Most of us have
experiences in life we wish we could forget, or did because of alcohol-induced
blankness. Austin calls these ‘bad tequila’ moments, as imbibing in that
particular libation seems to have more bad consequences than others. This
novel, loosely based on his real-life experiences—or those
he can remember anyway—is his ‘bad tequila’ moment.
When a young
jock on a college football team is cut and down-on-his luck, he is given the
opportunity to travel to Mexico with a group of students and take a moment to
reflect on his recent bad luck, or to get totally wasted while brooding over
his own stupidity. He takes it. Life is grand, not a care in the world, white
beaches, surf’s up and pretty woman and alcohol are on the menu.
When tragedy
strikes and a motor vehicle accident kills several members of their party, the
close-knit group unravels. Rico and Tina, at one moment considering young love,
suddenly turn on each other and Rico drowns his sorrows with tequila. The next
day when it is time to leave, Tina has vanished. When he arrives back in the
States, Rico finds himself under arrest for the murder of Tina. Her father, a
US Senator, is baying for his blood, his friends from the trip are all turning
evidence against him and by the end of it Rico finds himself in jail facing
five long years on a trumped up manslaughter charge.
Rico takes the
time to reverse his ‘bad tequila’ moment and rebuild his life, creating a
successful life after his prison sentence, until one fateful journey leads him
back to San Carlos and the scene of the crime. Faced with his past, he begins
drinking again. With a surprise ending, Austin takes us on rough-hewn journey
on his debut novel, a 2011 Readers Favorite award winner.
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