The Burning Plain

Plot

"Gay Mexican American lawyer Henry Rios has fought bigotry and prejudice, battled alcoholism, and watched his lover die from AIDS. Now he's wrongly accused of murder after a male prostitute he spent an evening with is savagely murdered. Rios proves his innocence, but when two more gay men are brutally murdered, he is drawn unwillingly into the hunt for a serial killer and soon finds himself up against an unsympathetic DA, a gay-bashing cop, reluctant witnesses, and a conspiracy among Hollywood's power elite. Nava writes an excellent mystery featuring crisp dialogue, diabolical suspense, and subtle wit, but it's his unflinching look at what it's like to be an openly gay man today that makes this series special. Rios is a flawed, human, and achingly real hero, and this is a provocative, genre-expanding novel." --"Booklist" "Exceptional...A harrowing narrative." --"The New York Times" "A jaywalk into evil....Like Chandler's better work, "The Burning Plain" pushes at the edges of the genre, turning a crime novel into a morality play." --"People" "Nava is one of the best." --Marilyn Stasio, "The New York Times Book Review" "Michael Nava's mysteries grab readers by the lapels and don't let go." --"San Francisco Chronicle Book Review" Michael Nava is the author of seven Henry Rios novels, five of which ("Goldenboy, Howtown, The Hidden Law, The Death of Friends," and "Rag and Bone") have been Lambda Literary Award winners. He is an attorney in private practice in San Francisco.