THE NEXT ONE WILL KILL YOU

A rookie FBI agent is determined to show his worth when he’s tapped for his very personal connections to Fort Lauderdale’s gay community.

Eyes on the prize, Angus Green is determined to win big money at strip trivia night at Lazy Dick’s. He’d love the chance to send Danny, the younger brother he’s basically raised, on a summer study-abroad program. So he’s more focused on Stonewall history than his day job as an FBI agent—that is, until he sees his colleagues Vito Mastroianni and Roly Gutierrez in the crowd. Angus is pretty sure neither Vito nor Roly is gay, so he’s not sure what they’re doing cruising a gay bar until they tell him about a missing informant. Ever since getting in touch with Roly, who’s working on the Bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force squad, Paco Gonzalez hasn’t been seen or heard from. Now Vito and Roly need Angus for his expertise in the gay scene, from his connections to his willingness to get people to talk. Though Angus is technically assigned to a job looking into a jewelry operation’s potentially illegal connections, he’s psyched at the possibility of being mentored by Vito and Roly and joins the investigation with enthusiasm. His attention is diverted when Danny calls to let him know of suspicious goings-on in his own workplace. Fearful lest Danny be the target of an inquiry, Angus offers his brother tips on conducting an investigation into credit fraud. Though he’s glad to be part of such a big operation, Angus’ hunt for Paco makes him act ever more impulsively, and his desire to close the case may well put him in danger.

Not every thread here is equally successful; it’s Plakcy’s characters, not his plot, that charm.