Mañana

Tod—the narrator of this bleak tale set in 1968 by Edgar-finalist Hjortsberg (Falling Angel)—and his wife, Linda, have driven from San Francisco to Barra de Navidad in “the cowboy state of Jalisco” on Mexico’s west coast, where they rent a cheap duplex near the beach. After a night of drugs and booze, Tod wakes up one morning to find himself covered with blood next to the naked body of a dead prostitute named Frankie. He remembers nothing of what happened, and Linda and their three parole-violator neighbors—Skank, Doc, and Nick—have all disappeared, along with his money. Tod takes off in his VW microbus in search of his missing spouse and the unsavory trio, in the hope of learning whether Linda left voluntarily and who killed Frankie. Tod’s adventures include dealing with a Mexican fixer, drug deals, and cock fights. Hjortsberg nails the road-trip atmosphere, but the sketchy portrayals of the other characters weaken Tod’s sordid story. [em]Agent: Ben Camardi, Harold Matson Company. (May) [/em]