Illegal

by Paul Levine

standalone novel
published 2009

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A down-and-out L.A. lawyer with nothing to lose…
A beautiful Mexican woman who disappears crossing the border…
And the powerful and corrupt rancher who would destroy them both.

This riveting thriller finds a cynical lawyer doing battle with cops, coyotes, and a vicious rancher as he takes on the dangerous world of human trafficking.

Haunted by a tragedy in his past and wanted by the cops for his latest illegal shenanigans, down-on-his-luck lawyer Jimmy (Royal) Payne is skipping town when he encounters Tino Perez, a gutsy 12-year-old boy newly arrived from Mexico with no money and no papers. After robbing Payne, the boy then pleads for his help in finding his mother, Marisol, who disappeared during a border crossing with a vicious coyote who preys on women caught up in human trafficking.

With Tino in tow, Payne traces Marisol’s steps from Mexicali to California’s notorious Hellhole Canyon – meeting some nasty characters along the way. Will Payne’s search for answers redeem his mistakes and resurrect his dead marriage – or will he end up buried in a shallow grave? He soon realizes that there’s no escaping his past in this violent and gripping thriller that’s set against the backdrop of wider social issues including the brutal worlds of sex slavery and human trafficking.