Hector Ramirez (only one of his many aliases) had been out of the game for years, living quietly, anonymously, and soaking up whiskey when a young girl, not even in her teens, shows up looking for him at the local dive bar. She’s in trouble, and Tim, a former colleague of Hector’s from the old days, has sent her to him. Tim had saved Hector’s bacon when a joint mission had gone south, and Tim was calling in his marker. The only thing? Tim has been dead for more than ten years.

Part mystery, part thriller, part horror story, an action film on paper, I was absolutely enthralled by THE BROKEN ROOM.

The characters in THE BROKEN ROOM are outstanding. Hector is not quite the washed-up has-been he seems at first glance. He has heartbreak driving his circumstances, a tragic family backstory that felt all too real. A Hispanic male, Hector is subjected to numerous instances of racial prejudice and profiling throughout the story. However, Hector has never entirely left his previous life and requisite skills behind. He knew when his sixth sense was warning him by the tingling on the back of his neck.

Natalie, the young heroine of the book, is a refugee from El Salvador and encounters all the worst kinds of problems as she and her father and aunt try to make their way to the U.S. What she finds when she gets to the border couldn’t be farther from the safety they were after. Just the process of seeking asylum is horrible for the children, and then the story takes a left turn.

In THE BROKEN ROOM, the “community” of spies or assassins-for-hire is small. Its members have worked with or against each other at one time or another. Everyone knows everyone involved, although sometimes it’s only by reputation. The fluidity of the paid-for loyalties was plausible and an intriguing part of the story.

Besides the mystery and the thrilling action sequences, this is very much a horror story, and it involves what is going on with Natalie and Tim. Hector (and Tim) are doing everything they can to rescue her, but readers should still be prepared for the idea that this is happening to a child, and it is messy.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a story that combines the mystery, thriller, and horror genres. With its imaginative and thrilling plot, broad setting from L.A. across the southwest U.S. to Texas, and great characters, THE BROKEN ROOM is an exciting and absorbing story that I didn’t want to put down from the moment I started it.