PARADISE COST: A Novel

# PARADISE COST**Subtitle: ** A gripping crime thriller of power, betrayal, and 1980s Los Angeles*In 1980s Los Angeles, loyalty has a price. Ambition costs everything.*Dante Cruz is the sharpest, quietest enforcer for an aging Los Angeles mob family. Raised in the shadows of the Calabrese crime syndicate, Dante's talent for patience and "arithmetic" has kept him alive, but forever tethered to an old-school boss and a deeply jealous heir.Everything changes on a Long Beach pier when a routine debt collection goes sideways. There, Dante meets Elena Restrepo, a brilliant and dangerous operative for the Cali cartel. She offers him the keys to the future: a staggering cocaine pipeline, limitless wealth, and the chance to build a sprawling empire of his own.Seizing the opportunity, Dante masterminds a ruthless takeover, absorbing the old mob's infrastructure to funnel the cartel's endless supply into the sun-drenched, money-hungry streets of LA. He becomes a king. But ascending the throne is easier than keeping it.As his power explodes, the walls begin to close in. A relentless DEA agent is building a sprawling case. Street-level rivals declare a bloody war. And a devastating, unthinkable betrayal is brewing within Dante's most trusted inner circle. Forced to navigate a maze of violence, money laundering, and shifting loyalties, Dante must confront the ultimate question: what is he willing to sacrifice to protect the people he loves?Spanning decades and exploring the dark heart of the American Dream, *Paradise Cost* is a pulse-pounding, intricately plotted crime epic. Perfect for fans of *Narcos*, Don Winslow's *The Cartel*, and *The Godfather*.