D.C. Frost — A Shadow of Jaguars (Detective DJ Arias Mystery #2) / Melanie S. Hatter — All the Pain We Endure - with Saul Gonzalez
D.C. Frost presents *A Shadow of Jaguars*, the second Detective DJ Arias mystery, a cross-border noir thriller moving between Mexico City and Los Angeles. During a family funeral in Mexico City, Detective DJ Arias encounters the Jaguars, a group of Robin Hood-style thieves whose activities connect to a Hollywood murder involving Los Angeles elites and the immigrant workers who serve them. As DJ and his partner, Bobby Talbot, investigate, the case puts DJ’s loved ones at risk and forces them to navigate the uneasy overlap of wealth, power, and immigrant life. DJ’s loyal dog, Evidence, remains at his side.
Melanie S. Hatter discusses *All the Pain We Endure*, a Washington, D.C.-set novel about Raebelle “Rae” Johnson, a biracial massage therapist who can sense the pain carried by other people while avoiding her own. Rae’s difficult relationship with her father, her attraction to the martial artist Kai, and the resurfacing of family wounds lead her to consider how trauma passes between generations and whether inherited pain must determine her future. Frost and Hatter will be in conversation with Saul Gonzalez.
When: Sunday, November 15, 2026
Showtime: 3:00pm
Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Tickets: Free
Seating: First come, first served.
Authors: D.C. Frost and Melanie S. Hatter
Moderator: Saul Gonzalez, a television, radio, podcast, and news journalist and producer who has covered local, national, and international subjects. He has received multiple Emmy Awards, RTNA Golden Mikes, and other journalism honors, and was named Los Angeles Radio Reporter of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club for two consecutive years.
D.C. Frost: Frost is a second-generation Angeleno and the author of *A Shadow of Jaguars* and *A Punishing Breed* (2024), which was reviewed by *The New York Times*. Her short fiction has appeared in publications including *Westwind*, UCLA’s literary magazine. She previously worked in nonprofit fundraising and now writes full-time, drawing on Southern California’s class, cultural, and natural landscapes. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and several rescue dogs.
Melanie S. Hatter: Hatter is also the author of *Malawi’s Sisters*, winner of the inaugural Kimbilio National Fiction Prize, *The Color of My Soul*, winner of the 2011 Washington Writers’ Publishing House Fiction Prize, and *Let No One Weep for Me, Stories of Love and Loss*. A former licensed massage therapist, she works on the Development team at My Sister’s Place, Washington, D.C.’s first domestic violence shelter. She teaches with the New Directions in Writing training program and serves on the Washington Writers’ Publishing House board.
Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask accessibility questions, email events@politics-prose.com, ideally at least one week before the event. The venue will make an effort to accommodate requests received up to the event time.
Related books: *A Shadow of Jaguars* is available in paperback for $19.95. *All the Pain We Endure* is available in paperback for $14.99.