Mariachis in Nogales

By William Kergroach

In a world where silicon is the only currency that matters, one man must cross the desert to deliver it. But some ghosts don't stay buried.
The year is 2129. The great wars are over, ended not by a bang, but by sheer exhaustion. Nation-states have crumbled, replaced by sprawling civilizational blocs and the ruthless pragmatism of the Triads. In this quiet, worn-down world, cryogenic microprocessors are the ultimate currency: without them, there is no clean water, no medicine, no power.
Liang is a courier. Thirty-eight years old, Eurasian, and a former Jiaolong special forces operative, he knows only one trade: moving high-value tech across the lawless corridors of the former Americas. He doesn't ask questions. He doesn't seek glory. He just delivers.
His latest contract is a 1,200-kilometer run from the humid docks of Mazatl n to the dusty border town of Nogales. Riding shotgun in a biodiesel Freightliner with a taciturn local driver named Miguel, Liang carries a locked aluminum case worth forty kilos of pure silver. The route is fraught with cartel remnants, opportunistic bandits, and corrupt checkpoints. Liang has faced worse. He is competent, cynical, and driven by a quiet, unspoken code of honor.
Then he steps into an empty shop in Nogales and finds a warm porcelain teacup, a missing case, and a Jiaolong ceremonial blade pinned to the wall with a note: Old brother. Come get it.
Shen Tao is alive.
A former brother-in-arms presumed dead in the frozen wastes of Kazakhstan five years ago, Shen Tao is now hunting Liang through the Sonoran desert. But he doesn't want a simple shootout. He wants to play a deadly game of shadows, traps, and psychological warfare, pushing Liang to the edge of the abyss to prove a point about loyalty, survival, and the Triads that rule them both.
Mariachis in Nogales is a gripping, atmospheric neo-noir road movie set in a brilliantly realized post-post-apocalyptic world. It's a story of dust, diesel, and the quiet resilience of a man who just wants to go home to Chongqing-to the smell of coal smoke, cheap cigarettes, and the comforting click of mah-jong tiles.
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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HC4BL6T6
• ISBN13: 9798189728693
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 130 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.0" x 8.0"