In this gritty novel set in Denver, Colorado, mystery novelist Manuel Ramos unites two of his characters—attorney Luis Móntez and felon Gus Corral—as they investigate the unsolved murder of a local bar owner that involves an illegal smuggling operation and an ex-con demanding his share of the profits.

Both heroic and tragic, this novel captures the spirit, energy, and imagination of the 1960s' Chicano movement—a massive and intense struggle across a broad spectrum of political and cultural issues—through the passionate story of the King of the Chicanos, Ramón Hidalgo. From his very humble beginnings through the tumultuous decades of being a migrant farm worker, door-to-door salesman, prison inmate, political hack, and radical activist, the novel relates Hidalgo’s personal failures and self-destructive personality amid the political turmoil of the times. With a gradual acceptance of his destiny as a leader and hero of the people, this impassioned novel relates the maturation of one man while encapsulating the fever of the Chicano movement.

Gus Corral can't quite believe it when an old high school buddy he hasn't seen in years asks him for help. Artie Baca looks as cool as ever; the hippest guy in high school now looks like a GQ cover boy, Chicano style. And like always, Artie has women problems, even though he's married. He's being blackmailed because of an imprudent fling—caught on video, of course. Artie has a prosperous real estate business and can afford to pay off the young girl, but he'll reward Gus handsomely for his help in convincing her that there won't be any future payments.Gus's life hasn't been as successful; he manages his ex-wife's second hand shop after losing his job in the recession and claims to also work as the night watchman so he can live there too. He can really use the money Artie is offering and agrees to help, even though he knows Artie probably deserves the shake down.But before Gus can deliver the money, Artie is dead and the police want to know why the deceased was...

Felon turned private eye Gus Corral isn't doing too well after getting whacked in the head with a baseball bat following his last big case. He was unconscious for a couple of days and still can't see right. Plagued by headaches, there are days he can't think straight. Tired, sore and disoriented, he takes his sister's advice to get out of Denver and help their cousins in Eastern Colorado. George Montoya's son, Matías or Mat, has run off again. The seventeen-year-old has run away before, but he always came back. This time, his dad and Aunt Essie know there's something wrong. As Gus begins to talk to the boy's family and friends, a picture emerges of a smart kid with strong opinions who fought a lot with his dad. Did he run away because of his father? Or did he leave because his girlfriend broke up with him? Her father, the town doctor, definitely didn't want his daughter dating a Mexican American.But when Gus tracks the missing boy to a shelter for runaways in Pueblo, the ailing...

Ex-con and private investigator Gus Corral finds himself involved with Cuban gangsters after being hired by the Denver Rockies' all-star center fielder, Joaquín "Kino" Machaco, to help with a "personal problem" that involves a trip to the ballplayer's native Havana.

Legend has it that Pancho Villa's grave was robbed—and his head stolen—in 1926. A gringo is credited with the theft, but Gus Corral's great-grandfather was there too. As often happens to Chicanos, his role was given short shrift. But the Corral family has taken care of the skull for as long as Gus can remember. It's a jolt when "Panchito" is stolen from his sister's house. It's the only connection to the old-timers of the family, so Gus knows he will have to get to the bottom of the disappearance, even if it means tangling with thieves and thugs.A variety of characters—writers, attorneys, Vietnam vets, cops, soldiers—populate these stories in which situations frequently aren't what they seem. An old man knows more about the disappearance of a neighbor than he lets on. A barber is involved in something that brings a ski-mask wearing, gun-toting hoodlum into his shop. And a cop accused of using excessive force hasn't told his family the whole truth...