Ditch Rider

In the eighth appearance of Albuquerque lawyer Neil Hamel (after Hotshots, 1996), Van Gieson demonstrates her deft touch with character and place as Hamel encounters the violence of teenage gangs. Neil and her Hispanic lover, the Kid, have settled into a new house in North Valley, easing into the domestic routine with each other. Neil befriends Cheyanne Moran, a troubled 13-year-old girl from the neighborhood who lives in a trailer with her mother and younger half-brother. When Cheyanne claims to have killed a teenage boy, a gang member whose body was found in one of the irrigation ditches that crisscrosses the valley, Neil is impelled to represent the girl. The police suspect Ron Cade, a member of a rival gang with a history of violence. The DA's office is also hesitant to accept Cheyanne's confession, preferring to go after a more obvious suspect. But when evidence bears out the girl's confession, they reluctantly take her into custody. Troubled by the case, Neil continues to dig on her own, eventually unearthing the truth. Suffused with melancholy, Van Gieson's moving exploration of the depredations of gang culture contributes a poignant chord to this richly characterized and atmospheric series. (Sept.)