The Dreamer

The chef's knife was in the wrong place...wedged deep in the gut of celebrity chef Carlos Cruz.

San Francisco's hottest young chef rose from modest beginnings to getting a James Beard Award for his upscale Mission District eatery, El Conquistador. In addition to creating cutting-edge cuisine, the mercurial Cruz has been accused of sexual harassment multiple times.

When Mercedes "Mercy" Tejada finds her boss dying in the alley behind his trendy bistro, she knows she's in a lot of trouble. The waitress job wasn't ideal, but the tips paid the bills. Smart, ambitious, and tenacious, Mercy was granted Dreamer status while studying to become a nurse.

With the bloody discovery, Mercy realizes she could lose it all. And not just for her -- her entire family is at risk too.

In the eleventh installment of New York Times bestselling author Sheldon Siegel's iconic San Francisco series, ex-spouses and Public Defenders Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez are thrust into this politically charged case where they must battle the District Attorney, the immigration authorities, the political establishment, old family secrets, and each other in a desperate search for the truth.

The case is personal. Mercy's mom, Perlita, is the longtime housekeeper for Rosie's mother, Sylvia. It is Sylvia who asks Rosie and Mike to handle Mercy's case. There are political ramifications as well. Rosie is running for re-election as Public Defender. Her decision to handle a dreamer's defense herself will not play well to a portion of the electorate.

As Mercy's case hurtles toward trial, Rosie, Mike, and Mike's brother/private investigator, Pete, race between the tenements, trendy restaurants, and century-old churches of the Mission District in a desperate search for an elusive truth where everybody--including Mike and Rosie and their families--has something to hide.