Tony Salazar, a murderous thug who has devoted his life to the Guerra drug cartel, is suddenly questioning his loyalty. Tony seizes on his boss's poor decision to keep a video memento of a murder to seek out witness protection. Tony, whose biggest previous concern was killing competing drug dealers populating the California desert's meth land, must also protect a young girl named Xochil, who has unwittingly become a pawn in Tony's plan of betrayal to escape from the only life he has ever known, a hard-boiled life of meth manufacturing and murder.

This thriller, set in California's Salton Sea, pits tough guy Tony against even tougher guys who view stomping out betrayal as the only form of revenge.

The gradual transformation of Tony from the ruthless killer to a deliverer of justice is jolting, and the page-turning factor is guaranteed to kill your Friday night plans, if not your entire weekend. Brutal, blunt, and gritty, McConnell's "Saving Xochil" satisfies all fans of crime thriller fiction.