Two protégés from rival gangs grow dangerously close in this dazzling YA debut set in 1940s San Francisco Chinatown.
Beneath the neon glare of postwar San Francisco, Chinatown is ruled by two rival crime families. East Phoenix deals in secrets and stealth, West Dragon in fists and fear. But amid rising anti-Chinese hostility, both empires are bleeding money—and the fragile truce between them frays by the day.
As the daughter of Chinatown’s most powerful crime boss, Alexis Sung can do almost anything—except join the family business. When her first job for East Phoenix goes wrong, her father shuts her out for good. Across town, Zachary Ren—a brilliant orphan raised by West Dragon—is desperate to escape a life he never chose. Their paths weren’t meant to cross again, not after he destroyed Alexis's one shot to prove herself.
That changes when a daring heist surfaces—one score big enough to save both families. Defying her father’s orders, Alexis seizes the chance to redeem herself by striking an uneasy alliance with Zachary.
Old wounds reopen. New sparks catch. And survival means trusting the last person she should.
