Cruz

Set in northern Argentina, this grim crime novel from Ferraro (Dogo) centers on law-abiding Tomás Cruz, son of an infamous underworld thug, who can’t escape his family’s legacy of criminality. Fifteen years earlier, Tomás father, Samuel, was incarcerated for 13 years and upon his release deserted his two teenage sons. Now, Tomás’s beloved older brother, Seba, a criminal just like Samuel, has been arrested for possession of drugs and needs his brother to inherit his debt to a drug lord. This debt, Tomás learns, is a dangerous assignment to smuggle 50 kilos of cocaine out of Paraguay across the Paraná River, which is teeming with cops and Argentinean border police. With the lives of Seba’s wife and daughter at stake should he fail, Tomás must adopt the ruthless instincts of his loathsome father to make it out alive. Crude prose and wanton violence hamper Ferraro’s hellishly bleak story, but the liberal volleys of gunfire and high-voltage action do drive it to a suitable conclusion. This is a gory treat for fans of hard-hitting gangland thrillers. Agent: Tom Wickersham, Wickersham Agency. (Oct.)