Not all illegal immigrants are created equal in Christ Knopf’s latest Sam Acquillo novel, Tango Down. But Sam knows the accused in the crime that starts this novel. He likes him. He knows he’s innocent. There again, not all innocence is created equal either.

Meanwhile, healthy lives and relationships fail to age equally, and author Chris Knopf cleverly combines two powerful storylines—one of a woman struggling silently for her health, and the other of an immigrant struggling for his freedom. Two futures are threatened, and an older, calmer, but still very active Sam Acquillo looks for order in increasing chaos.

Local anti-immigrant sentiment and personal tragedy are pitted against global evil in this tale, where Sam and defense attorney Jackie Swaitkowski follow a tangled web hiding secrets bigger than either of them have imagined. But tiny secrets might hold the greater threat.

Tango Down reads like a dance with the devil, even when the meaning of the phrase is made clear. The protagonist’s narration is natural and consistent. His balance between global and local fear is convincing—sometimes even heartbreaking. And the clever intersection of the storylines is hauntingly real. Sometimes to gain freedom, freedom truly must be sacrificed. But which sacrifice will Sam be called upon to make? And what freedom will he find?

Disclosure: I was given a preview edition by the publisher and I offer my honest review. ( )