White Queen

by Alex Gilly

Alex Gilly's Death Rattle is a riveting thriller for fans of Don Winslow's The Border . A death in a migrant detention center leads officer Nick Finn and his wife, human-rights lawyer Mona Jimenez, to investigate the prison's account of what happened. Trouble is, the company that runs the prison is on the verge of signing a billion-dollar procurement contract with Homeland Security. And there are people in this world for whom a billion dollars is worth a whole lot more than one human life. Or even three.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

Audio CD

First published July 14, 2020

Reviews

[Donna Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thriller about human-rights lawyer Mona Jimenez and her husband Nick Finn, a Customs and Border Control officer. Their marriage works in spite of the dichotomy of their professions. They also work together to solve a series of crimes affecting each of them. Intriguing story, although I have learned entirely too much about venomous snakes.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carmen Vega sets out from Tijuana in a small, leaky boat. This is after her boyfriend tried to kill her. Within sight of the California coast, the boat starts to sink, and its passengers are rescued by border patrol, including Customs and Border Patrol Officer Nick Finn. Carmen ends up in a privately-owned Detention Center. Officer Finn's wife, Mona Jimenez is Human Rights Attorney and is assigned Carmen's case. Mona spoke to Carmen about how she ended up in CBP's custody and what happened prior to that. Mona and Carmen were preparing for trial but while Carmen was in the detention center, she dies. Nick and Mona are on a mission to uncover what happened, how it happened, and who's responsible for Carmen's death in Death Rattle. Death Rattle by Alex Gilly was a wild ride and the ride started on page one. Death Rattle is written in such a great way that you can visualize people, scenes, and locations. Give this book a chance and you'll end up finishing the book and wanting another book with Nick and Mona.

[Don Gorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

(1 1/2). Wow. David vs. Goliath, Good vs. Evil, Don Quixote tilting at the windmills. Every known cliche is followed in this book. Twin protagonists (hubby/wife) with twin stories that sort of intersect where neither one is really explored. A couple of fun twists and turns at the end let me round it up to 2 stars. Not much of an accomplishment. Very mediocre stuff.

[Paul Sutter]

If you have an aversion to snakes, chances are you will be creeped out by certain passages in DEATH RATTLE. In fact if you hear a noise somewhere in the room while reading the book, you might jump out of your chair.
The entire book does not just feature deadly snakes. That is one element, though, but a key part, as people are menaced by the slimy slithering creatures.
The book is reportedly the sequel to Gilly’s debut book DEVIL’S HARBOR written in 2015. Nick Finn is back. He is a Customs and Border Protection Agent, who comes across a boat illegally carrying more than twenty passengers. A woman, Carmen Vega falls overboard, trying to protect a child. Nick dives into the waters to save her. Nick is relieved of his duties not long after that, but somehow that raises his suspicions.
Nick’s lawyer wife Mona Jiminez is hired to represent Carmen, who was fleeing from her abusive boyfriend. While Carmen is in detention awaiting her court hearing, she dies in a suspicious manner. It seems she died by snakebite, but how could a snake have entered the detention facility? Nick and Mona band together to investigate the facility and the shady happenings behind closed doors.
Nick also wonders why the Border patrols are not catching any drug smugglers. He sees a cover-up there. And as Mona is suing the detention facility for the death of Mona, she has her own problems with a most biased judge. Soon, Nick’s and Mona’s lives are in danger, with snakes factoring into the plot.
DEATH RATTLE is excellent fiction, give or take a few snakes in the grass and elsewhere.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Death Rattle, Finn and Mona are a team in their marriage—but not at work. Finn is a border control agent patroling the Pacific Ocean off Orange County, California. Mona is an attorney at a non-profit that provides free legal services to illegal aliens caught crossing the Mexican border. However, when Finn saves a woman using a boat to enter California, he asks Mona to review her case.

The woman, Carmen, was dating an enforcer for a drug cartel. When she had tried to run away before, he burned her breasts with battery acid. This time, she knows he will kill her. Can Mona get her asylum in the US?

