El Gavilan
Tyrus Books, December 2011
The news is full of it: escalating tensions from illegal immigration; headless bodies hanging off bridges and bounties placed on lawmen on both sides of the border. New Austin, Ohio, is a town grappling with waves of undocumented workers who exert tremendous pressure on schools, police and city services. In the midst of the turmoil, three very different kinds of cops scramble to maintain control and impose order.
But the rape-murder of a Mexican-American woman triggers a brutal chain of events that threatens to leave no survivors. El Gavilan is a novel of shifting alliances and whiplash switchbacks. Families are divided and careers and lives threatened. Friendships and ideals are tested and budding love affairs challenged. With its topical themes, shades-of- gray characters and dark canvas, El Gavilan is a novel for our charged times.
Paperback | ISBN: 9781440531910 | Publication Date: December 2011
Reviews:
"The competition for the future of crime fiction is fierce, as it
should be, but don't take your eyes off Craig McDonald. He's wily,
talented and -- rarest of the rare -- a true original. He writes
melancholy poetry that actually has melancholy poets wandering
around, but don't turn your backs on them, either. I am always
eager to see what he's going to do next."
-- Laura Lippman
"As sobering and as urgent as tomorrows headlines, this searing
novel traces the struggle of the residents of fictional New
Austin, Ohio, to cope with out-of-control illegal Latino
immigrants. McDonald deftly balances his "now" against the "then"
backstory as he dissects one of America's most tormenting social
problems."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
