A Lighter Shade of Gray (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9798893911121)

In an effort to leave her outlaw past and escape the vengeance of the Sinaloa cartel, Lilly DeFranco (The Uneven Surface of the Soul) flees to Mexico City in the hope of rebuilding her life. She soon finds herself in the employ of Jeronimo Hermosa, a local crime boss. Lilly becomes his trusted personal courier dealing with his legitimate business interests.

When Hermosa is approached by Hattie Ranier, a former lover seeking his help in rescuing her wayward granddaughter Kate from her association with a Houston street gang, he tasks Lilly to travel to Houston and deal with the matter. Lilly is accompanied by Jaime Soledad, one of Hermosa's troubles shooters.

Their efforts quickly go awry when Kate is abducted by her criminal boyfriend after a violent encounter with the police. The two become fugitives and disappear. Lilly and Jaime have no choice but to return to Mexico City. Three months later, a cryptic message from Kate results in Lilly and Soledad renewing their efforts. Their search takes them to rural Colorado, but their mission becomes even more complicated when they are forced to extricate Kate from a dangerous criminal enterprise. As the plot unfolds, Lilly becomes increasingly determined to rescue Kate from making the same mistakes that led her down a path of criminality, but to do this Lilly must revert to her old ways.