In the meantime, Finn is suspicious of the Riverside spotting team. They haven’t spotted any drug dealers in quite awhile. Instead, Finn’s boat has only been chasing illegals. When Finn gets temporarily assigned to Riverside, he decides to find out what is going on.

I loved the exhilarating scenes when Finn and his crew were chasing the bad guys on the ocean. However, most of the book is a combination of US corruption, Mexican narco gangs, and a legal thriller. Death Rattle is highly recommended for fans of those genres. 4 stars!

Note: I live in California so, of course, I understand Spanish. If you don’t, I recommend that you read this on an e-reader. Some of the Spanish sentences are not translated in the text. Most e-readers will translate words if you highlight them.

Thanks to Forge Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Virginia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Alex Gilly's first novel, "Devil's Harbor", introduced a character whom I found immensely appealing, Marine Interdiction Agent for Customs and Border Protection, Nick Finn. This time in Book Two, "Death Rattle", both Nick and his wife, human-rights lawyer, Mona Jimenez, are deep in deadly waters as the illegal immigrant, Carmen, whom Nick rescued from a sinking boat becomes Mona's client. When Carmen is murdered while in detention, neither Mona nor Nick believe the official statement regarding her death, and they set out to find the truth. Nick also has his suspicions as to why his border protection team is seeing fewer drug-smuggling runs and more illegal immigrant entry attempts. Something in the troubled sea off the California coast is definitely fishy--and it's not just what lives under the water. "Death Rattle" is a fast-paced, complex thriller with a suspenseful story line--you will become so involved, you'll want to read it all in one setting. The author's characterizations are quite compelling--Nick is a border patrol agent, and Mona defends those who illegally cross that border. They would seem to be an impossible match, yet they love each other and are still together despite all that they have been through. "Death Rattle" takes on some tough subjects and moves the rocks from which snakes, human and reptilian, slither out from under--both are equally venomous.

Book Copy Gratis Forge Books

[John Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure if this was intended as a thriller or as liberal propaganda. Death Rattle is a sophomoric story with a "plot twist" you will see coming from about the third chapter. Several times throughout the story I thought "Surely he isn't going there, it's just too obvious." But no, he definitely is going there. The characters are just caricatures of "evil politician," "evil businessman," "evil drug lord," "good public defender," "evil judge," etc. I think I suffered mental blunt force trauma from reading this book.

Overall the writing isn't completely horrible, but neither is it very evocative, nor will it leave you wanting another chapter. Neither did Alex Gilly, apparently -the last chapter reads more like a simple one page "they lived happily ever after" than a denouement. I kind of think Gilly realized he had already made his word count two pages back and was ready to clock out for the day.

Honestly, I finished it just because it was the only book I had with me while I waited for my nephew to take his driver's test. It would have been more edifying to read the DMV literature instead. I will give Alex Gilly books a wide berth from now on.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick Finn and his wife Mona Jimenez might seem to be opposites but they aren't. He's a Customs and Border Patrol officer and she's a human rights attorney. When Nick rescued and detained Carmen, he didn't expect that she would die in the facility where she was being held but she did. Mona knows something's wrong (beyond the obvious) at the facility, which is a private concern now about to get a huge contract from the USG. She investigates and then sues. No spoilers on what she finds but regular readers of the news might not be surprised but will be disappointed in how inhumane things are. It's a topical read with good characters- not just Nick and Mona but others as well. Gilly tells a strong story but doesn't beat the drum too hard. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Gilly writes an absorbing story that pulls you in from page one. Nick Finn is a cop, working for Customs and Border. He is a righteous cop who tries to stay on the right side of the law while also serving the people he has sworn to protect. His wife is a lawyer who advocates for the downtrodden, including people who are trying to enter and stay in the U.S. Here we see what happens when Nick Finn detains a woman trying to enter the country. While in detention she dies under cloudy circumstances. Nick's wife decides to investigate and eventually brings a lawsuit against the facility, which is soon to be turned over to a private corporation. What ensues is enthralling, entertaining, and topical. Gilly writes well and composes an involving story filled with realistic characters doing their best and sometimes their worst.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I can say is WOW! An amazing book from start to finish. It could have been ripped from the newspapers today.

