The Ballad of Gato Guerrero

Book excerpt: Attorney Luis Montez and Felix “Gato” Guerrero, childhood friends who have survived numerous obstacles, are finally prospering. Luis is making more money in his chosen profession than he ever has and is excited about his work. Felix has gotten his life back in order after his time in Vietnam and the tragic deaths of his wife and daughter. He has even found love again. But Felix has always had a knack for getting into trouble—and this time he’s dragging Luis along with him! Felix’s new beloved is a girl from their past who worked her way out of Denver’s Northside barrio by marrying into the city’s most notorious crime family. Her husband runs the business and people who mess with him—or his things—end up with their brains splattered all over the county. As Luis juggles his caseload, including one against the local police for beating up a Mexican-American woman, and helping her hoodlum son, he gets caught up in the lovebirds’ attempt to escape her dangerous husband. But he’s not the only one looking for El Gato, and all too soon bodies start piling up around them! Originally published in 1994 by St. Martin’s Press and reissued by Northwestern University Press in 2004, this riveting second installment in the Luis Montez Mystery series of five novels takes readers on a wild ride through Denver’s mean streets and deadly encounters with young gangbangers, established gangsters and even those tasked with protecting residents—cops who continue to harass brown people with impunity.