Willie Cuesta Mystery

Miami-based private eye Willie Cuesta is feeling good. It's a clear, crisp January day, and he has a new client. And she's not just any old client; Carmen Vickers is from Key Biscayne, a posh part of town. And when she insists on meeting at the Ritz-Carlton, Willie knows this case could be good for his bottom line. Colombian by birth, Carmen has suffered at the hands of kidnappers. Her husband was killed while resisting abduction. Her son José was held for seven months before she was able to pay a small fortune for his release. And now, though they are living in Key Biscayne, she fears that someone may try to snatch her son again. She wants Willie to provide protection for José and his gorgeous girlfriend Catalina. After several boring days of scrutinizing waitresses, hairdressers and grocery store clerks, Willie is ready to find Doña Carmen another security service. But when four men toting automatic weapons take Catalina in broad daylight, Willie is left to explain how she was kidnapped on his watch. As the Estrada clan waits anxiously for the ransom demand, Willie discovers that things don't add up about the family he has been hired to protect. And before long, Willie is on the receiving end of automatic weapon fire from goons running the gamut from narcos to leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups. Finding himself tied up in the trunk of a car, Willie can't help but wonder if he'll soon be on hallowed ground-the place where he will meet his end.

This new installment in the Willie Cuesta Mystery series follows the former Miami Police detective turned private investigator in his search for an undocumented Mexican who disappeared while harvesting tomatoes in central Florida, where heroin use, and anti-government crackpots abound.