Available now from Forge Books
Audio available from Brilliance Publishing

SYNOPSIS

When Carmen Vega's boyfriend tries to kill her, she hands over all her savings to a smuggler and sets out from Tijuana in a small, leaky boat. Within sight of the California coast, the boat starts to sink, and its passengers have to be rescued by marine interdiction agents.

Soon, Carmen turns up dead in a privately-operated migrant detention center. Neither Nick Finn, the agent who saved Carmen from drowning, nor his wife, migrants-rights lawyer Mona Jimenez, are satisfied with the prison's account of what happened to Carmen.

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.

REVIEWS

“[DEATH RATTLE] opens with the heart-thumping sea rescue of 22 men, women and children who set out from Tijuana in a leaky boat and hit a storm. The lucky survivors make it to the Paradise Detention Center, where the really lucky ones find a humane lawyer like Mona Jimenez. Carmen Vega, one of the really lucky ones, entrusts Mona with her horrific history.

Rather than dwell on what happens to Carmen […] let’s talk about Mona. She’s smart in the courtroom, she’s tough in the field and she has heart. She’s also married to Nick Finn, a marine interdiction agent for Customs and Border Protection, who makes the other half of a super new team of crime-busters.”
— The New York Times Book Review

“Gilly’s impressive sequel to 2015’s DEVIL’S HARBOR opens with gutsy Nick Finn, a Customs and Border Protection Marine Interdiction agent, diving into frigid waters 10 miles southwest of Newport Beach, Calif., to save 20-year-old Carmen Vega from a sinking fishing boat. […] The book’s strong focus on character and the gripping immigration court drama will keep readers turning the pages. Thriller fans will want to see more of Nick.”
— Publishers Weekly

“[DEATH RATTLE] is a solid thriller on a timely subject and will definitely strike a chord with critics of the U.S. government’s immigration policy.”
— Booklist

“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!”
— DianeReviewsBooks.com