Nonfiction writer Cindy Fazzi's page-turning debut thriller, Multo--first in a planned series--delves into the plight of undocumented immigrants. The moral issues around deportation are explored through Filipino American Domingo, who equally believes in his career while also feeling ethically conflicted by it. Domingo's job as a bail enforcement agent (a term he prefers to "bounty hunter") requires that he find criminal undocumented immigrants for deportation. His white boss and his clients call him Sunday, an Americanized version of his name that he adopted when he became a U.S. citizen at age 17. Domingo, who knows well that his brown skin allows him to blend into immigrant communities, sympathizes with those he finds, the "desperate hopefuls," and he justifies his work by noting that he is seeking criminals. But secretly he writes an underground guide to help the undocumented navigate the system.
Domingo calls the undocumented immigrants "multo," meaning ghost in Filipino, because they are invisible to most people. His main multo is Monica Reed, the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy former general who hired Domingo to find Monica. The general planned to have Monica killed, as her existence embarrassed him. Domingo previously captured Monica twice: once he let her go, and once she escaped. Now Monica will inherit the fortune of the general's widow, who wants to make amends. Domingo's third search for Monica takes him cross country, encountering violence, shady characters, and a celebrity's deadly secrets. Multo's gripping suspense never falters. Fazzi (My MacArthur), who is Filipino American, impressively captures Domingo's ability to straddle two worlds--but also his inability to belong to either--as he moves freely among the undocumented. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer