Ammo and Enchiladas

Profound loss and a lust for Mexican food fuel this touching contemporary from Tortuga (Stetsons and Stakeouts). Brant Dime, a pediatric nurse, and Matt Isham, his best friend, are held up while buying gas; the mugger shoots Matt dead, panics, and flees before Brant can react. Matt’s grief-stricken husband, Travis, calls his childhood friend, police officer Lex Espana , to come to Albuquerque and help him through the tragedy. Once there, Lex quickly connects with Brant, offering comfort to both men. When a grief-stricken Travis turns on Brant, Lex leaps to Brant’s defense. After the funeral, Lex goes to Brant’s house to check up on him, and somewhere between the pizza and the beer, sparks begin to fly. There’s a wonderful domesticity to Lex and Brant’s relationship, thanks to their mutual appreciation of food and Lex’s lovefest with Brant’s beast of a cat. Brant’s painful injuries from his years of military service give their relationship a vulnerability that is sure to touch the most jaded of hearts. (June)