THE VANISHING STATION

An 18-year-old Filipino American teen enters a life of magical crime to pay back her father’s debts.

Life has never been perfect for Ruby Santos and her father, Balboa, but things are truly desperate now. It’s been two years since her mother died of cancer, and between repaying hospital bills, supporting relatives in the Philippines, and trying to get by in expensive San Francisco, Ruby and Balboa are stretched to their limits. Amid this hardship, Ruby discovers Balboa’s big secret: He works for a crime family that uses magic portals within the BART public transit system to smuggle illegal goods. But Balboa’s declining health and alcoholism have been getting him into trouble at work. Ruby’s called in to answer for his debts—Balboa put their house up for collateral—and winds up offering to take over his position. This decision thrusts her into the dark underworld of the Bartholomew, “i.e., BART,” criminal family, most of whom are white. She comes into the orbit of (and, despite her qualms about his work, starts falling for) handsome, aquamarine-eyed Montgomery Bartholomew, who’s heir to the throne. A slow start may have readers wondering where this train is headed, but it sets up threads that pay off once Ruby’s talent for magic and her growing closeness to Montgomery draw heat from those inside and outside the organization. The story wraps up neatly but leaves room for a sequel.

An urban fantasy with an original premise.