His wife Joan, off in Manhattan with her lover, Senator Hank Rawls, immediately rushes home when the police call her, only for her to quickly point the finger at the family's gardener / handyman / party assistant and all-around indispensable man at the house, Juan Suarez, an illegal Mexican immigrant. Juan is handsome, charming, hard working and smart, but is he more than he appears? Could he be "The Blade of the Hamptons" as he has been dubbed by the media? Before long, he is on trial for Brad's murder with only a young but clever public defender named Theresa Bui to defend him. Although she is outgunned, Theresa hopefully has an ace up her sleeve in her former law professor and now famous litigator Raquel Rematti, if she can only convince Raquel to take on Juan's case.
While Juan maintains his innocence and the evidence against him is circumstantial, it becomes a case of the rich against the poor, a beloved wealthy man supposedly cut down in his prime by an illegal immigrant, but everything is not as it seems. Joan and Brad's marriage will soon come under immense scrutiny, as will Juan's every step in life. Add to the mix some dirty cops and a dangerous drug lord named Oscar Caliente of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico and you have quite the combustible mix.
I really enjoyed reading The Borzoi Killings, although the book is more about the murder of Brad Richardson - whereas the dogs were just collateral damage - but it is a catchy title. I will admit that it kept me guessing until the end, which is atypical of a mystery for me. Normally, I have things figured out early on in a thriller or mystery, but I like it when a book challenges me and The Borzoi Killings did.
I must say that I did find Paul Batista's obvious distaste for Southerners to be a little abrasive, as he makes several disparaging comments over the course of the book. Mr. Batista, we aren't all ignorant "Gomer Pyle" types, so you shouldn't assume that. In fact, some of us are quite intelligent, well-spoken and pleasant.
Overall, if you like an interesting story that will take you on a thrilling ride between the lives of the egregiously wealthy and the incredibly poor, all of whom engage in unsavory activities at times, check out The Borzoi Killings and you won't be disappointed.
