The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants

In this heartfelt if plodding legal thriller set in 1997 San Francisco from Ortega-Medina (The Savior of 6th Street), attorney Marc Mendes, who’s been estranged from his family for years because he is gay, takes on a client, mechanic Alejandro Silva, who proves especially difficult. Silva has filed a sexual harassment claim against the hotel where he worked, alleging that he was fired after spurning the advances of his male supervisor. Mendes, who’s in a committed longtime relationship with a paralegal at another firm, Oscar Perez, is disturbed to find himself attracted to Silva. He’s later shocked to learn that Silva is being held for violating parole for auto theft. On top of that, Silva reveals that he pleaded no contest to manslaughter for killing a man who he also claimed was interested in him sexually. The mechanic insists the death was accidental, but Mendes becomes increasingly suspicious of Silva. None of this builds much suspense. Meanwhile, Perez, an immigrant from El Salvador, is threatened with deportation, and Mendes’s efforts to help his lover soon overshadow Silva’s case. This works best as a novel about romance and relationships. Agent: Olivia McCoy, Smith Publicity. (Apr.)