This is Tijuana, MX. Rachel's tending bar in a sex club and Sam's doing illegal errands for Chito Ochoa, a wannabe cartel enforcer.

They're looking for their next mark.

When Billy Jake, a dorky rich kid and ambitious documentary filmmaker, approaches Rachel about doing a doc on Mexican strippers, she convinces him there's a better story to tell. Does he want to penetrate a Mexican cartel? It just so happens she's got the keys to the kingdom. Sam takes Billy along for a few simple chores and it's like waving crank in front of a junkie—the rich kid takes the bait. But he'll need a kicker for his groundbreaking story, and Sam and Rachel know just the thing. All it'll take is forty Gs of Billy's money.

And why not buy in? This might be the greatest story Billy Jake ever gets to tell.

Praise for THE RULE OF THIRDS:

"Phillips writes good grift. The Rule of Thirds is a sexy, savvy, con caper with a sting in its tail." —DDC Morgan, author of Blood & Cinders

"Tijuana noir is its own thing, and The Rule of Thirds is Exhibit A. It's lean and mean, short and not sweet at all." —Albert Tucher, author of The Same Mistake Twice and The Honorary Jersey Girl

"Matt Phillips offers a piece of border noir that's as much about survival and ambition as it is about the current Mexican/American dynamic. Characters trying to make it big while clawing to just make it day to day. A tight, punchy ride that kicks up the social stratum." —Hector Duarte, Jr., author of Desperate Times Call

"The Rule of Thirds moves so fast it'll snap your neck if you're not careful. Pure noir with unlikable and yet engaging characters, a fascinating premise, and escalating tension that'll make you sweat." —Paul Heatley, author of Cutthroat and Just Like Jesus