“[A] gritty, wide-angled modern noir . . . The first standalone novel by Birtcher, author of the Mike Travis series, pulls no punches.” —Kirkus Reviews In 1976, as America celebrates its bicentennial, the drug game changes. Cocaine makes a comeback, bringing with it a previously unheard of level of violence. The copious amounts of blow crossing the US-Mexico border herald the beginning of a brave new—and terrifying—world. Far from the brutality on the border, the nameless narrator and his partner—both Vietnam vets—live a mostly peaceful life growing pot under the northern California redwoods. But when their livelihood is threatened by heavily armed robbers and a worthless rat, they find themselves drawn into a war with no good guys. Caught in the crossfire between a paranoid Mexican drug kingpin and dirty federal agents, they’ll soon realize that—like every other player in the game—they’re just pawns in a vast conspiracy that starts at the top . . . “A top-class thriller.” —San Francisco Book Review “White-knuckle tension and crisp, clean prose . . . Many books call themselves ‘thrillers,’ but this is the real deal.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Birtcher combines a gritty, action-filled thriller with a nuanced, almost contemplative character drama . . . Thoroughly entertaining.” —Booklist “A thriller with genuine shocks and chills.” —Cafe Libri