Our story opens on the streets of LA in 1993. They weren’t any nicer back then than now, and we’re not in the good part of town. Gangs rule their turf, and that turf is sacred to them. The penalties for crossing the lines are brutal. So when the “green light” goes out for Scrappy, a drug dealer, she knows she screwed up. Shots ring out in the night, and Scrappy falls, left for dead. Wizard and Dreamer are fingered for the hit. But Dreamer couldn’t have done it. He has an alibi: his girlfriend, Angela. She was breaking up with him at the very time Scrappy was shot. Wizard also knows Dreamer didn’t do it, but the word is out: Just face the charges like a man.

The gun somehow ended up in a dresser shared by Dreamer and Angela. But she kicked him out, and he never went back. So how did it get there? There’s an eyewitness. A sketchy little guy named Augie. He says he saw the shooting, and the prosecutor likes his story. The problem is, Augie is a user, and he has a troubled relationship with the truth. Give him a reason to change his story, and it could easily happen. Besides, the streets are very dangerous, and Augie doesn’t have much courage, but he does have a gnawing habit.

"Ryan Gattis shows readers a whole alien world right in the midst of Los Angeles, and it’s eye-opening. It’s authentic. It’s frightening. This book will shake you up."

Next, we go inside the prison with Wizard and Dreamer. Wizard has been there before, despite his young age. But this is all new to Dreamer. Don’t worry, Wizard has his back. At least for a while. Things happen, though, and soon Wizard is swept off to another facility, leaving his homey on his own. Dreamer’s rage grows, knowing he shouldn’t be there. He’s not part of a gang, and he didn’t do what they’ve accused him of. He could end up stuck inside for years. His attorney pleads with him to separate his case from Wizard’s, but Dreamer has his instructions. He can’t; he just can’t. As much as the lawyer tries to understand, he doesn’t. No one does who hasn’t lived inside. He can only do his best for his client and hope it is enough.

Meanwhile, on the outside, an up-and-comer dubbed Little, who’s known for his smarts, is tasked with finding out how the gun got inside Dreamer’s dresser. Little wants to prove himself and help his friend, and he knows ways to get information that most street people wouldn’t use. Getting results and getting them to the lawyer can be tricky, and maybe a touch unethical if not downright illegal, but it’s a chance the players are willing to take. The system almost forces it.

Finally, we watch the trial play out, from who wants who on the jury to the edgy tricks each side pulls, to the daily drama of the witness testimony, a few courtroom surprises and the cumulative effect on the outcome. There are winners and losers. For some, better luck next time.

These streets have their own set of rules, and they aren’t any rules you or I would ever understand. The people living on these streets do things the way they do in order to make it day to day. Sure, some of it is for ego, power and show, but for Dreamer, it’s survival. The cops, parole officers, prosecutors and defense attorneys all see how it works, and although in no way do they condone it, at least they recognize that it’s a protective shell around the street existence.

THE SYSTEM presents a story with incredibly real characters; while it’s mostly tough to sympathize with them, sometimes it's also easy to do so. Author Ryan Gattis shows readers a whole alien world right in the midst of Los Angeles, and it’s eye-opening. It’s authentic. It’s frightening. This book will shake you up.