Zoot-Suit Murders, by Thomas Sanchez, is an odd, confused story. You may also recognize Thomas Sanchez from his first book Rabbit Boss, a profound tale about the American-Indian experience. This book, however, seems rather inadequate when compared to his first writing. Thomas Sanchez has failed in his writing abilities all throughout Zoot-Suit Murders, a befuddled tale of hapless love, cold murders, and sick politics. Zoot-Suit Murders is nothing but 230 pages of wasted reading and blasphemy to all prose.

The book is set during World War II in the Mexican-American barrio of Los Angeles. The book mainly focuses on the troubles and trials of thirty-three year old Oscar James Fuss. He is an undercover agent checking for un-American activities in the Barrio, while posing as a social worker that is a baseball coach for poor teenagers. His opinionated boss, Senator Kinney, capriciously fluctuates between discussing Fuss's true profession and...