Bones

July 10, 2017
Dallas Observer editor Tone’s first book tells the saga of José Treviño, a family man who left Mexico in his teens and built a stable life as a bricklayer in Dallas. While he lived a life of toil, his younger brother Miguel, nicknamed Forty, rapidly rose in the Mexican Zeta cartel. So in 2010 when José abruptly became a racehorse owner, he caught the attention of rookie FBI agent Scott Lawson, who was certain of José’s involvement in a money-laundering scheme for Forty. Lawson was correct: the racehorse operation involved numerous other people, including some of José’s immediate family, several Mexicans with ties to Forty, and white Americans in the horse business, including Tyler Graham, the young scion of a family who owned a stud farm and who willingly agreed to cooperate with Lawson. Tone’s tale is convoluted, mixing monetary transactions with horse racing and breeding and investigative minutiae, but parallels emerge between his three principals. José is a humble, hardworking guy trying to do well by his family. José’s business, regardless of where the money comes from, is essential to Graham’s own ambitions for his stud farm. Lawson comes from a law-enforcement background and wants to make his father proud and protect his fellow citizens. Tone follows these three players through the ensuing trial. By the end of the book, their drastically different fates serve as a bleak reminder that the American Dream is not accessible to everyone. Agent: David Patterson, Stuart Krichevsky Literary.

Starred review from June 15, 2017
A deep dive into the world of the Mexican drug cartels and their unexpected relationship with quarter horse breeding and racing in the southwestern United States.In his first book, former Dallas Observer editor Tone concentrates on the span of time between 2008 and 2013, and he ably keeps a large cast of characters in play. Chief among these are brothers Miguel and Jose Trevino, FBI agent Scott Lawson, and horse breeder Tyler Graham. He emphasizes the contrast between Miguel and Jose. Miguel, who later called himself "Quarenta" or "Forty," became the infamously violent leader of Los Zetas cartel. Meanwhile, Jose crossed the border to the U.S. to work as a mason and become an American citizen. However, after he had been in America decades, he suddenly started purchasing racehorses for large amounts of cash, including a young stallion nicknamed "Huesos," or "Bones," for his gawky build. The FBI, in a team led by newbie Lawson, who had recently moved to Texas, began investigating the strong possibility that Forty was using his brother to launder drug money. In the process, Lawson recruited Graham, who ran the ranch that housed Huesos, as an informant. Throughout the book, Tone maintains a vivid and balanced narrative; he tells the story clearly, relatively objectively, and without oversimplification. The author is somewhat hampered by the fact that only Lawson would consent to talk with him, which makes the agent come across as the most well-rounded and sympathetic character. However, Tone does his best to understand the other people involved, using thorough research to get a palpable sense of their lives and motivations. A suspenseful story as well as a fascinating depiction of the mechanics of money laundering, the largely unfamiliar world of quarter horse racing, and the dynamics of an extended family, the book draws readers into the complexities of life at the border.

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