May 15, 2001
When a policeman is shot on a crowded street in San Francisco, Ricky Durrutti, a petty criminal, is called into the station for questioning. To shake the police's unwarranted suspicion, Ricky starts his own investigation into the murder. Among the drug addicts, warring Hispanic street gangs, and friendly--or otherwise--fellow criminals, he discovers a big cover-up as he investigates. This novel is more than a simple murder mystery. As Ricky tries to track down several leads, he gets caught up with spurned romance from his past and has to deal with all those emotions again--as unpleasant as they were to live through the first time. Ricky is a likable, if somewhat misguided, character, and readers will find themselves rooting for him despite his many shortcomings.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)