[The Henry Rios Mysteries 04] • The Hidden Law

The fourth novel in Michael Nava’s award-winning series takes Henry Rios back to his roots when he defends a Latino teenager accused of murder

State senator and mayoral hopeful Gus Peña has been gunned down in the parking lot of a restaurant in East Los Angeles. When Chicano teen and ex–gang member Michael Ruiz is arrested for the murder, Henry Rios takes the case. It’s a tough road: Ruiz claims he did it and refuses to help Rios in his defense. But Rios finds inconsistencies in the kid’s story, and is sure Ruiz is covering for the real killer.

Peña had a lot of enemies. As Rios tries to build the case for a different killer, he descends into the dark underbelly of Los Angeles—a hotbed of vice and corruption. Caught between his powerful connection to both suspect and victim, Rios races to prevent a terrible failure of justice.