«Mule» by Tony D'Souza

A young family man caught in the Great Recession turns to running marijuana cross-country to make ends meet in this “timely, witty, and fast-paced” novel (Booklist).James and Kate are golden children of the late twentieth century, flush with opportunity. But an economic downturn and an unexpected pregnancy have them desperate to find a way to make do. And they happen to have a friend in California’s Siskiyou County who grows prime-grade marijuana. If James transports just one load from Cali to Florida, he’ll pull down enough cash to survive for months. And so begins the life of a drug mule.Fans of Breaking Bad will love this page-turning, Zeitgeist-capturing novel that plunges into the criminal underworld with little chance to take a breath. Mule is about people whose morals are tested by unbearable financial stress, trying to survive when the American Dream that had once been handed to them—fully wrapped and ready to go at the takeout window—suddenly vanishes from the menu.“A smart and bracing ground-level exploration of the drug trade.” —Kirkus Reviews“Thanks to its wicked style and pacing, Mule lets me forget I’m reading serious literature while I follow its terrifying story into the land of the all-American damned.” —Walter Kirn, author of Up in the Air“Mule is swift, taut, and relentless . . . A rip-roaring drug tale.” —Lauren Groff, author of Fates and Furies“With adrenaline-infused sentences and a seat-gripping story line, Mule is a novel that illuminates contemporary American desperation, both its dangerous precipices and its thrilling, overwhelming freedom.” —Dean Bakopoulos, author of My American Unhappiness