ILLEGAL - BOOK RELEASE
ILLEGAL
By Edgar-Nominated Author and Penn State Alumnus
Paul Levine
THE VERDICT IS IN ON PAUL LEVINE'S ILLEGAL
“ILLEGAL is a riveting read, filled with action, pathos, and even humor. The portrait of the dangers and predations that Latinos face crossing the border is chilling and rings with authenticity. But the book’s best quality is the way Levine invests his characters with believable humanity. A compulsively readable yet character-driven thriller.”—Booklist
This spring Paul Levine, the Edgar-nominated author acclaimed for his crackling courtroom scenes, delivers an adrenaline-laced, no-holds-barred thriller. ILLEGAL (A Bantam Hardcover; March 24, 2009) is his most powerful novel to date—the story of a disgraced lawyer who travels the twisted border between justice and revenge.
Haunted by a tragedy in his past and wanted by the cops for his latest malfeasance, trial lawyer Jimmy “Royal” Payne needs to skip town. That’s when he crosses paths with twelve-year-old Tino Perez, newly arrived from Mexico with no money and no papers. The gutsy kid first robs Payne, then pleads for his help. Marisol, the boy’s mother, is missing, after crossing the border with a vicious coyote.
Payne doesn’t go out of his way for anyone. But his ex-wife Sharon, the L.A.P.D. detective he still loves, gives him a choice: help the boy or go to jail.
Following a chain of greed, corruption, and betrayal, Payne traces Marisol’s steps from Mexicali to California’s Hellhole Canyon—and into the dark current of illegal immigration, human trafficking, and sexual slavery that awaited her there. Soon the cynical lawyer and the savvy kid are bonding … and battling cunning predators on both sides of the border. It’s the two of them against an army of cops, coyotes, vigilantes, and sex slavers. Most dangerous of all is Simeon Rutledge, a wealthy grower and the biggest employer of farm workers in California.
Just why is Rutledge willing to bribe Payne—or kill him—to keep Marisol under wraps? Will Payne’s quest redeem his mistakes and resurrect his dead marriage—or get him buried in a shallow grave? Either way, he’ll find out there’s no escaping his past.
From the shadows of migrant stash houses to the fertile fields of the San Joaquin Valley, ILLEGAL delivers a searing mix of live-wire prose, shattering violence, and rich characterization. Set against a backdrop of larger social issues, this is a masterful tale from one of the most skillful practitioners of the contemporary thriller.
About the Author: PAUL LEVINE is a former trial lawyer and an award-winning author of legal thrillers. Solomon vs. Lord was nominated for the Macavity award and the James Thurber prize. The Deep Blue Alibi was nominated for an Edgar, and Kill All the Lawyers was a finalist for the International Thriller Writers award. He won the John D. MacDonald award for his critically acclaimed Jake Lassiter series. He also wrote more than 20 episodes of the CBS military drama “JAG” and co-created “First Monday,” the Supreme Court show starring James Garner. Levine lives in Los Angeles, where he is working on his next Jimmy Payne novel.
Visit his web site at http://www.paul-levine.com.
ILLEGAL by Paul LevineBantam Hardcover; March 24, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-553-80673-1; $22.00
Publicity Contact: Lisa Barnes 212/572-2014; lbarnes@randomhouse.com
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