Morgan Hatch

Javier Jimenez, a first-generation Mexican immigrant living in Los Angeles, has a bright future.  He is excelling at East Valley High School, and hopes to get a scholarship to attend UCLA. One condition of the scholarship is that he does not get into trouble with law enforcement. His thirteen year old younger brother, Alex, has taken a different path in life, mixing with street gangs and drug dealers. When Alex is arrested, the police contact Javier to see if he can persuade Alex to assist them in their investigations. If Alex refuses to help, he risks juvenile detention and could put Javier’s scholarship in jeopardy. As Javier attempts to steer his brother away from the criminal gangs, the two brothers come to physical blows.

Javier finds a burner phone while working at his half-sisters car-recovery business. The car was involved in a hit and run, and the phone belongs to George Jones, a businessman with big plans to re-develop their run-down neighborhood. But, when Javier notices pictures and odd messages on the phone, he becomes dubious of George’s motives. He suspects George’s involvement in several local murders and a number of “natural” disasters. The phone is handed back to George, but when Javier steals the phone to find evidence of corruption and criminality, he becomes George’s next target. As Javier does everything he can to protect his little brother, he is unwittingly drawn into the murky underground world of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Javier has a target on his back and George will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.  

Gone to Ground is a gripping, suspense novel by author Morgan Hatch. The book follows two first generation immigrant brothers, as they navigate starkly different paths in life. While one brother sees a way out of the neighbourhood through education, the other brother has other ideas. Set in a rundown neighbourhood of LA, this is a gritty, fast-paced novel, full of twists and turns. Hatch presents a vivid picture of their lives, and the difficult choices they make in an unequal society. In a parallel story, the local community is destroyed by an unscrupulous entrepreneur for financial gain. The novel reflects the struggles faced by many people in the forgotten corners of our big cities.

Star rating: 5 Stars

Summary: A gripping, suspense novel set in the streets of LA, and an unflinching exploration of poverty and structural inequality.