This is a preview of my first novel manuscript The Black Coatl. It is a literary action thriller with a mix of crime, noir, and social commentary. The best way to describe it is to imagine Batman if he was a person of color, did not have wealth, gadgets, or supernatural elements existing in his world with the style of the film Taxi Driver, Metropolis, and the psychological traits of Alan Moore's Watchmen. It is about this teacher named Robert Lopez AKA the Black Coatl, who fails to save a runaway girl from a human trafficking organization in New Zion, the city he lives in. His failure to save her reminds him about how he failed to protect his sister Audrina when he was a teenager and brings up personal trauma that still haunts him. With the help of Aaron Thomas, a chain-smoking disillusioned cop, who he does not get along with, Robert searches for this missing girl to not not just save her and other victims being forced into prostitution, but to seek personal redemption for failing to protect Audrina. This story is still a work in progress, but I am getting closer to finishing. Below is a preview of the first few chapters, so enjoy.
Warning: This preview contains violence, strong language, and references to human trafficking.