Rough Trade
The rough-and-tumble gender-fluid opium smuggler Alma Rosales is back in this action-packed sequel to The Best Bad Things. Wherever Alma goes trouble is not far behind. Set in the growing hub of 1888 Tacoma, Rough Trade is the second part of Alma’s story (with hopefully more to come), and it’s as spicy and thrilling as its predecessor. Now that Alma has cleaned up the drug trade in Port Townsend, she’s moved to Tacoma alongside boss and partner, Delphine Beaumond, to set up shop. Feeling like she’s running the show for once, Alma recruits her own crew and sets down roots. When men start turning up bearing all the signs of opium use and the disposal of two bodies is botched, lawmen come rolling into town. Coinciding with the reappearance of Alma’s first love, Bess Spencer, and a young man sniffing around her crew and asking questions, Alma will have to confront the hardest question of all—the price of desire and whether she’s willing to pay it. With survival and wants of the heart clashing, Alma and her crew are about to find out just how dangerous their way of life is.
Katrina Carrasco outdoes herself with this genre- and gender-bending tale of passion, murder, and sacrifice. With a gift for punchy prose, evocative language, and a fast pace, Carrasco’s Rough Trade is a worthy continuation of Alma’s journey. Twists at every turn will keep you wondering and reading late into the night.
