Illegal

August 24, 2020
In this sequel to The Disappeared, Stork revisits the Zapata siblings, who are now on the run from the cartels and seeking asylum in the U.S. Three weeks ago, Sara, a reporter in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, helped free her best friend Linda Fuentes, who was kidnapped by Leopoldo Hinojosa. When Linda sends Hinojosa’s cellphone to Sara, Sara becomes a target. After Hinojosa’s men attack them on the journey, Sara turns herself in to plead for asylum at Fort Stockton Detention Center, leaving Emiliano with the object. In Chicago, Emiliano hides with their father, Roberto Zapata, now Bob Gropper, who immigrated five years ago and started a new family. But Bob’s new wife, Nancy, is less than thrilled to be harboring “an illegal stranger.” Things grow more complicated when Emiliano’s whereabouts are discovered, and Sara learns that the guards at the detention center may be compromised. Stork delivers another thrilling story, carefully juxtaposing the issues asylum seekers face with the experiences of “illegal” immigrants in a dual-perspective first-person narrative. Socially relevant and politically poignant, Stork’s propulsive thriller explores how the U.S. justice system treats immigrants. Ages 12– up. Agent: Faye Bender, the Book Group.