Del Rio, California, a once-thriving Central Valley farm town, is now filled with run-down Dollar Stores, llanterias, carnicerias, and shabby mini-marts that sell one-way bus tickets straight to Tijuana on the Flecha Amarilla line. It’s a place you drive through with windows up and doors locked, especially at night—a place the locals call Cartel Country. While it’s no longer the California of postcards, for local District Attorney Callie McCall, her dying hometown is the perfect place to launch a political career and try to make a difference.
But when the dismembered body of a migrant teen is found in one of Del Rio’s surrounding citrus groves, Callie faces a career make-or-break case that takes her on a dangerous journey down the violent west coast of Mexico, to a tropical paradise hiding a terrible secret, and finally back home again, where her determination to find the killer pits her against the wealthiest, most politically connected, most ruthless farming family in California: her own.
Industry Reviews
2022 International Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Mystery/Suspense
2021 American Fiction Awards Winner in Mystery/Suspense: Multicultural & Diverse
2021 American Fiction Awards Winner in Thriller: Legal
2021 American Fiction Awards Finalist in Mystery/Suspense: General
2021 American Fiction Awards Finalist in Thriller: Crime
2021 American Fiction Awards Finalist in Thriller: General
2021 American Fiction Awards Finalist in Thriller: Political
2021 Best Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Multicultural
"A thought-provoking look at heinous crimes and their effects on larger society."
-Kirkus Reviews
"Complex and atmospheric . . . Del Rio is a suspenseful international thriller involving two countries, multiple crimes, and a district attorney driven by the need to succeed."
-Foreword Clarion Reviews
"Showcasing author Jane Rosenthal's exceptionally impressive flair for originality and complete mastery of the crime thriller genre, Del Rio is a well-crafted mystery replete with unexpected plot twists right down to the finish."
-Midwest Book Review
"A page-turner; its final chapters will keep you up until dawn."
-Debra Thomas, author of the award-winning novel Luz
"Jane Rosenthal joins the small but vital community of authors using fiction to reveal the complexity and heartbreak of the US-Mexico relationship. Del Rio delivers a compelling story rooted in empathy and authenticity. The scope of the plot, breadth of character motives, and clever narrative style resonate long after the last page is turned."
-Carmen Amato, author of the award-winning Emilia Cruz Mystery Series
