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Borderlines
U.S. Attorney Jace Kelly has spent years dismantling the drug cartels that poison his home state of New Mexico. But when a daring bust captures Rafael “El Arcángel” Aguilar, the ruthless son of Juárez cartel kingpin Pepe “El Mono” Aguilar, Kelly’s world shatters. In a brazen retaliation, El Mono’s operatives cross the border and kidnap Kelly’s only his sister and teenage daughter.
Now, Kelly faces an impossible choice.
Release a monster to save his family, or defy the cartel and risk their lives.
With the clock ticking and the Department of Justice circling for political reasons, Kelly knows he can’t rely on the system. Teaming up with a renegade Apache tracker, a former Air Force pilot with a secret past, and a CIA analyst with her own agenda, he launches a rogue rescue mission into the heart of cartel territory.
A relentless, morally complex thriller in the vein of the most gripping cartel and legal dramas, Borderlines is a pulse-pounding journey into the dark heart of the drug war, and the even darker choices of those who wage it.
A special note from Al
"A Note on Jace Kelly
Jace Kelly was not supposed to exist in this book. He was supposed to exist in the
last one.
In the early drafts of Searching for Noriko, Jace was Frankie Castillo's son, a lobbyist
and lawyer working in Washington, D.C. He was married to a woman named Joan. In
the version of that novel nobody has read, Joan was killed in the attack on the
Pentagon on September 11, and what Jace carried afterward was not grief so much
as a hatred of terrorists he did not know what to do with. That subplot ran nearly thirty
thousand words. My editor was right to cut it. It pulled focus from the story Searching
for Noriko needed to tell, and in its place he suggested a new character, Frankie's
daughter Ellen, who appears in the published novel instead. But I never let go of
Jace. I have said before that I do not let a good character go to waste, and I meant
that more literally than most people probably assumed.
For years he sat in a drawer, so to speak. A man shaped by a loss with nowhere to
put it. Then I started writing about cartels, about what happens when the law is
correct and still too slow, and I realized I already had him. The Jace who becomes a
federal prosecutor in Borderlines is the same man from that cut subplot, further down
the road. Washington came first. The prosecutor came after.
Readers of Searching for Noriko will not find Jace, Joan, or Redfish in its pages.
None of them survived that early revision. Joan exists now only in a single quiet
moment in Borderlines, in Jace's memory as he waits for news of the bust that opens
the book. Redfish arrives for the first time in Borderlines as a full character in his own
right, not a returning one.
I spent thirty years representing clients before regulatory agencies, watching
institutions that functioned exactly as designed still fail the people standing in front of
them. That is not corruption. It is something harder to write about, and harder to
forgive. Jace carries that lesson, and he carries Joan, even if this is the first time
either has been explained. When his family is taken and the system he has spent his
career defending cannot move fast enough to save them, he is not fighting a broken
machine. He is fighting a working one, which is worse.
Nothing is really wasted if you are patient enough to wait for the right book to put it in.
Borderlines is where Jace Kelly finally got to be the man I always thought he was."
— Al Dawson
Now, Kelly faces an impossible choice.
Release a monster to save his family, or defy the cartel and risk their lives.
With the clock ticking and the Department of Justice circling for political reasons, Kelly knows he can’t rely on the system. Teaming up with a renegade Apache tracker, a former Air Force pilot with a secret past, and a CIA analyst with her own agenda, he launches a rogue rescue mission into the heart of cartel territory.
A relentless, morally complex thriller in the vein of the most gripping cartel and legal dramas, Borderlines is a pulse-pounding journey into the dark heart of the drug war, and the even darker choices of those who wage it.
A special note from Al
"A Note on Jace Kelly
Jace Kelly was not supposed to exist in this book. He was supposed to exist in the
last one.
In the early drafts of Searching for Noriko, Jace was Frankie Castillo's son, a lobbyist
and lawyer working in Washington, D.C. He was married to a woman named Joan. In
the version of that novel nobody has read, Joan was killed in the attack on the
Pentagon on September 11, and what Jace carried afterward was not grief so much
as a hatred of terrorists he did not know what to do with. That subplot ran nearly thirty
thousand words. My editor was right to cut it. It pulled focus from the story Searching
for Noriko needed to tell, and in its place he suggested a new character, Frankie's
daughter Ellen, who appears in the published novel instead. But I never let go of
Jace. I have said before that I do not let a good character go to waste, and I meant
that more literally than most people probably assumed.
For years he sat in a drawer, so to speak. A man shaped by a loss with nowhere to
put it. Then I started writing about cartels, about what happens when the law is
correct and still too slow, and I realized I already had him. The Jace who becomes a
federal prosecutor in Borderlines is the same man from that cut subplot, further down
the road. Washington came first. The prosecutor came after.
Readers of Searching for Noriko will not find Jace, Joan, or Redfish in its pages.
None of them survived that early revision. Joan exists now only in a single quiet
moment in Borderlines, in Jace's memory as he waits for news of the bust that opens
the book. Redfish arrives for the first time in Borderlines as a full character in his own
right, not a returning one.
