Trap Line by Carl Hiaasen

The provided text offers excerpts from a novel detailing the life of a Florida Keys fisherman named Albury, who is pressured into a risky human smuggling operation to pay off debts and repair his financial situation after his livelihood is destroyed. Albury is blackmailed by local criminal figures, led by Tomas "Winnebago Tom" Cruz and his associate Manolo, into making a run from the Bahamas to Key Largo. This dangerous undertaking involves transporting Colombian nationals and is complicated by a botched drop-off that results in violence and missing people. The narrative also follows Albury's personal struggles, including his strained relationship with his estranged wife Peg and his young son Ricky, a talented baseball player. After Albury's initial smuggling attempt is thwarted by a setup, resulting in his arrest and subsequent release under the condition he makes the new run, Tom retaliates by brutally injuring Ricky's pitching arm, forcing Albury to seek vengeance and secure the money for his son's medica