Most action in The Crossing occurs along the border between El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. Beneath the Santa Fe Bridge, in the muddy shallows of the dammed Rio Grande, Manny and other homeless children beg for coins from American tourists.

At the back door of the Two-by-Four Bar and Cafe, Manny entreats Old Maria, the cook, for a handout. Across the river, at Fort Bliss, the barracks are orderly and antiseptic, a place from which American soldiers seek escape and excitement in the clubs of Juarez.

Near Club Congo Tiki—the preferred destination of Sergeant Robert S. Locke 2976 The Crossing —Manny sleeps in the alley, waiting on the chance that a drunk serviceman might appear, ripe for pocket-picking.

The Rio Brava Hotel, the market and the plaza de toros—the bullring—also make cameo appearances in this novel.

It is the border proper...