel.
http://www.alexgilly.com/
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