Alex Gilly's Death Rattle is a riveting thriller for fans of Don Winslow's The Border.

A death in a migrant detention center leads officer Nick Finn and his wife, human-rights lawyer Mona Jimenez, to investigate the prison's account of what happened.

Trouble is, the company that runs the prison is on the verge of signing a billion-dollar procurement contract with Homeland Security. And there are people in this world for whom a billion dollars is worth a whole lot more than one human life. Or even three.

[Eric Cousineau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Gilly takes on a very powerful and sensitive topic that is right on point with current affairs in the world today with great understanding, sensitivity and compassion. His characters are well developed and the action is non-stop. It grabs you on the first page and takes you on a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns throughout the book and ends with a satisfactory conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forg who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Corny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well plotted thriller taking in several subjects, snakes, border patrol, immigration law and for profit prison corporations, and bringing them together in coherent form. However, like Robert Ludlum, this author puts his protagonists in impossible positions and suddenly rescues them in preposterous fashion. If only the conclusion had been as well put together as the setup, the result would have been first rate. Somehow resolving everything in the last 10 pages without a lot of explanation is in vogue these days. I think it is just laziness!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Devil's Harbor and was glad to see a second book based on the same characters. Death Rattle opens with another gripping interdiction at sea but the preponderance of the story centers on Mona, Nick Finn's wife, who is a lawyer representing illegal immigrant detainees. Mona is smart, fierce and determined to fight for the rights of her client. A bit of an abrupt ending, but an excellent story.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The courtroom scenes were really strong and I really enjoyed the Butterfield character. If you're looking for an engaging, well-written thriller, you'd struggle to find better. I couldn't recommend Death Rattle enough. A must read.

[Aida Alberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

So so good! Full of action and tension. It's edge of your seat reading as you read as fast as you can to find out what's going on. A strong plot with lots of twists and turns to keep you happily reading. Pick this up and check it out. Happy reading!

[Janet Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up from 3+. Good characters, plenty of action, and timely plot.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written...no matter what side of the border fence you sit on politically. Drugs, snakes, good guys, bad guys, immigrants, misogeny, justice, plot twists.

[Ashley McWilliams · Rating 4 out of 5]

100% paperback

[Randy J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent followup to Devil’s Harbor! Gilley demonstrates a deep understanding of the sea, migrants’ legal and challenges, and, of course, snakes. I certainly learned a lot about those subjects from reading the book, which is fast-paced and well-written. I highly recommend this book/audio-book to anyone interested in a good read.

[AC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick Finn is an agent with Customs and Border Patrol. Mona Jimenez is a human-rights attorney attached to a firm that provides legal services for people caught crossing the border illegally.

Of course they're married.

They also wind up being the trope-ish investigative team that looks into the murky death of Carmen,who was caught and placed in a detention center after crossing the border to escape her drug cartel-associated boyfriend. There's also the spectre of dirty CBP agents, as Finn notices interdictions in one particular office is solely resulting in rounding up people illegally crossing the border, and zero drug traffickers or their mules.

The story takes a bit to get moving, and in my opinion, the actual opening of the book is a little ways in from where it starts here. However, it is a necessity to give us some information on our main characters.

Curiously enough, these two could just as easily been colleagues instead of husband and wife, as there's no real zing in their relationship. Whatever the case, they do at least work well enough together to investigate what's happening here and bring a little justice into play.

The setting and subject matter are certainly topical and important, the story is decent, and the writing is fine. Some of the Spanish in the text was not translated in the text - I'm not sure if this was because I was reading an ARC or if this was intentional, but it's just a note for folks who may not be able to read the language.

A solid three star out of five read.

Thanks to Forge/Macmillan-Tor and NetGalley for the review copy.