Hidden Law

by Michael Nava

Paperback, 2003

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Series

Henry Rios Mystery (4)

Henry Rios Revised Series (#5)

Genres

Publication

Alyson Books (2003), Edition: 1, Paperback, 232 pages

Description

The fourth novel in Michael Nava's award-winning series takes Henry Rios back to his roots when he defends a Latino teenager accused of murder State senator and mayoral hopeful Gus Peña has been gunned down in the parking lot of a restaurant in East Los Angeles. When Chicano teen and ex-gang member Michael Ruiz is arrested for the murder, Henry Rios takes the case. It's a tough road: As Rios endures a painful break-up with his HIV-positive partner, Josh, Ruiz refuses to help Rios in his defense. But Rios finds inconsistencies in the kid's story, and is sure Ruiz is covering for the real killer. Peña had a lot of enemies. As Rios tries to build the case for a different killer, he descends into the dark underbelly of Los Angeles--a hotbed of vice and corruption. Caught between his powerful connection to both suspect and victim, Rios races to prevent a terrible failure of justice. The Hidden Law is the fourth book in the Henry Rios mystery series, which begins with The Little Death and Goldenboy.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Jim53

Los Angeles lawyer Henry Rios is thoroughly connected in the Hispanic and gay communities. When a prominent Hispanic politician is murdered, Henry, a recovering alcoholic, becomes involved through a rehab program. Police quickly identify a suspect, a member of the program who had threatened the

politician. Henry works with the suspect, who says he committed the crime, and looks for another answer. At the same time he is dealing with the breakup of his relationship with his lover, whose self-image is being taken over by his HIV-positive status. We learn more about Henry's past through the rather tired but well handled depiction of psychotherapy sessions.

Overall a pretty good mystery. Henry interacts credibly and with apparent integrity. The book can stand on its own; I didn't realize it was part of a series till after I had read it. Some readers might be put off by a couple of scenes of gay sex, but they're depicted very much the same way straight sex is shown in many other books, and they add to our picture of Henry.

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LibraryThing member -Eva-

Pretty good mystery. There's a huge separation between Rios' personal life and his work life, but that may actually add to the credibility of his character - and he's a lot more human in this book than Howtown. The plot is good, and the whodunnit and the howdunnit makes it worth the while.

LibraryThing member yarmando

Henry is deepening as a character, and the temper that strained his relationship with Josh pushes them apart here. But he comes to understand why, and this brings some depth.

Listening to these back to back, I get the sense that Nava isn't the most skilled mystery builder, but his plots are

serviceable and are enough of a frame to carry his explorations of Henry's journey. I liked the personification of conflicts between AA and professional counseling.

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