Carlito's Way and After Hours — Edwin Torres

These two streetwise novels bring you the story of Carlito Brigante: Puerto Rican, hustler, drug dealer, and survivor. Carlito's Way follows him through Spanish Harlem's noâ€"exit world of gangs, drugs, pimping, and the Mob, from the 1940s to the early 1970s. After Hours finds Carlito released from a fiveâ€"year prison stint, and the world he knows is gone: cocaine has replaced heroin and the disco scene is in full swing. If he wants to make money, Carlito needs to adapt… quickly. Smart and funny, these two inspired the 1993 Brian de Palma film, Carlito's Way, starring Al Pacino.