Cover of Graded

Graded

A Novel of Financial Crime and Cartel Power

by Shay Sabbah

political thriller

A cartel launders billions through sports cards. Two women must stop them before the system collapses.

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About this book

When the U.S. DOJ indicts the Sinaloa Governor, DEA Deputy Director Elena Ramirez-Hale sees a crack in the cartel's armor. But the real threat is hidden in plain sight: a multi-billion dollar money laundering scheme run through the sports card grading industry, masterminded by the cartel's new CFO, Javier 'El Contador' Mendoza. As Ramirez-Hale partners with Mexican FGR Commander Valeria Santos, they uncover a web of corruption that reaches from the boardrooms of Collectors Holdings to the highest levels of Mexican politics. But their investigation is compromised from within, and the cartel is fracturing—old-school enforcers versus corporate financiers—threatening to spill blood on both sides of the border. With billions at stake and time running out, Ramirez-Hale and Santos must risk everything to expose the scheme before the cartel legitimizes its wealth and becomes untouchable. But their own secrets could destroy them first. A gripping thriller that exposes the dark underbelly of a beloved American pastime, GRADED is a race against time to save not just an industry, but the integrity of the global financial system.

36,444 wordsabout 146 pages~182 min read

Reader Reviews

Thomas Mitchell

★★★★★

I picked this up expecting a typical cartel thriller, but Graded blew me away. The opening scene with Ramirez-Hale staring at the rain-soaked D.C. while the indictment lands—and then that cryptic message about 'the cards'—had me hooked. The way the author weaves the sports card grading industry into a money laundering scheme is genius, and the partnership with Commander Santos feels real and tense. The pacing is relentless, and the twist about internal compromise had me gasping. This is a must-read for anyone who loves smart, high-stakes crime fiction.