Triple Crossing - by Sebastian Rotella (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Valentine Pescatore, a volatile rookie Border Patrol agent, is trying to survive the trenches of The Line in San Diego. He gets in trouble and finds himself recruited as an informant by Isabel Puente, a beautiful U.S. agent investigating a powerful Mexican crime family.

As he infiltrates the mafia, Pescatore falls in love with Puente. But he clashes with her ally Leo Mendez, chief of a Tijuana anti-corruption unit. Politically charged violence escalates, plunging Pescatore into the lawless "triple border" region of South America and a showdown full of bloodshed and betrayal.

Writing with rapid-fire intensity, Sebastian Rotella captures the despair and intrigue of the borderlands, where enforcing the law has become an act of subversion. Triple Crossing is an explosive and riveting debut.

Review Quotes

"A devastating tale of drug trafficking and corruption. Anyone who has spent time crossing between San Diego and Tijuana will recognize the sharp and accurate picture that Rotella has created in these pages....The reader will be racing along through the pages of Rotella's novel at near break-neck speed."--Alan Cheuse, Dallas Morning News

"A fast-paced thriller that rings true to the real story behind the political posturing over the drug war, illegal immigration, and border security."--Kirkus

"A remarkable first novel....The pounding action scenes are driven by Rotella's ferocious prose style."--New York Times Book Review

"A strongly choreographed, authentically detailed, and sharply funny tale of cultural complexity and raging global criminality."--Donna Seaman, Booklist

"An honest and engrossing journey into a world of violence and corruption....Rotella knows how the police work, how the criminals operate and how bribes and violence subvert the law. He employs a journalist's sharp eye and a novelist's deft touch to give us a rich portrait of the sights, smells, sounds, beauties, and dangers of life south of the border."--Patrick Anderson, Washington Post

"Excellent....Rotella's story opens a window into the true globalization of the business of crime."--Nancie Clare, Los Angeles Times

"Rotella's crime drama captures the feel of the rampant corruption that is the stuff of headlines in the United States and Mexico. This should satisfy readers far beyond the border."--Eric Norton, Library Journal

"Rotella's profound understanding of the many hidden worlds of the border takes this thriller into the realms of nightmare and exquisite terror."--Luis Urrea, author of Into the Beautiful North

"Superb fiction debut....Unflinching views of a double agent's harrowing life, a violence-drenched Mexican jail, and the wild border areas complement the provocative plot."--Publishers Weekly

"Sure to please...The action never stops."--Tara Quinn, Cleveland Plain Dealer

"This is one of the most accomplished first novels I have ever read. Triple Crossing is full of dangers, deep characters and a story writ on a grand scale."--Michael Connelly

About the Author

Sebastian Rotella is the author of The Convert's Song and Triple Crossing, which the New York Times Book Review named its favorite debut crime novel of 2011, as well as the nonfiction book Twilight on the Line. He is a senior reporter covering international security issues for ProPublica, a newsroom dedicated to investigative journalism in the public interest.

He worked for twenty-three years for the Los Angeles Times, serving as bureau chief in Paris and Buenos Aires. His honors include a Peabody Award; Columbia University's Dart Award and Moors Cabot Prize for Latin American coverage; the German Marshall Fund's Weitz Prize for reporting in Europe; five Overseas Press Club Awards; The Urbino Prize of Italy, and an Emmy nomination. He was a Pulitzer finalist for international reporting in 2006.