Mr. Hooligan

From Publishers Weekly For 20 years, Riley James has been navigating the waters and canals of Belize as a smuggler for the powerful Monsanto brothers, Carlo and Israel, while dreaming of a different life in this engaging stand-alone from Shamus Award�winner Vasquez (Lonesome Point). Now, after one last run for the Monsantos, Riley plans to go into business with longtime friend Harvey Longsworth as co-owner of Lindy's, a Belize City bar, and marry his American girlfriend, Candice--but a simple car accident leads to rapidly escalating trouble. The tension rises as more and more players--corrupt government officials, Mexican drug soldiers, DEA agents--enter the picture. Nimbly keeping a step ahead of traps and betrayals, Riley improvises surprises of his own in increasingly violent confrontations. Vasquez has crafted a crime novel that unfolds like a Greek tragedy with his flawed, unbowed hero bravely facing everything fate throws at him. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. From Booklist Vasquez�s first novel, In the Heat (2009), set in Belize, fit comfortably within the hard-boiled-detective tradition, but he followed it with a classic noir, Lonesome Point (2009), set in Florida. This time he�s wearing black again, but he returns to Belize. Riley James was �an ordinary guy with a little street in him . . . who got himself into a scrape.� If that sounds like an archetypal description of the noir hero, it is; Riley is yet another likable, fairly smart guy who thinks he can outsmart the inevitable. If he was living in a caper novel, that might be true, but in noir, escape either comes at exorbitant cost or doesn�t come at all. Riley is trying to go straight as a Belize bar owner, but a freak car accident draws him back into the drug-running world and leads to him speaking the words you never want to hear from someone you like: �If I can just do one last job.� Vasquez sticks closely to noir formula, but he plays all the notes with feeling, and the Belize backdrop provides one of the best noir landscapes since Vicki Hendricks turned up the steam at a laundromat (Miami Purity, 1995). --Bill Ott

Riley James was small-time, just a kid running messages and money for the Monsanto Brothers, the real players in Belize City. Then one slip in judgment left two men dead. The Monsantos handled the situation for their young protégé---but accepting this favor put Riley inescapably in their debt.

Now, years later, he's a pro picking up drug drops under the Coast Guard's nose and guiding boats through the reefs, which was something he wanted as a kid but not anymore. He wants out once and for all, and to cancel his debt, he makes a deal with the Monsantos to do one last run. It's Riley's last chance to scrape back to even, to nothing, to a place where he hasn't been since he was just a kid.

Shamus Award winner Ian Vasquez is a rising star in the world of noir, and he reaches new heights with Mr. Hooligan, a gripping, hardboiled story of a man fighting to escape to a new life---or die trying.

Shamus Award winner Ian Vasquez is a rising star in the world of noir, and he reaches new heights with Mr. Hooligan , a gripping, hardboiled story of a man fighting to escape to a new life—-or die trying. Riley James was small-time, just a kid running messages and money for the Monsanto Brothers, the real players in Belize City. Then one slip in judgment left two men dead. The Monsantos handled the situation for their young protégé—-but accepting this favor put Riley inescapably in their debt. Now, years later, he's a pro picking up drug drops under the Coast Guard's nose and guiding boats through the reefs, which was something he wanted as a kid but not anymore. He wants out once and for all, and to cancel his debt, he makes a deal with the Monsantos to do one last run. It's Riley's last chance to scrape back to even, to nothing, to a place where he hasn't been since he was just a kid. Riley James was small-time, just a kid running messages and money for the Monsanto Brothers, the real players in Belize City. Then one slip in judgmentleft two men dead. The Monsantos handled the situation for their young protg---but accepting this favor put Riley inescapably in their debt. Now, years later, he?s a pro picking up drug drops under the Coast Guard?s nose and guiding boats through the reefs, which was something he wanted as a kid but not anymore. He wants out once and for all, and to cancel his debt, he makes a deal with the Monsantos to do one last run. It?s Riley?s last chance to scrape back to even, to nothing, to a place where he hasn?t been since he was just a kid. Shamus Award winner Ian Vasquez is a rising star in the world of noir, and he reaches new heights with Mr. Hooligan , a gripping, hardboiled story of a man fighting to escape to a new life---or die trying. Riley James was small-time, just a kid running messages and money for the Monsanto Brothers, the real players in Belize City. Then one slip in judgment left two men dead. The Monsantos handled the situation for their young protege--but accepting this favor put Riley inescapably in their debt. Now, years later, he's a pro picking up drug drops under the Coast Guard's nose and guiding boats through the reefs, which was something he wanted as a kid but not anymore. He wants out once and for all, and to cancel his debt, he makes a deal with the Monsantos to do one last run. It's Riley's last chance to scrape back to even, to nothing, to a place where he hasn't been since he was just a kid. Shamus Award winner Ian Vasquez is a rising star in the world of noir, and he reaches new heights with Mr. Hooligan, a gripping, hardboiled story of a man fighting to escape to a new life--or die trying Riley James Was Small-time, Just A Kid Running Messages And Money For The Monsanto Brothers, The Real Players In Belize City. Then One Slip In Judgment Left Two Men Dead. The Monsantos Handled The Situation For Their Young Protégé, But Accepting This Favor Put Riley Inescapably In Their Debt. Now, Years Later, He's A Pro Picking Up Drug Drops Under The Coast Guard's Nose And Guiding Boats Through The Reefs, Which Was Something He Wanted As A Kid But Not Anymore. He Wants Out Once And For All, And To Cancel His Debt, He Makes A Deal With The Monsantos To Do One Last Run. It's Riley's Last Chance To Scrape Back To Even, To Nothing, To A Place Where He Hasn't Been Since He Was Just A Kid.--from Book Cover. Ian Vasquez.