Rip Crew

January 8, 2018
Leo Méndez, the former chief of the Diogenes Group police unit in Tijuana, Mexico, is now a journalist living in San Diego, Calif., in Rotella’s strong third series thriller (after 2014’s The Convert’s Song). When Méndez’s old boss in Mexico asks for his help exposing the Blake Acquisitions Group, a U.S. firm that’s apparently in cahoots with Mexican narcopoliticians, he agrees to do so. Meanwhile, Méndez’s old PI friend, Valentine Pescatore, wants Méndez’s help investigating the murders of 10 women shot execution-style in a Tecate motel. The horrific crime is assumed to have been perpetrated by an unknown “rip crew,” a gang that specializes in ripping off drug smugglers. Méndez and Pescatore’s investigations merge, and both men fight off several assassination attempts. Rotella writes convincingly about the realities and mechanics of investigative journalism, and his detailed action scenes add just enough mayhem to keep thriller readers on the edge of their seats. Agent: Bonnie Nadell, Hill Nadell Literary Agency.