The Death of Friends

As protagonist Henry Rios investigates his friend Chris Chandler's murder, he begins to discover that the State Supreme Court judge's life had not been at all what it appeared to be, as Chandler's young gay lover begs for protection and other secrets begin to come to light. Amazon.com Review. The latest Henry Rios mystery finds Michael Nava's gay Mexican-American lawyer under severe stress as he defends an L.A. street hustler. One of Rios's former lovers has been murdered; another is nearing death from AIDS. Nava strives for emotional depth and social relevance in his tough tales, told with Chandler-esque language. Rios describes himself best: "I was a magnet for the desperate, frightened and reviled, who somehow or other had heard about the fag lawyer who was a sap for a sad story."