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Cordero: A California Noir
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Expected 9 Mar 26Win a free kindle copy of this book!
2 days and 23:16:24
100 copies available
U.S. only
April 1980. The dusty backroads of a Southern California town are about to explode.
Cordero!
Tony Gonzalez never planned on raising his younger brother. But when Joey has nowhere else to go, Tony takes him in — and drags Joey into the orbit of Nate, whose desert compound thrives on guns, weed, and apocalyptic dreams.
Just down the street, Katie Harrison wants out of Cordero as badly as Tony does. Together, they might have one chance at escape — if Tony can keep Joey alive long enough to take it.
For fans of the raw coming-of-age tension of S.E. Hinton and the hard-edged crime sensibility of Elmore Leonard.
Tony Gonzalez never planned on raising his younger brother. But when Joey has nowhere else to go, Tony takes him in — and drags Joey into the orbit of Nate, whose desert compound thrives on guns, weed, and apocalyptic dreams.
Just down the street, Katie Harrison wants out of Cordero as badly as Tony does. Together, they might have one chance at escape — if Tony can keep Joey alive long enough to take it.
For fans of the raw coming-of-age tension of S.E. Hinton and the hard-edged crime sensibility of Elmore Leonard.
199 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 9, 2026
2 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
About the author
Eric Weiss
1 book5 followersEric Weiss is a screenwriter whose AFI thesis script became the feature film Wicked, starring Julia Stiles and premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. He later co-wrote Bongwater and Buffalo Soldiers, starring Joaquin Phoenix.
He now writes character-driven crime fiction set against the volatile landscapes of California. Cordero: A California Noir is his fiction debut. He lives in Burbank, California.
He now writes character-driven crime fiction set against the volatile landscapes of California. Cordero: A California Noir is his fiction debut. He lives in Burbank, California.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Tony Gonzalez, 21 and out of options, flees through California mountains with police helicopters hunting him after a catastrophic bank shootout. His bookish girlfriend Katie races through roadblocks to find him. The story backtracks to show how an aimless young man got swept into an armed survivalist compound run by paranoid Vietnam vets convinced the end times are near.
Eric Weiss debut novel opens with propulsive action – helicopters, searchlights, a desperate flight. But it’s a deliberate character study at heart. Set during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, the story tracks Tony's slide from directionless youth into the orbit of Nate and the Lovett brothers, aimless malcontents who stockpile weapons, grow cannabis, and foam about "national malaise" whilst building escape tunnels beneath their barbed-wire compound.
Weiss gives a solid portrayal of how ordinary disaffected men slide into extremism (economic precarity, military fetishism, apocalyptic Christianity) rather than making them complex antiheroes. They get explanation but not justification. The prose stays lean and atmospheric, capturing dusty Cordero, a town with wagon-wheel lampposts and a missile-cum-rodeo-ride, and the quietly mounting dread as reasonable people make unreasonable choices.
Katie emerges as the story's moral center, riding horses through heat haze as Tony gets pulled deeper into apocalyptic fantasies that spiral toward violence. The time-hopping structure is not to everyone’s taste and demands patience, but Weiss excels at showing how ordinary American paranoia curdles into tragedy.
Eric Weiss debut novel opens with propulsive action – helicopters, searchlights, a desperate flight. But it’s a deliberate character study at heart. Set during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, the story tracks Tony's slide from directionless youth into the orbit of Nate and the Lovett brothers, aimless malcontents who stockpile weapons, grow cannabis, and foam about "national malaise" whilst building escape tunnels beneath their barbed-wire compound.
Weiss gives a solid portrayal of how ordinary disaffected men slide into extremism (economic precarity, military fetishism, apocalyptic Christianity) rather than making them complex antiheroes. They get explanation but not justification. The prose stays lean and atmospheric, capturing dusty Cordero, a town with wagon-wheel lampposts and a missile-cum-rodeo-ride, and the quietly mounting dread as reasonable people make unreasonable choices.
Katie emerges as the story's moral center, riding horses through heat haze as Tony gets pulled deeper into apocalyptic fantasies that spiral toward violence. The time-hopping structure is not to everyone’s taste and demands patience, but Weiss excels at showing how ordinary American paranoia curdles into tragedy.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is the kind of crime novel that starts with a bang—and then quietly breaks your heart.
From the opening news report of a fifty-mile police chase, a downed helicopter, and multiple casualties, you know this story won’t end well. What makes it compelling isn’t just the spectacle of violence, but the slow, believable unraveling that leads there. The author does an excellent job building tension step by step, showing how small compromises harden into dangerous ambition.
At the center of the novel is the bond between Tony and Joey. Their brotherhood feels authentic—messy, loyal, and ultimately tragic. Tony’s charisma and reckless drive contrast sharply with Joey’s quieter, more cautious nature, and watching Joey choose loyalty over self-preservation adds real emotional weight to the story. Their relationship is the book’s strongest asset and what elevates it beyond a straightforward crime thriller.
Overall, this is a gripping, character-driven tragedy about loyalty, ambition, and the dangerous allure of power.
From the opening news report of a fifty-mile police chase, a downed helicopter, and multiple casualties, you know this story won’t end well. What makes it compelling isn’t just the spectacle of violence, but the slow, believable unraveling that leads there. The author does an excellent job building tension step by step, showing how small compromises harden into dangerous ambition.
At the center of the novel is the bond between Tony and Joey. Their brotherhood feels authentic—messy, loyal, and ultimately tragic. Tony’s charisma and reckless drive contrast sharply with Joey’s quieter, more cautious nature, and watching Joey choose loyalty over self-preservation adds real emotional weight to the story. Their relationship is the book’s strongest asset and what elevates it beyond a straightforward crime thriller.
Overall, this is a gripping, character-driven tragedy about loyalty, ambition, and the dangerous allure of power.
March 3, 2026
A book that is better suited to screen than print, Cordero is a fast-paced action thriller with a lot of twists and turns. It takes a while to understand what is happening since the characters enter without much introduction or development, and then by the time you do understand where the plot is headed, everything is over.
It’s a good story concept but leaves much to be desired. Some of the characters are hard to distinguish from each other since the dialogue weaves together, and it ends on a sad note with lots of remaining questions. I would recommend this novel for people who connect easily with screen plays.
It’s a good story concept but leaves much to be desired. Some of the characters are hard to distinguish from each other since the dialogue weaves together, and it ends on a sad note with lots of remaining questions. I would recommend this novel for people who connect easily with screen plays.
Review of advance copy received from Indie Reviewers
A well written and entertaining read.
A gripping California noir with an atmospheric dive into 1980s Southern California, that hooked me from the first chapter. The tension and characters are real. Tony Gonzalez finds himself trapped with a dangerous apocalyptic, gun and drug using group, which later in the book includes his younger brother. Tony wants to make a fresh start with his younger brother and girlfriend and tries to break away from the group. Great action scenes and good pacing. A noir with emotional dilemmas and depth.
A gripping California noir with an atmospheric dive into 1980s Southern California, that hooked me from the first chapter. The tension and characters are real. Tony Gonzalez finds himself trapped with a dangerous apocalyptic, gun and drug using group, which later in the book includes his younger brother. Tony wants to make a fresh start with his younger brother and girlfriend and tries to break away from the group. Great action scenes and good pacing. A noir with emotional dilemmas and depth.
Review of advance copy
So if you read the info about the author it will tell you they were experienced writing screen scripts. If you want to read a movie this is pretty good. My biggest complaint is that the characters have very little depth. Like a movie, any backstory you get is short. Lots of action. Definitely a shoot em up bang bang.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews