Plot summary

In an area of Spanish Harlem controlled by the Puerto Rican-American gang the Horsemen, fifteen year old Roberto Escalante, a blind boy, is stabbed to death in broad daylight by three other youth in front of on-lookers. The three are apprehended and are supposed members of the rival Italian-American gang, the Thunderbirds: seventeen year old Arthur Reardon, sixteen year old Anthony 'Batman' Aposto, and fifteen year old Danny di Pace. The district attorney's office, led by Dan Cole, appoints Hank Bell to prosecute. Dan's choice is partly because Hank suggested first degree murder charges, which if achieved would help Dan's gubernatorial bid, but also because Hank knows the racially charged Harlem turf wars well since he grew up there. The one person who openly disagrees with Hank on prosecuting on first degree murder is his privileged wife, Karin Bell, who feels such charges especially against a fifteen year old are inhumane. Knowing the neighborhood and its people well, Hank investigates on his own, which places his and his family's life in danger as both sides try to use whatever methods of persuasion on Hank, including violence, implied or real, to get what they want. But Hank also tries to find out motivation for killing a seemingly non-gang related boy, who the three claim wielded a knife on them first and thus who they killed in self-defense. Arthur and Anthony's motivations become clear, but Danny is the big question mark, he who is deemed a good, bright boy by most around him, despite his solidarity in the killing with Arthur and Anthony. That investigation may be helped or hindered by the fact that Hank once seriously dated Danny's mother, Mary di Pace, who stands by her son's innocence.—Huggo