Wiley's Shuffle — Lono Waiwaiole

In Wiley's world, violence runs deep and loyalty runs even deeper. So when a prostitute named Miriam gets attached to the wrong guy, Wiley leaves the poker table, grabs his best friend Leon and starts looking for a way to shake her loose. Trouble is, the guy is a sociopathic pimp named Dookie who's on the lucky streak of a lifetime and who is starting to feel invincible.

Their quest takes Wiley and Leon to Vegas and L.A.-plus a few desolate, dangerous spots in-between-until they reach a brutal, vicious showdown back on the streets of the Portland they all call home. To Wiley, it's more clear than ever that the only things worth knowing are who's on your side and who's got your back. Wiley has emerged as one of the darkest yet most human characters in modern noir fiction, and Waiwaiole has hit his stride in Wiley's Shuffle, a powerful second novel from a true talent.