Jacey Bedford's Journal

Set in a grim future where cities in the American Southwest--California, Arizona and Nevada--fight for a share of dwindling water supplies from the Colorado River. Angel Velasquez is a Las Vegas 'water knife' who cuts the water supplies to other cities on behalf of his ruthless boss, Catherine Case, He's a thug, assassin, spy, and fixer who operates in a world where the rich live in luxurious, verdant arcologies while the poor eat dust, recycle their pee, and buy precious water by the jug. Girls barely out of puberty sell their bodies for a meal and a chance to take a shower under real running water. When he's sent to drought-ravaged Phoenix Angel comes across Lucy Monroe, a journalist who may not be quite as hard as she thinks she is, and Maria Villarosa, a refugee from the (now) unviable Texas. There are twists and betrayals, injuries and deaths. No one escapes without hurting, but Angel knows that someone will have to bleed if anyone hopes to drink. This is essentially a near-future climate change thriller. There are no real good guys, but there are bad guys and worse guys. Grimdark cli-fi, this is a horribly realistic and believable future. Though no one is entirely good, the three main characters have some redeeming features, but there's no easy solution.