C.I. Deal

Tom Kropp's novels all started as short stories he wrote that were published in well-known magazines such as Chiron Review, Churches Children and Daddies, Down in the Dirt, Horror Zine, Listening Eye, Evening Street Review, Freedom Fiction, Dark Harbor, Blood Moon Rising, Phantomania, J Journal, Lowlife Lit, Conceit, Muscle and Fitness, Outdoor Life and many other magazines. Tod Krane is a confidential informant for the state and federal authorities in human trafficking and homicide investigations.
He has spent a large chunk of his life in and out of dangerous prisons and ghetto neighborhoods. He's released from prison as a middle-aged man that doesn't have any money or means of legal support, so he takes a job to kill two men. Afterwards he resorts to drug dealing with a friend, but in doing so they make enemies with the local gang. As a result, Krane's girlfriend and friend end up shot by the enemy gang.
Krane goes on a revenge mission by killing numerous gang members. Inadvertently Krane frees numerous girls that were being held by the gang in a human trafficking operation. Krane is caught by authorities for the homicides and goes on trial for his life in a dramatic courtroom trial. In the end, Krane agrees to become a confidential informant for the state and feds again and that leads to many more dangers for him and his friends.  This is an action-packed novel dealing with courtroom dramas, state and federal investigations into human trafficking, homicides, serial killers, gangs and cartels.
At the heart of it, Tod Krane tries to muddle his way through all the dangers as he falls in love and tries desperately to survive and escape both the ghetto and prisons.