I spent thirty years representing clients before regulatory agencies, watching
institutions that functioned exactly as designed still fail the people standing in front of
them. That is not corruption. It is something harder to write about, and harder to
forgive. Jace carries that lesson, and he carries Joan, even if this is the first time
either has been explained. When his family is taken and the system he has spent his
career defending cannot move fast enough to save them, he is not fighting a broken
machine. He is fighting a working one, which is worse.
Nothing is really wasted if you are patient enough to wait for the right book to put it in.
Borderlines is where Jace Kelly finally got to be the man I always thought he was."
— Al Dawson
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 16, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 30, 2026
Al Dawson keeps his foot on the pedal and banks a terrific series of twists and turns in his latest novel, Borderlines.
U.S. Attorney Jace Kelly has a fierce conviction when it comes to taking down the bad guys. He takes the sanctity of his New Mexican roots personally and will do whatever is necessary to rid his Land of Enchantment from the evil throes of drugs. The story opens with a risky drug bust, and the bonus was the capture of Rafael “El Arcangel” Aguilar, the nefarious son of imperial drug lord, Pepe “El Mono” Aguilar. What Kelly didn’t plan for was El Mono’s retaliation when he kidnaps his sister and teenage daughter. Time is of the essence, and Kelly has limited options. Either he releases Rafael to save his family, or he thumbs his nose at the cartel, at the same time risking the lives of his loved ones.
Due to politics playing against Kelly in the background, he realizes he will have to orchestrate his rescue mission under the radar. He reaches into his past and reconnects with an off-the-grid Apache tracker, former Air Force pilot with a less than pristine history, and a trustworthy CIA analyst. Once the team is in place, the rescue mission is at go time. They will immerse themselves in the belly of the beast in cartel territory with little more than a healthy cache of fire power and faith to come out alive.
I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Mr. Dawson’s previous novel, Priest, a while back. It was a phenomenal dive into the depths of the religious world and the complexities of less than holy activities in that arena. Mr. Dawson doesn’t disappoint in Borderlines. He hits his stride immediately as he anchors a solid voice throughout the thrill and excitement of a good guys versus bad guys battle against the formidable war on drugs. I applaud him for his subtle nuances toward the egregious corruption that is borderline pandemic throughout our nation’s political arena and how it affects this topic. However, just like the age-old battle of ‘good versus evil,’ Mr. Dawson manages to paint the victories of good prevailing beautifully. His character development is relatable and the dialogue is believable. It was an honor to read another engaging storyline by a writer who clearly knows how to write! Bravo, Mr. Dawson. I look forward to your next adventure.
Quill says: Borderlines is a fast-paced thriller that will keep its audience on the edge of their seats as they cheer on victory for the good guys.
U.S. Attorney Jace Kelly has a fierce conviction when it comes to taking down the bad guys. He takes the sanctity of his New Mexican roots personally and will do whatever is necessary to rid his Land of Enchantment from the evil throes of drugs. The story opens with a risky drug bust, and the bonus was the capture of Rafael “El Arcangel” Aguilar, the nefarious son of imperial drug lord, Pepe “El Mono” Aguilar. What Kelly didn’t plan for was El Mono’s retaliation when he kidnaps his sister and teenage daughter. Time is of the essence, and Kelly has limited options. Either he releases Rafael to save his family, or he thumbs his nose at the cartel, at the same time risking the lives of his loved ones.
Due to politics playing against Kelly in the background, he realizes he will have to orchestrate his rescue mission under the radar. He reaches into his past and reconnects with an off-the-grid Apache tracker, former Air Force pilot with a less than pristine history, and a trustworthy CIA analyst. Once the team is in place, the rescue mission is at go time. They will immerse themselves in the belly of the beast in cartel territory with little more than a healthy cache of fire power and faith to come out alive.
I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Mr. Dawson’s previous novel, Priest, a while back. It was a phenomenal dive into the depths of the religious world and the complexities of less than holy activities in that arena. Mr. Dawson doesn’t disappoint in Borderlines. He hits his stride immediately as he anchors a solid voice throughout the thrill and excitement of a good guys versus bad guys battle against the formidable war on drugs. I applaud him for his subtle nuances toward the egregious corruption that is borderline pandemic throughout our nation’s political arena and how it affects this topic. However, just like the age-old battle of ‘good versus evil,’ Mr. Dawson manages to paint the victories of good prevailing beautifully. His character development is relatable and the dialogue is believable. It was an honor to read another engaging storyline by a writer who clearly knows how to write! Bravo, Mr. Dawson. I look forward to your next adventure.
Quill says: Borderlines is a fast-paced thriller that will keep its audience on the edge of their seats as they cheer on victory for the good guys.
September 23, 2026
Borderlines is a gripping thriller that goes far beyond cartel violence and a rescue mission. What impressed me most is Jace Kelly’s moral struggle: a U.S. Attorney devoted to justice is forced to choose between the law he has spent his life defending and the family he would do anything to save. The supporting characters,the Apache tracker, former Air Force pilot, and CIA analyst,add depth to the mission, each bringing their own history, loyalties, and secrets. The themes of family, justice, loyalty, political pressure, and moral compromise give the action real weight. Even the title feels meaningful, reflecting not only a physical border but the increasingly blurred lines between duty, justice, and what a person is willing to do for the people they love. A tense, intelligent, and morally complex thriller.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews